William Dar Redefines The Roles Of HEIs In These Times Of Covid Trouble!

 

Setting aside Covid-19 of which I know nothing about, I say, yes, we are in the midst of an unprecedented Man-Made Crises in food production, processing & marketing – with the smallest producers hit the worst. Now then, we should be looking for Man-Made Solutions!

Here I am invoking hope via the images above: UP Los Baños “Oblation” photograph by me dated 08-09-2018; “Prospects” image[1] from Manila Times, 25-03-2021. “Don’t Lose Hope” Secretary of Agriculture William Dar, here he is invoking help: “Agri Chief Calls On HEIs To Help Gov't In Economic Recovery Efforts” in a press release 11 August 2021 by the Department of Agriculture (DA), where he is head.

Mr Dar was inspiring the higher education institutions (HEIs) “to take an active part in implementing the government's action plans” nationally in “addressing the challenges faced by the Philippine agriculture sector.” This was during the virtual forum on “Viewpoints Of The Forerunners: Future Of Agriculture And Food Systems,” conducted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) 10 August 2021.

Mr Dar was hoping that:

This forum will define the way forward in terms of what is the kind of agriculture that we want to see in this current generation and in the future.

Brave words those! The following list of what to do from Mr Dar is a list for a courageous program of action:

HEIs should proactively engage in creating a quality workforce, driving innovation, increasing employability, upskilling existing workforces, collaborating between education and business, and feeding the country into a knowledge-based economy.

Mr Dar was saying HEIs should in agriculture proactively:

1. produce more high-quality workforce to serve the government;

2.drive innovation, that is, provide the inspiration for and source of new & improved technologies & systems;

3. produce graduates that have high employability;

4. upskill existing employees;

5. collaborate with business concerns;

6. “feed the country into a knowledge-based economy.”

Mr Dar singled out UP Los Baños thus:

While… UPLB is considered as one of the top Philippine universities in terms of research productivity in science, engineering, and health, as reported by the Institutes for Research, Innovation and Scholarship or IRIS, it should step forward in driving agricultural innovation systems in rural areas.

I note: UPLB is not yet driving innovation in the countryside!

I am an alumnus, BSA Ag Education, UP '65. I am a self-taught digital worker, writer, warrior – wide reader. Since 2005, I have blogged thousands of essays in agriculture. The innovation Mr Dar mentions that I am particularly interested in is “a knowledge-based economy.”

He singles out UP Los Baños and says, “It should step forward in driving agricultural innovation systems in rural areas.”

He leaves the matter at hand with an embarrassing question for UPLB officials and alumni:

“Have we measured the degree of influence of UPLB in the transformation of the municipality of Los Baños or the province of Laguna?”

For the answer, go back to the paragraph in italics above beginning thus: “HEIs should proactively engage…”

UPLB, Let Us Begin!@517

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[1]https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/03/25/news/national/agricultural-prospects-tackled-in-times-forum/855122