THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines-Los Baños will join other schools in the Futures Thinking Initiative of Senator Pia Cayetano.

Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovations, and Futures Thinking, has identified UPLB as one of the recipients of the project.

Futures Thinking, according to the Asian Development Bank, is the theory and methods that provide approaches to help identify emerging issues, negotiate uncertainties, identify scenarios, and formulate a vision of the desired future.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development added that Futures Thinking focuses on policies, strategies, and actions that will promote desirable futures in the next 10 to 20 years, and even more.

Shermon Cruz, lead futurist and trainer of the Philippine Futures Thinking Society, affirmed that UPLB’s Chancellor Jose Camacho’s pursuit of future-proofing falls under Futures Thinking.

He said that Camacho is synonymous to the “concept of anticipatory risk management” of Futures Thinking, in which institutions and initiatives are being shaped to become antifragile and to survive crises.

Chancellor Camacho, together with Dr. Elpidio Agibisit, Jr. and Dr. Barbara Caoili, dean and associate dean for research and extension, respectively, of the College of Agriculture and Food Science, welcomed the invitation from Cayetano’s office.

They identified food systems security and sustainability on which UPLB could focus its participation on the Futures Thinking movement.

Camacho also formed the UPLB Ad Hoc Committee on Futures Thinking Program.

The 17-member committee, chaired by Agbisit and co-chaired by Caoili, has been tasked to oversee the smooth implementation of the Futures Thinking Research and Innovations for Food System and Food Security project.

“The committee aims to promote futures literacy in the university, and to craft the UPLB Food Futures Research and Agenda, among others. All UPLB’s colleges and schools are represented in the said committee, which reflect its interdisciplinary orientation,” UPLB said.