THE VISAYAS State University teamed up with the Commission on Higher Education and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture to develop a five-year national roadmap for agriculture in the country.

The project aims to localize the country’s agriculture education to cater to the needs of communities as well as to develop multi-cultural representation in the roadmap.

“The five-year roadmap recognizes the vital role of higher education in accelerating progress, enabling socio-economic growth, promoting equality, and reducing poverty through the enhancement of knowledge and skills of the economically disadvantaged and vulnerable groups who will directly benefit from income-generating opportunities and available social services from the agricultural sector,” VSU said.

“For this initiative, CHED will allocate P2 million to VSU for the conduct of an international benchmarking study, project mobilization, extensive literature review, participatory stakeholder consultations, data analysis, and roadmap validation,” it added.

The project also aims to utilize modern technology to help Philippine agriculture adapt to climate change.

VSU is hopeful that if the project is successful, it will help future agriculturists be equipped with innovative proficiencies, entrepreneurial skill sets, and technical competencies in the post-Covid world.