The UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM) participated in a planning workshop aimed at establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) in climate information services (CIS) for agriculture, fisheries, and health at Microtel by Wyndham in Baguio City on June 19-20.
The planning workshop was held under the auspices of the project “Toward a South-South Collaboration on Climate Information and Services: Building a Knowledge Exchange and Learning Platform for the Philippines and the Climate Vulnerable Forum (SSCIS).”
On the first day, June 19, project consultant Jaker de Claro conducted workshops with the participants divided into two groups: the health sector group and the agriculture and fisheries sector group.
The participants reviewed the CoP Charter and finalized the core members’ structure, roles, and responsibilities. In this part of the workshop, the UPLB-INREM and UP National Institute of Health (NIH) were reiterated as domain managers of the CoP.
They also discussed Climate Information and Services (CIS) quality assurance mechanisms related to quality, content, and approval. The participants also simulated the working arrangements and collaborative potential of a CoP by brainstorming for information, education, and communication (IEC) materials for a specific community and drafting a plan of activities for the CoP launch.
On June 20, the participants engaged in another workshop where the groups developed a theory of change for the health, agriculture, and fisheries sectors.
In the afternoon, the participants joined study visits at the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Baguio and Um-A Organic Farm.
During the study visit, Dr. Jesus R. Aspuria, director of the Bureau of Plant Industry-Baguio National Crop Research, Development, and Production Support Center (BPI-BNCRDPSC), discussed the fully automated climate-smart greenhouse. Dr. Aida Y. Pagtan, chief of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Service of the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR), on the other hand, talked about climate-resilient farming practices of indigenous communities.
The planning workshop was a significant step toward the establishment of the CoP for CIS. It was attended by the project team of the “Modelling CIS Application in the Agricultural Sector through Tripartite Collaborations (SUC-NGA-LGU) in Region II, Northern Philippines” composed of Dr. Maricel Villamayor, Aileen Peria, Dr. Rose Jane Peras, Marielle Baliwag, Lyra Mae Puno, and Kyle Vincent Singson.
Various state universities and colleges (SUCs), national government agencies (NGAs), and other sectors were also present.
The SUCs that were represented were the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Isabela State University, Mariano Marcos State University, and the University of the Philippines Manila – National Institutes of Health. (UPM-NIH).
The NGAs represented were the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the League of Provinces of the Philippines.
These institutions form the CoP core members for CIS on health, agriculture, and fisheries, which is set to officially launch in July.
In the context of this initiative, the CoP comprises individuals and organizations who share a common interest in providing climate information services, thus pooling their collective knowledge and expertise to address climate change vulnerabilities and achieve resilience in the agriculture, fisheries, and health sectors. The activity was organized by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
(Marielle Baliwag, Lyra Mae Puno)
This article was originally posted at the UPLB News Site here.
