As the Aggie Ps Talk 3.0 comes to an end, the last two weeks featured three webinars with the following topics: beekeeping and pekin duck businesses in the Philippines, and the agricultural development initiatives of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
The Buzzing Beeznees
Dr. Cleofas Cervancia is UPLB’s own Queen Bee. Being equipped with vast knowledge and experiences in beekeeping, she is now the President of Apimondia Regional Commission for Asia and Vice President of the Asian Apiculture Association.
Surely, Dr. Cervancia is the expert in the buzzing beezness of beekeeping, which is why before diving into the business aspect, she first shared some basic technical information about bees. Dr. Cervancia indeed knows her way around the entirety of beekeeping, from the technical side to the marketing and business aspect. She shared that with the increasing demand for honey the business is rendered profitable. Aside from production of honey, she shared that pollination is another profitable business prospect in the field of beekeeping.
As a scientist, Dr. Cervancia was able to spearhead the development of beekeeping technologies that are now used nationwide and in neighboring countries, as well.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvveDSbkym8&t=1s
Patok na Pagne-negosyo ng Pato
Despite being young, Mr. Allan Casajeros has already made a name for himself in the field of agribusiness. He is currently the Vice President for Operations at EDL Agritourism Farm, Inc. which holds the PRIMADUCK brand. In 2017, with the goal of instilling the importance of agriculture in food security, he started a farm tourism venture in Capas, Tarlac.
As an agriprenuer himself, Mr. Casajeros gladly presented the ins and outs of the pekin duck meat industry and wished to inspire the audience to venture in agribusiness as well. Mr. Casajeros’ presentation covered the Philippine duck meat industry; an introduction of the PRIMADUCK business; and some tips on duck farming, which included duck production, return on investment, key success factors, and “new normal” opportunities.
Despite already having the technical background in animal science from his BS and MS degree to succeed in his line of work, Mr. Casajeros is still looking to improve himself. He is currently taking his Masters in Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management. He also believes in the power of cooperation, from the academe, industry, and the public sector to develop the quality of agriculture in the country.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSN1k55wByk&t=1s
Transfarmer: Agri-Innovation in Action
Dr. Glenn Gregorio is a champion farmer, agripreneur, academician, and scientist. He is a faculty member at the Institute of Crop Science, CAFS, UPLB; Academician at the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines; and the current Director of SEARCA.
Being a transfarmer himself, Dr. Gregorio passionately shared the programs of SEARCA that are geared towards sustainable agricultural development through the Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) program. He envisions that through this, our farmers will become transfarmers, and together, we will attain Agri 4.0. He also emphasized the importance of cooperation within and among the industry, the academe, and the government.
Through his presentation, Dr. Gregorio was able to express his passion on improving the agriculture sector and attaining sustainability. He hopes that our farmers will dream bigger and will work towards achieving these dreams through agri-innovation.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svJgJYoHYDU
The Aggie Ps Talk 3.0: Moving forward in challenging times through agripreneurship has ended with Dr. Gregorio. Dean Agbisit, in his opening remarks, said that CAFS is preparing for the Aggie Ps Talk 4.0 and encouraged the public to continue supporting this initiative.
(This article, written by AKS Mojar, was first published in the College of Agriculture and Food Science Website)