Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge
Despite the country’s fertile lands and waters and huge exclusive economic zones, the Philippines is behind its neighbors in farm productivity, crop diversification, agri- and sea-based exports. Its farmers and fisherfolk comprise two-thirds of the poor in the country. Such is the irony that the farmers and fisherfolks themselves are not that keen on their children following in their footsteps. The result is a declining enrollment in courses and erosion of workforce in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors. As the average age of farmers increases past 58 years old, this setup threatens the food security of the Philippines.
The Asian Institute of Management (AIM), the Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), and the Management Association of the Philippines are offering a 1-year Innovation Challenge to empower the country’s agriculture and aquaculture startups in addressing the country’s agriculture and aquaculture challenges.
By leveraging science and technology, the Innovation Challenge aims to inspire and engage the next generation of Filipinos in shaping a modern, progressive, and more relevant agriculture and aquaculture sector. It shall empower Filipino farmer-entrepreneurs and students to spur innovation in the agri-aquaculture sector. It shall fast-track the creation and translation of agriculture and aquaculture technologies to actual products or services that will eventually benefit the farmers and fisherfolks, and the Filipinos in general. Specifically, the Innovation Challenge has the following objectives:
- Highlight the country’s technology-based solutions to challenges in agriculture and aquaculture sector;
- Guide Filipino Innovators through phases of insighting, ideating and implementing;
- Create a process that will support and scale agriculture and aquaculture Filipino startups; and
- Provide avenue for the government, academe, and industry to support the innovation ecosystem.
The Partners
DOST-PCAARRD
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is the premier science and technology body in the Philippines. It provides leadership, central direction, and coordination for all scientific and technological initiatives, policies, and programs to sustain national development. The Department is tasked with developing local capability for the Philippines to achieve technological self-reliance, as well as encouraging greater private sector participation in research and development.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) is one of the sectoral councils under DOST. While the Council has been tasked to provide a unified and focused direction for the country’s agricultural research, it serves as an apex organization that supports and manages the national network of government and higher education institutions involved in crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries, soil and water, mineral resources, and socio-economic R&D.
With expanded coverage, functions, and responsibilities, the Council formulates policies, plans, and programs for science and technology-based R&D in the different sectors under its concern. The Council implements its programs primarily through its Research and Development and Extension Consortia which are located all over the country.
Guided by its core values of relevance, excellence, and cooperation, PCAARRD remains steadfast in catalyzing the Philippine agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sector toward self-sufficiency and global competitiveness.
Asian Institute of Management
AIM was founded in 1968 by a consortium of prominent business leaders, Philippine academic institutions, and the Harvard Business School. To date, it has over 8,800 degree-program graduates and a total of 43,000 alumni from 80 countries across all courses, who have profited from AIM’s proven, practitioner-based education.
The Asian Institute of Management kicked off celebrations for its 50th anniversary in 2018 with the unveiling of its new logo in March 2017.
Management Association of the Philippines
With promoting management excellence for nation-building as its main objective, the MAP is a 71-year-old management organization whose over 1,000 members represent a cross-section of CEOs, COOs and other top management practitioners from the largest local and multinational companies operating in the Philippines. MAP also counts some top management educators and government officials as its members. We invite you to view the MAP video and visit map.net.ph for more information on MAP.
