2009 Volume 4 Issue 1 Pages 57-63
The interface between student research and education is best exemplified in the studies done by students as part of the requirement for graduation. With the implementation of the revised Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) at UPLB-CA in 1997, professional practice options to thesis research as requirement for graduation had been expanded to include: major (farm) practice, research internship, extension/community internship, teaching and agricultural entrepreneurship.
Since the implementation of the BSA curriculum, more and more BSA undergraduate students majoring in Crop Science (particularly in Agronomy) had opted for extension/community internship or major (farm) practice from 24 in SY 1989-1996 to 103 SY 1997- SY 2008 and had conducted on-farm research, case documentation and analyses of local practices and adaptation of sustainable agriculture practices at both farmer and community level, including indigenous communities in various parts of the Philippines.
Many indigenous knowledge systems are ecologically sound and its contribution in enriching scientific and technical knowledge on sustainable agriculture cannot be overemphasized. Some of the students' outputs include indigenous agricultural practices of indigenous people focusing on indigenous practices for genetic conservation, farm diversification as a common strategy used by all tribes to ensure household food security and pest management, seeds storage using local materials are effective means of conservation and the indigenous people use practical indicators on site selection, determination of fertile soils, appropriate seeds/planting materials and practices that have sound scientific (such as seed rejuvenation, seed storage) and has ecological basis (such as nutrient recycling, pest management, soil and water conservation and fallow period).
Similarly at the post-graduate level, there were students who have had conducted their MSc thesis on indigenous seed management, knowledge and rice production practices of the Maranaos in Lanao del Sur, seed management of a Manuvú community in Mindanao, and documentation of farmer's approaches in the conversion process from conventional to sustainable agriculture. Some key findings of these studies include economic and environmental considerations as the major reasons farmer convert from conventional to sustainable agriculture, input substitution done in small parcels of land is adopted to minimize risk of failure and also allows farmers to gain experience and gradually expand the practice to their farm; and building up farm resources is essential in the conversion process.
These students' outputs have enriched the knowledge base on sustainable agriculture technologies in the areas of seed conservation, storage, rejuvenation, and utilization, soil and water conservation, diversification strategies, nutrient recycling, fallowing and pest management. This knowledge base has been used by faculty in the courses that they are teaching at the University.
The challenge of adopting and implementing sustainable agriculture is that it is culture and location specific. Researchers learn to develop approaches in working with indigenous people recognizing that their experience of survival in marginal conditions has great contribution in development strategies and in building and strengthening some indigenous knowledge and practices.
