How my research empowers the upland farmers of the Philippines
PAPER PUBLICATION: Ecosystems and Development (E&D) Journal on September 30, 2021
My journey of publishing my first research paper was not without a struggle and dejection from the first draft revision comment, “if my undergraduate thesis was even publishable.” Filled with a commitment to serve the people and strengthened by will and determination to get things done, I published my undergraduate thesis and I am ready to write more scientific papers not only for the benefit of the farmers in my home province but for all the Filipino people.
https://ovcre.uplb.edu.ph/journals-uplb/index.php/EDJ/article/view/581
My heartfelt gratitude to my beloved adviser Dr. Gata, for her motivation and encouragement to us. As I’ve highlighted earlier, I was on the brink of giving up, but Mam Dap has that positive validation that this paper will be published. When I choose her as my adviser in college, I just wanted to graduate. But I learned something more extraordinary from Mam Dap that will forever change me.
I saved one screenshot in my phone posted by Mam on Dec. 5, 2016;
“Continue with your quest for perfection so you can make this imperfect world a better place. Mind your mistakes so you won’t repeat them. Love your sensibilities so you will become more sensitive towards others…
I have long prepared myself as your teacher to give you up to the world but never give up on you.”
Our adviser can be strict and straightforward but she was very supportive. I didn’t excel much back then and just wanted to finish my thesis while striving for honor & excellence in my senior year. So the very first recommendation Mam Dap gave me was for the PTCF thesis grant.
She added, “be of service to her home province.” I got tearful at that time because I seldom went home during college.
I was reminded to give back and pay tribute to the sacrifices of our farmers and forefathers.
Therefore, I am forever grateful, to my best adviser. Unfortunately, she suddenly passed away last year while I’m overseas finishing my master’s degree. I couldn’t fathom the heartache I felt but I will always remember the idealism my adviser taught me, to wholeheartedly be selfless to serve the Filipino people through scientific research and beyond.
In this publication, I am overly warmed that one of my retrieved photos was chosen as the front cover page of a scientific journal. My siblings and my mom would be so happy to see the Sierra Madre mountains that witnessed our childhood adventures.
And somehow I have something to show to my future children, that even with the pandemic we were able to leave a legacy that this is our rich environment and diverse culture from the past.
My licensed Forester brother Ken, was the person that inspired me to be a Conservationist. He would bring the compelling stories of indigenous women from his fieldwork, and how vulnerable these women and their children were, who rely on camote crops as their staple food for the whole day.
Kuya is always the best storyteller in the family. He would start his adventure as a Forester in a funny way and end it with a life lesson. He would also tell how poor the situation of women in some rural areas and they have to work in far places leaving the children alone. And that sparked my interest to someday conduct a biodiversity research study that can provide livelihood opportunities, so they will no longer leave as OFW, and instead have a secured & complete home.
When my brother recommended this research site, I was very happy to meet his friends from diverse ethnic tribes in the North. I was once again able to speak my native dialect to give voice to the vulnerable farmers living below the poverty line. And with the challenges brought by the pandemic and climate change, these unsung heroes remained strong to provide us with food.
I hope this research will give them courage, and may the community leaders use it to access finance, and technology and create holistic stakeholder management of our watersheds. And someday they will never struggle for survival to meet their basic needs but rather have access to decent and equitable lives.
As we try to overcome this pandemic, I salute our doctors, healthcare workers, front liners, and our farmers who kept us safe and healthy despite the lack of support and investment for them.
PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH TO BAROBBOB WATERSHED UPLAND FARMERS
I was amazed to be allowed to finally bring the findings of my research to the people that needed them the most! –the Upland farmers of Barobbob Watershed. This is a dream come true and was made possible by the hard work and commitments of community leaders in the watershed. It was an honor to speak at the “The Bridging Leadership Dialogue and Multi-stakeholders’ Forum at Barobbob Watershed” on December 7, 2021.
Our goal as Bridging leaders can provide upland farmers with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to successfully cope with the effects of climate change on their farmlands. Leaders can facilitate workshops and seminars to improve farmers’ understanding of climate change and provide them with updated technologies and practices that will help them adapt to the new conditions. Leaders can also create networks of farmers to ensure that farmers have access to the latest updates, resources, and support from one another.
Finally, bridging leaders can facilitate dialogues between local governments, scientists, and farmers to ensure that everyone is involved in the process of developing strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. These strategies should be tailored to the specific needs of each farming community, and should also prioritize sustainable agricultural practices and the reduction of pollution.
ORAL PRESENTER AT CLIMATE SMART & DISASTER RESILIENT ASEAN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
I was selected as Oral Presenter on Parallel Session: Human Security and Capacity Development and presented my research on April 23, 2019.
This provides information about trans-disciplinary approaches to the nature and components of adaptive capacity and how it will be strengthened to reduce the vulnerability of the direct and indirect receptors of various climate and geo-hazards. It also gives gender-sensitive strategies that are substantial in creating and developing human resource capacity building, which fosters gender balance in decision-making.
