Strengthening national policies for post-harvest waste reduction

Rome – FAO and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) have signed a formal partnership agreement with the aim of promoting rural development in the Philippines, focusing on developing tools, methodologies and knowledge products to make agricultural systems more inclusive and efficient.

The partnership envisions, among other activities, strengthening national policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks on food loss and waste throughout the value chain; facilitating an enabling environment for inclusive rural development and poverty reduction; and identifying and undertaking actions to protect and manage natural resources and ensure sustainable production. FAO and UPLB also plan to develop and disseminate e-learning courses, open data and FAO knowledge products.

The University of the Philippines Los Baños was established as a College of Agriculture in 1909 and became a full-fledged public university in 1972. Now a globally competitive graduate and research university, it contributes to national development through its mission to develop leaders committed to advance inclusive growth through education, research and public service. The Commission on Higher Education has recognized UPLB as a Center of Excellence in several areas related to FAO’s mandate: agricultural engineering, agriculture, biology, chemistry, development communication, forestry, information technology, environmental science, statistics, mathematics, and veterinary medicine.

“Partnerships are important for FAO in fulfilling its mandate of working for Zero Hunger,” said FAO’s Representative in the Philippines, José Luis Fernandez. “Our long-standing partnership with UPLB has enabled FAO to mobilize the best available knowledge, innovations, and technical capacities as we continue our work with the government and other partners in the Philippines in addressing issues related to food security and nutrition, agricultural development, sustainable management of natural resources, and climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. FAO is pleased to continue our collaboration with UPLB through this new agreement.”

Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., Chancellor of the university, also welcomed the partnership. “For over a decade, UPLB has collaborated with FAO in various projects on agriculture, natural resources and management, and rural communication services,” he said. “UPLB considers its FAO partnership a great privilege as it enables the University to proactively engage in projects to address poverty and achieve sustainable development goals. As one united force, UPLB and FAO continue to do research and develop innovations, build stakeholder capacities, strategically share and appropriate agricultural and related technologies, and spearhead efforts to formulate policy on how to effectively communicate and sustain such technologies. The signing of the MoU strengthens the framework for collaboration between FAO and UPLB as active partners to develop, enhance, and promote agriculture among its key stakeholders.”