News Details

Ilocos Region launches unified agri-fisheries network to strengthen farmer support

NPO

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September 2, 2025

MODERN FARMING. Pangasinense farmers use a transplanter from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) in their farmland in Binalonan, Pangasinan, in this undated photo. The provincial government of Pangasinan and the Department of Agriculture are set to establish a new network for efficient collaboration and service delivery to local farmers and fisherfolk. (Photo courtesy of DA-PhilMech)

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The provincial government of Pangasinan, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and other national agencies in the Ilocos Region are set to establish the Ilocos Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Resources, Research, and Extension for Development Network (AFRREDN).

DA-Ilocos Region senior science research specialist Cathy Pastor said on Monday that the initiative aims to unify the region’s research, development, and extension networks for agriculture and fisheries.

Pastor noted that the integration would improve collaboration and optimize the use of resources, particularly in technical expertise, supplies, and costs.

“This institutionalization is aimed at implementing a unified approach to the delivery of agricultural research and extension development services,” she said, adding that research findings in the past were often underutilized due to weak linkage with extension services.

The AFRREDN seeks to harmonize these efforts to directly address the needs of farmers and fisherfolk in the region.

A resolution authorizing Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III to sign a memorandum of agreement on behalf of the provincial government was proposed to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) for approval on Monday.

Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino welcomed the initiative, saying the network would make information dissemination, research, and project coordination more efficient by consolidating concerned agencies.

NPO News Team | PNA-PR