Cres Ian Lorenzo
ILAGAN CITY, Isabela — The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 2 (DA-RFO2) is fast-tracking the transfer of matured agricultural technologies to farmers in Cagayan Valley following its annual Agency In-House Review for Research for Development held on Oct. 23, 2026 at the Cagayan Valley Research Center (CVRC) in Barangay San Felipe.
Ferdinand Cortez of DA-RFO2 said the review convened researchers, extension specialists, and panel evaluators from state colleges and universities, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), and other experts to examine completed research projects intended to raise crop productivity and improve farming sustainability.
The ATI and BAR are agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
Cortez said the in-house review functions as an evaluation platform where methodologies, results, field performance, and market readiness are assessed before technologies are scaled for regional adoption.
The projects reviewed covered climate-smart agronomy, biological pest control, soil health management, and crop breeding, many of which have undergone multi-location field trials and seed multiplication protocols.
Officials said research outputs that pass the screening will be included in the region’s extension system, ensuring that technology transfer reaches farming communities in Isabela, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.
CVRC Manager Rolando Pedro said that while researchers understand the work behind every dataset, the in-house review is where a solution framework is built.
DA Region 2 Technical Director for Research and Regulations Kay Olivas said the process serves as a critical screening of research for development projects implemented across the region, covering rice and corn systems, livestock, and high-value crops.
Hector Tabbun, Chief of the Research Division DA-RFO2, said the review is anchored on two objectives: identifying technologies ready for commercialization and farmer adoption; and determining emerging problems on the field that require further scientific inquiry.
“We do not present research for its own sake. We ask whether a farmer in Cauayan, in Dupax del Norte, or in Cauayan can use it tomorrow and earn more. If the technology is not yet ready, we go back and refine it,” Tabbun said.
Among the studies presented were trials on climate-resilient varieties, cost-reducing technologies for rice, saucer-based and water-saving vegetable production systems, feed formulations for small ruminants, and soil health interventions for drought-affected areas. The topics are aligned with challenges posed by the El Niño and La Niña cycles affecting production in Cagayan Valley.
External evaluators from Isabela State University, Cagayan State University, and BAR provided technical critiques to ensure recommendations are evidence-based and suited to local conditions.
Cortez said technologies classified as mature will be endorsed for scaling through Techno-Demo farms, Farmers’ Field Schools, and inclusion in the Regional Technology Transfer pipeline. This approach is intended to shorten the time between research completion and farmer use, particularly for technologies that have shown consistent performance in field conditions.
The review also identified new researchable areas, including crop diversification strategies during strong El Niño, post-harvest losses in island municipalities, and market-linked production models for corn and high-value crops.
DA-RFO2 officials said the annual review mechanism ensures that public investments in research translate into practical benefits for farmers, linking scientific outputs to income and livelihood improvements across Cagayan Valley.
