The lecture, entitled "Defining UPLB's Role in the Quest for Food Security," given by Dr. William G. Padolina, deputy director general for operations and support services of the International Rice Research Institute, reminded UPLB of its role as an agriculture center and gave insights on how it can help the country achieve food security.

According to Dr. Padolina, food security "exists when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle."

Recent scenario

Dr. Padolina cited statistics showing that one billion people worldwide are undernourished. He said that even before the food and economic crises, hunger was already on the rise, and despite advances in agriculture research, poverty still persists.

Recent statistics also showed alarming trends in agriculture pointing to a decline in public spending in agriculture while countries seldom borrow money for agricultural purposes. Reduction in land area and climate change has also contributed to this alarming scenario.

However, Dr. Padolina said that the Philippines can triumph over these adversities if the government will just put its heart where it should be-in meeting the challenges of food security. He said that the use of new innovations and technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, meta-bolemics, structural biology, and bioinformatics can speed up research generation in order to meet the imminent demand for efficient agricultural research.

People as most important resource

Dr. Padolina said that PD 58 and RA 9500 establishing UPLB as an agricultural center anointed the University as a leader in agricultural and rural development. He opined that UPLB should provide strategic thinking as basis for policy that will enhance the role of farmers and fisher folk in food security and promote innovation and provide knowledge through research and development.

In achieving this mandate, he emphasized the importance of its human resource. He said that its most important product is its people and not the researches, patents, and new technologies that it produces. According to him, UPLB needs a talented, adaptive and ingenious workforce that is numerate as well as literate. In line with this, he encouraged everyone in the audience to learn on their own. He said that the staff need not wait for a training seminar to learn because anyone can learn outside the classroom.

Need for integration and convergence

Dr. Padolina proposed a roadmap in order for UPLB to live up to its mandate. Because agriculture is a knowledge-intensive economic activity, he suggested integrating it with other areas such as biology, forestry, and other sciences. Furthermore, institutional governance can be enhanced by mobilizing resources and funds.

He suggested improving the graduate and undergraduate curriculum and incorporating agriculture development in lessons regardless of the college that offers them. He also suggested redirecting research towards priority areas, enhancing convergence, and creating timely interventions. In closing, he reminded UPLB that in generating new knowledge, it is best to keep in mind agricultural development, which is the University's mandate.

The centennial lecture given by Dr. Padolina is the first in a series of lectures that will be given with the theme "Visions and Pathways of Change: the UPLB of the future." According to Dr. Grace De Ocampo, chair of the Centennial Fellows committee, the lectures will be delivered by the centennial fellows, and are intended to guide future leaders in charting UPLB's future towards distinctive excellence. The UPLB Centennial Fellows is a circle of prominent individuals who are affiliates of the University and whose expertise and experiences can provide an opportunity for the UPLB community to learn and draw inspiration from.