Dr. Romulo Davide, the multi-awarded national scientist and the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, will be the guest speaker in a scientific conference to be held on November 23 at the University of the Philippines Open University headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.
Sponsored by San Miguel Corp., the scientific conference dubbed as “Couldn’t AGRI More: Harvesting S & T Knowledge” will run from 9 a.m. to 12 at Audio-Visual Room of UPOU. It is organized by the Master of Development Communication students under the DEVC 263 Class (Scientific and Technical Communication) of Dr. Joane Serrano.
“We are honored to have Dr. Davide in this scientific conference where he will talk about the Farmer-Scientist Training Program or FSTP, an initiative that he carried out since 1994 to help farmers gain productive and sustainable yield,” said Alnard Pagulayan, DEVC 263 class coordinator.
Dr. Davide will talk about the Farmer-Scientist Training Program or FSTP, an initiative that he carried out since 1994 to help farmers gain productive and sustainable yield.
In 1994, he was awarded as “Outstanding Agricultural Scientist” by the Department of Agriculture. He utilized his award money to launch the FSTP in his home village of Colawin in Argao, southern Cebu.
According to the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Dr. Davide’s discovery of a nematode-trapping fungi led to the development of BIOCON, “the first Philippine biological control product” used against pests attacking vegetables, fruits, rice and other crops.
BIOCON has proven to be a practical substitute for expensive and toxic chemical nematicides.
Dr. Davide spent his childhood in the farmlands of Argao, which he considers as his first laboratory. He is the older brother of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.
From his years in the rural village, Dr. Davide learned about farming and the challenges faced by farmers which later proved to be advantageous in his pursuit to complete his Agriculture degree at UP Los Baños in 1957.
He later earned his M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from Oklahoma State University (1962) and his Ph.D. in Nematology-Plant Pathology from North Carolina State University (1965).
The conference is open to 20 limited slots to the public. For more details, please visit www.facebook.com/DevComTalks.