PAA Bicol Chapter Regional Conference Kicks Off in Legazpi City
The 2025 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (RCAIRS) organized by the PAA Bicol 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒎 Chapter officially opened last 28 April 2025 at the Legazpi City Convention Center, Legazpi City, Albay.
Led by Dr. Lester M. Narvaez, the Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA) Bicol Chapter gathered about 400 professional agriculturists, policymakers, undergraduate students, and other stakeholders from the region in a three-day convention to foster transformative change in the agricultural sector through innovation and collaboration.
Guided by this year’s theme on “𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁,” the event served as an important avenue for knowledge-sharing, policy advocacy updates, and sharing of best practices in agricultural technologies. The event also highlighted the latest advancements in agricultural practices, innovation, and sustainability as presented by a selected pool of experts in various fields in agriculture.
To represent the PAA national office, PAA National President Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. graced the event with his opening and inspirational messages. Dr. Karen S. Bautista, PAA Immediate Past President, was also invited for a one-hour plenary talk on the updates on the Philippine Agriculturist Bill. Under the Soil Science session, she also discussed the strategic initiatives on the sustainable management of soil resources for agriculture. Under the Crops Sciences Session, PAA Business Manager Dr. Jessica D. Rey was likewise invited to discuss innovations for resilient food systems.
RCAIRS 2025 emphasized the region’s shared commitment to building resilient and sustainable agri-food systems through synergistic cooperation. While RCAIRS 2025 underscored the value of agricultural modernization, it did not discount the vital role of agriculturists as agents of transformation in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world.
The PAA national office would like to congratulate the PAA Bicol 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒎 Chapter led by Dr. Lester Narvaez, together with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office V (DA RFO V), the DA–Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center V (DA–ATI RTC V), and the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (BCAARRD) for a well-attended convention.
