ASCOT Library Zabali Campus

Part I. A tryst with agricultural destiny: the birth of PCARRD. – Part II. Building the national research system. – Part III. Managing the system. – Part IV. Linking the past and the future.

Thirteen years ago, men with vision dared translate into action an idea many thought could never work.
The idea was to set into motion a national research planning, coordinating and monitoring agency that would consolidate the research sector into a first-rate national research enterprise. This agency was to be called the Philippine Council for Agricultural Research, today known as the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Resources Research and Development or PCARRD.
The idea of establishing a national planning and coordinating agency was ushered in by the vicissitudes that buffeted this part of the world in the early seventies. The agricultural research sector then was no match for the harsh realities confronting the nation. Despite considerable investments in research by both government and private entities, no substantial benefits were accruing to the nation's teeming millions.
Research institutions generally used a major portion of their budget for capital outlay to finance construction work. While this meant more research facilities, it drastically reduced allocations for operational expenses and, because of the excessive number of research stations and facilities, resources were spread thinly.
Research proposals were often exploited by research-implementing agencies as mere devices for acquiring bigger funds. Once approved, appropriations were promptly diverted to other purposes.
But the more fundamental problem was the lack of coordination among stations and their research activities. Coordination was difficult to achieve because the various agencies involved were not under the same jurisdiction or administrative control.
There was no mechanism for planning and implementing research projects on a national scale. Research did not respond to national goals, concentrating on rice, corn, and sugarcane, even as the national program pressed for an agribusiness approach to export crops, feedgrains, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and the "second generation" problems of the cereal industry.
PCARRD's inception was therefore directed towards doing away with waste and duplication and the usual chaos of ad hoc arrangements within the research community. Its task was to define the goals, purposes and scope of agriculture and natural resources research in a country which was then, as it is today, a nation of many moods and gaieties; a nation of extremes, of want in the midst of plenty.
But, of course, we do not intend to dabble in mere retrospection. We trace the past as a salute to the pioneering efforts of the men who shaped PCARRD.
We also acknowledge the international agencies and research organizations that so generously committed their expertise and resources to helping what was then a fledgling institution find its way in the mainstream of world agriculture. We highlight, in particular, the more than 12 years of PCARRD-USAID cooperation that fueled the development of our national research capability.
The history of PCARRD is the history of the national research system. This book documents that history. It captures the experiences of a research community determined to create an impact on national affairs, and reflects on the role of PCARRD in the near future.
Through this volume, we hope to offer a first-hand test case in research management and operations to developing nations in the course of establishing their own research enterprise.
The past years have taught us that just as a gem cannot be polished without friction, neither can a research system be perfected without trials. We have faced tremendous odds but we have chosen to view these problems, not as impediments to growth, but as opportunities for progress.
Truly, much has been achieved but much more remains to be done. In more practical terms, the ballgame is the present and the challenge is the future.