The Philippine component of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project titled, Rural Regional Transformation: Pathways, Policy Sequencing, and Development Outcomes in China, the Philippines, and Vietnam (RRT), will hold a series of online stakeholders' validation meetings via Zoom video conferencing platform. These meetings are intended to discuss and solicit insights from various experts that are essential to validate the typology of rural regional transformation in the Philippines, as well as the initial findings of the RRT project's research studies.
These online stakeholders' validation meetings aim to provide opportunities for the RRT Project Team and the participants to: (1) present the new development trends in different regions in the Philippines given the additional variables used in the analysis; (2) validate the new rural clustering results after incorporating the additional variables to be considered in the process of clustering suggested last stakeholders' validation meeting; (3) reflect how past and existing local policies affected rural transformation within the region; (4) reflect on the possible trajectory of regional economic development; and (5) discuss possible future local policies/investments that could aid in the acceleration of rural transformation in the region.
The first of the two online meetings will be held on 7 August 2020 and will be participated in by experts from the academe as well as selected research and development organizations. On the other hand, the second meeting will be attended by practitioners from the government, mainly the regional directors and key staff of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). This will be slated towards the end of August 2020.
RRT Project Leader Dr. Arvin B. Vista, Assistant Professor of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, will be presenting the updated typology paper on rural regional transformation in the Philippines as well as the preliminary results of the other research studies being conducted under the project. The meeting will also be attended by Dr. Mercedita A. Sombilla, NEDA Assistant Secretary and RRT Project Adviser, who will deliver the opening remarks. SEARCA will be represented by Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Program Head of the Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), together with selected staff.