The Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers (PSABE) held the 1st PSABE-BARMM Convention at the Alnor Convention Center, Cotabato City from November 8 to 10, 2022 with the theme “Uplifting Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Profession in the Bangsamoro Region.” DA-BAFE Director Ariodear Rico, who is also the Chair of the Professional Regulatory Board for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (PRBABE) , delivered the opening/welcome remarks during the preliminaries on November 8, 2022.

As a leading innovation currently gaining worldwide acceptance, smart agriculture is used to enhance production, address farm-related issues like food demand, and make farms more connected and intelligent. To promote widespread adoption of smart agriculture in the country, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE) visited the first established smart greenhouse project between the Republic of the Philippines and Republic of Korea from October 12 to 14, 2022.

The Renewable Energy Program for the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector (REPAFS) is part of the government’s interagency collaboration on boosting food and energy security through the utilization of cost-efficient RE sources in the agri-fisheries sector. The DA through the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE) will spearhead REPAFS by undertaking institutional development and capacity building activities that highlight valuable economic benefits of RE in agri-fisheries such as reduction in energy requirement and lowering of production costs. Farmers cooperative and associations (FCAs), individual farmers and fisherfolks among other stakeholders will benefit from the development of RE technology applications for the food value chain.

DA-BAFE Assistant Director Engr. Juana Tapel, PhD was declared the newly elected chairperson of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists – Asia Pacific Nation Network (INWES-APNN) during the INWES-APNN Annual General Assembly held at the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) in WISMA, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia on October 14, 2022.

The drone, as a technological gadget, has undergone fast transformation to satisfy a variety of consumer needs, yet has maintained its quality of being an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that operates in the absence of human intervention on board. The drone nowadays is utilized for diverse applications across industries including agriculture, rising as the primary sector that has adopted this technology.

In efforts to further develop the technical capability of agricultural and biosystems engineers (ABEs), the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE) has conducted a five-day refresher course training on testing and evaluation of agricultural and fisheries machinery in Northern Mindanao.

Suppliers of agri-fisheries machinery are encouraged to apply for permit to operate (PTO) through ARREMIS, an online management information system developed by DA-BAFE. To facilitate the application process, DA-BAFE has been conducting a series of hands-on training on the use of ARREMIS (Accreditation Registration Regulations Enforcement Management Information System) in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The DA through the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE) has organized the “Inter-Agency Workshop on the Formulation of National Network of FMRs” held at the Sugar Regulatory Administration from August 16 to 18, 2022.

Local government officials in Mountain Province convened in an orientation meeting for the strengthening and establishment of agricultural and biosystems engineering (ABE) groups in the province and its municipalities held on August 10, 2022.