LOS BAÑOS, Laguna - An Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project that aims to develop corn varieties suited for drought-prone areas is now being undertaken in five Asian countries, including the Philippines.

The project, titled "Improving farmers' income through enhanced maize productivities in drought-prone environments in East and South East Asia," is being implemented regionally by the Mexico-based Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maize y Trigo (CIMMYT) and in the Philippines by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Farmers' Scientists Training Program (UPLB-FSTP).

The project's local component is being administered by the UPLB-based National Corn Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Network.

It is being supported by the Cebu provincial government headed by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and the local government units (LGU) of the Cebu towns of Dalaguete, Liloan, and Medellin, where the development component of the project has initially been launched.

The research component is being implemented by UPLB; the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kahacan, North Cotabato; and the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Musuan, Bukidnon.

Aside from the Philippines, covered by the project are Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the People's Republic of China (southern part).

Dr. Artemio M. Salazar, team leader, said the project aims to enhance the capacity of national agriculture research systems (NARS) to develop and effectively deliver stress-tolerant, high-yielding varieties suitable for drought-prone areas.

It addresses the major factor in the stabilization of crop performance in water-stressed environments and involves activities on breeding of drought-resistant varieties, as well as effective distribution strategies of new varieties to the farmers.

Cebu City has been selected as the site for distribution because Central Visayas (Region 7) has the lowest rainfall in the country, as shown by 30-year rainfall data of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

In preparation for the implementation of the project, a refresher course concerning on-farm trial was held.

The course was attended by representatives of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 7 (DA-RFU 7) and provincial and municipal agriculture offices of Cebu, particularly those of Dalaguete, Liloan, and Medellin.

Among the speakers at the course were Dr. Eduardo Lecciones Jr., DA-Region 7 executive director; Dr. Eduardo Alama, regional technical director for RDE; Dr. Necias Vicoy Jr., Cebu provincial agriculturist; Dr. Tomasita Cadungog, Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CENVIARC) manager; and Marina Hermosa, Regional GMA (Guinintuang Masaganang Ani) corn coordinator.

The UPLB researchers were led by Dr. Salazar and Dr. Romeo Labios, National Corn RDE Network assistant team leader.

"I am glad that FSTP is creating some waves in Cebu," Lecciones said.

He also thanked Dr. Salazar for his interest in trying out more drought-resistant corn varieties in the province. He stressed that application of research outputs that will benefit more farmers should be the project's focus.

"The donor (ADB) is interested in making a direct impact on the lives of small farmers," Lecciones said.

The resource speakers in the course included Dr. Labios, Guillerma Valencia of the UPLB College of Agriculture, CENVIARC assistant manager Dr. Fabio Enriquez, and other technical personnel members of DA-RFU 7.

Dr. Salazar said output of the project will be used not only in Cebu but also in other parts of the country where drought is a problem.