Mariano Marcos
State University

Verde teams up with MMSU for sustainable rice farming research

By Jedd Bryant Boado

The Verde Carbon Capture, Inc. (VCCI) and the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on March 5 for a joint project on the effectiveness of VCCI’s Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) at the FEM Hall. 

The project titled “Methane Emission from Rice Cultivation Systems Utilizing Alternate Wetting and Drying in Ilocos Norte” seeks to identify the overall impact of VCCI’s AWD technology on farms, particularly on methane emissions, water consumption, and crop yield compared to the traditional farming practice of continuous flooding.

MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr. and VCCI President Takato Senoo signed the MOA. 

It was witnessed by MMSU officials, namely International Mobility Chief Quincy Savellano, standing in for the Internationalization, Linkages, and Partnerships Director, Jeanette Dials; Project Staff Dinah Marie Dayag; Project Staff Janet Villamor; Engr. Hannah Serrano, Research Assistant, Benalyn Mangligot, and College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development (CAFSD) faculty member, Ms. Ruth Anne Ruelos.

On the VCCI’s side, attendees via Zoom were Project Development Manager Hamsha Saz, North Luzon Assistant Manager John Mclean Garcia, and Ilocos Norte Project Coordinator Godwin Blanco.

Under the agreement, MMSU will oversee the project’s implementation, provide administrative support, and publish the project results in Scopus and other reputable research journals, with the consent of VCCI.

In his message, Dr. Manzano thanked the VCCI officials, headed by its President Takato Senoo. He pledged to uphold the MOA to ensure that the project’s objectives are achieved.

“On behalf of the MMSU community, I hereby affirm our full commitment to the successful implementation of the project to help improve the farming systems in our communities,” Dr. Manzano said.

Meanwhile, VCCI President Senoo emphasized the importance of open communication between parties in the project.

“Let’s trust and be transparent with each other so that we can conduct the project appropriately and ultimately succeed,” Mr. Senoo said.
 

With support from the Japanese government’s Joint Crediting Mechanism, the AWD project collaboration of VCCI and MMSU aims to promote advanced low-carbon technologies in the Philippines and help reduce the country’s total greenhouse emissions.