The Institute of Plant Breeding through the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (IPB, NPGRL) in partnership with the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), organized an international webinar dubbed as the “Conservation and Utilization of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) for Food Security and Livelihood in Southeast Asia” held on September 13 to 14, 2023 via Zoom and Facebook Live.

The two-day webinar served as the culminating activity of the research project, “The Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of the Underutilized Taro to Increase Food Security and Improve Livelihood of Marginalized Communities Faced with Climate Change”, which primarily aimed to establish networks and collaboration with the partner nations towards strengthening the implementation of the treaty and boosting the sustainable production of taro in potential growing areas in the country.

The participants were composed of researchers, students, taro farmers and growers, agricultural technicians in LGUs, and policymakers who were taught about the production, conservation and cultural management practices, and value chain of taro in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

The importance and role of taro as an alternative food source were highlighted through the topics presented:

Moreover, NPGRL Division Head Lavernee S. Gueco congratulated the organizing committee, sponsors, UPLB ITC, local taro experts, and international resource speakers behind the success of the event. “I learned a lot while I was listening to the talks and discussions in the open forum. Now more than ever, we need to conserve our existing taro diversity as it will play a key role in the development of new and better varieties of taro in the future. We need to develop more products, add value to the crop, and continually find ways to make taro farming a profitable business,” said Dr. Gueco in his closing remarks.

Furthermore, he emphasized that “conservation through use” is the best way to conserve varieties. The live-streamed event can be accessed on IPB’s official Facebook page. (Dianne B. Ubaldo)