Tuesday, February 05, 2008 Benguet university starts climate change research By Jane Cadalig
BENGUET State University (BSU) is now focusing on researches, which will help mitigate the effects of the global problem climate change.
BSU President Rogelio Colting said the institution is geared on researches to deal on specific topics to mitigate the effects climate change and its impact on food security.
"We have started researches on the mitigation of the effects of climate change and we will also focus on its effect on food security," Colting said.
This, he said, is one of the ways the university could help in addressing the universal problem on the changing weather pattern, as it heads towards its goal of becoming one of the premier universities in Asia.
Researches on the preservation of biodiversity will be one of the focuses of BSU's studies, Colting said.
Colting, said BSU, is not lagging behind in terms of researches. "(In fact), some of our researches are being cited by scientists," he said.
Even before researches to mitigate the effects of climate change, BSU is sternly advocating for the adoption of organic agriculture, which will cut down farmers' use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
The heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is blamed as one of the major contributors to the destruction of the environment.
BSU has an existing demonstration farm for organic farming, and recently launched the Bio-N facility, a technology for the mass production of environment-friendly fertilizers, which will be made available for the farmers.
