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Camarines Sur State Agricultural College
October 2007

Bringing the best in Bicol agriculture

Humble beginnings

The Camarines Sur State Agricultural College is located in Barangay San Jose, Municipality of Pili, Province of Camarines Sur. The main campus stands on a seven hundred forty-four (744) hectare reservation proveded for under Proclamation No. 568 issued on March 30, 1935 and Proclamation No. 626 dated October 18, 1933.

The educational institution was established as the Camarines Sur Agricultural School in 1918, offering course on modern farming, intermediate level, exclusively for boys. In 1920, it became a national school, offering secondary curriculum thereby phasing-out its intermediate level. Five years later, it was renamed Camarines Sur Agricultural High School returning to its previous provincial status.

It reacquired its national status on June 4, 1948 through the enactment of Republic Act 303, with its fiscal support coming from the national government. It was renamed Camarines Sur Regional Agricultural School on June 15, 1954 through Republic Act 1089. Under CY 1960 General Appropriations Act, it was further renamed to Camarines Sur Agricultural College (CSAC), strengthening its trilogy of functions in instruction, research and extension.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), established through a Memorandum of Agreement in 1978, the Bicol Agricultural Resources Research Consortium (BARRC) with CSAC as the regional research center and lead agency. The EDPITAF also implemented the Agriculture Education Outreach Program, whereby it established various Barangay Demonstration Laboratories (BDL) in Camarines Sur for the transfer of mature technologies to the countryside. It was during this period that a massive physical and manpower resource development was implemented to improve the R & D capability of CSAC. This institutional development was funded by PCARRD through the World Bank, JICA, Asian Development Bank and other national and international funding institutions.

Through the decades, the College continued to perform its mandate to educate and train young Bicolanos who were expected to become skilled agriculturists, entrepreneurs, teachers, extension agents, agricultural engineers and other professionals that would help improve and transform the agricultural economy of the region.

Due to its relevance and impact to countryside development, the College was converted into the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College by virtue of Batas Pambansa Bilang 198, on March 16, 1982, thereby expanding its higher education programs and embarking on a massive manpower and physical resource development in the College. The 1986 Constitution through Executive Order 117, rationalized agricultural institutions into the National Agricultural Education System (NAES) identifying CSSAC as a Regional Agricultural College. It was mandated to produce quality agricultural manpower and provide leadership in agricultural education, research and development in the Bicol Region.

In August 1997, the governance of the College was transferred from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through Republic Act No. 8292, the Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997. By virtue of Republic Act 8760 (General Appropriations Act of 2000), two higher educational institutions were integrated to CSSAC, the Bicol Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) in Sipocot, Camarines Sur and the Calabanga Polytechnic College (CPC) in Calabanga, Camarines Sur. In June 2002, the higher education program of the Camarines Sur Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (CASIFMAS), was transferred to CSSAC, thereby opening extension classes in Pasacao, Camarines Sur. These campuses expanded the College focus to agriculture and industrial technology.

CSSAC was recognized as a regional university under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA). It served for 17 years as the regional coordinating agency of the BICARRD under the PCARRD - a national research network; worked as the lead agency of the Coconut Development Zone Program, and the lead institution of the CSSAC/DA/DAR/TESDA Farmers Bayanihan Technology Information and Marketing Center. With this distinction as a Regional Center and coupled with its strong physical and manpower resources capability, the conversion of the CSSAC into a university will greatly enhance its important role in the pursuit of sustainable growth and development in the countryside.

Present times

The Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC) is on its 85th year. Within the next 15 years, CSSAC will be celebrating 100 years of service to the Bicolanos. This is a historic event and an opportunity to collectively reflect on the significant strides it has made as an institution of higher learning and on the imminent challenges it has to address as it serves the Bicolanos. As this opportunity takes center stage, the next 15 years could provide the period for an institutional transition or a re-direction in the context of the College’s emerging roles in the region’s development

Cognizant of its role in Bicol Agriculture, the College is now on its second year of implementation of its Corporate Plan with an overarching impression for CSSAC to be a regional agricultural university. The Corporate Plan outlines the institution’s vision for the next 15 years. It sets out the central concept and steering principles that will guide the university and its major elements in a new period. More than being a university, this plan seeks out to articulate the “Agropolitan University” as a central development concept and how it proposes to influence the lives of the Bicolanos.

An agropolitan is an agglomeration of villages and towns where local agricultural and small scale industrial development is closely interlinked to satisfy local and eventually regional demands. It is a spatial enclosure where rural production areas and small towns performing urban functions are functionally linked. As the nucleus of this rural development approach, the University shall be the: S and T provider, producer of quality manpower, repository of information and knowledge and the venue for critical policy analysis and development.

Under the leadership of Dr. Marito T. Bernales, a lawyer by profession who was elected as 5th President of CSSAC and assumed office last January 1, 2007, he has completely rehabilitated the damaged buildings and facilities of CSSAC, after it was devastated by typhoon “Reming
last November 30, 2006. New infrastructure projects are underway, to make CSSAC a center of agriculture education in the region.

The College has continuously implemented its R & D programs to discover and apply new knowledge that will spur investment and economic growth particularly for the people in Region V. Its R & D activities are focused on securing food, fiber and ecology for the Bicolanos under three strategy programs on knowledge and technology generation, knowledge management and R & D governance.

The R & D component endeavors to develop appropriate extension modalities to build capacities towards enterprise and community development in its desire to serve communities and empower people towards a better life. Its extension services are focused on four major programs: (1) Community Learning Program, (2) Continuing Education and Training Program, (3) Publication and Communication Materials Development Program, and (4) Program for Linkages and Special Projects.The production program of the College is considered a production venture that is technology-based and is aimed as a source of high quality input for farming ventures of farmer-clienteles. It is a process of showcasing technology and demonstrating the feasibility of the agribusiness venture and at the same time provides additional income to the College.

CSSAC’s production projects, operated on a revolving fund concept, include swine production, poultry production, rice and root crop, rice and vegetable production, sheep production. Other projects funded under the general appropriations are small and large ruminants, fishpond, vegetable/corn and legume projects, nursery and orchard projects.

This year, CSSAC has embarked on its flagship program, the Organic Agriculture Development program, to showcase all feasible sustainable agricultural technologies and enterprises towards the advancement of the organic agriculture industry. The program aims to (1) pool experts in agricultural production systems, (2) establish laboratory for community development models, (3) promote showcase and technology development, and (4) put up one-stop organic agriculture farm operation for students, teachers and visitors. The College aspires to become the Center for Organic Agriculture in the Bicol Region.

The current major thrusts of the new administration are: (1) attaining the agricultural university status, (2) addressing Regional Technology Needs, (3) instituting Curricular Reform, (4) instituting Organizational Reform and Efficiency in Governance, (5) enhancing the Fiscal Resource Base, and (6) strengthening national and international linkages.

The Institute of Veterinary Medicine

Pushing Bicol Region development through animal production and health

The economy of the Bicol region has been very dependent on agriculture.

Although major agricultural development has been instituted with the objective of increasing farm productivity and farmer’s income, still this sector is confronted with development constraints or problems that need to be given due considerations.

One major issue is the inadequate farm income. It has been observed that farmers are solely dependent on non-farming activities. Such practice is very much disadvantageous to farmers considering that a rice farmer usually waits for about a hundred days while idle during the growing period without undertaking other farm activities.

The regular visit of typhoons in the area, (Bicol being a typhoon-prone region) further brings economic dislocation among farmers in the region because of the absence of alternative off-farm activities. A coconut plantation for instance devastated by typhoon takes 3 to 5 years before harvesting could be realized. Similarly, rice or corn farmers whose crops were significantly damaged would reduce their income, thus making them more impoverished and disadvantaged sector of society.

With these conditions, the agriculture sector’s strategy is to adopt suitable farming system, such as the integration of livestock and poultry, which could complement the farmer’s income. The availability of wide coconut and pasture areas, particularly in the mountain could be utilized best for alternative production.

It is in this regard that CSSAC, in its attempt to be responsible for this development thrust, envisioned the offering of the degree Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

The offering of the degree leading to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in CSSAC will provide the Bicolanos with needed manpower who are aware and capable of solving the region’s problems in the field of animal production and health management for its regional development.

It will also provide educational opportunities to poor deserving Bicolano students who want to become veterinarians but cannot afford to study in Manila or other places. Likewise, graduates as well as those currently enrolled in BS Veterinary Technology and Animal Science are given the chance to pursue this course.

More so, there is a need to produce more veterinary graduates to cater to the needs of feed millers, animal raisers and integrators in the Bicol region that would surely create problems especially in the animal health management and sanitation control aspects later. Moreover, there is a trend and awareness among Bicolanos for their care and love of house pets. Thus, the offering of the Veterinary Medicine Course is vital in the economic growth of the Bicol Region.

Lastly, it will make CSSAC the only state college/university in the Bicol Region to offer Doctor of Veterinary Medicine making it Bicol’s Premier agricultural School.

Physical Facilities

The Institute maintains physical facilities in CSSAC main campus, San Jose Pili, Camarines Sur. The Institute mini library and the CSSAC main library contain collection of veterinary and animal science books, CD’s and DVD’s. It also has a Veterinary Teaching Clinic (VTC) that serves as the laboratory for junior and senior clinicians. It is divided into two sections: Companion animal clinic (ECAC) and food animal clinic (FAC). The VTC has facilities for confinement and surgical operations, especially for companion animals.

It also has animal projects consisting of cattle, goat, sheep, piggery projects and poultry projects that serve as the training ground for students not only on food animal production and management but also on environmental preservation.

To give students more exposure to field cases in the rural areas, clinicians who are on the rotation at the Food Animal Clinic, go regularly to towns and barrios in different provinces. It is there where extensive programs on animal production and animal disease control programs, like anti-rabies vaccinations are being undertaken. Students are encouraged to attend to sick animal calls from different farms in the nearby areas.

Aside from using the facilities of CSSAC, the students also undergo clinical internship and training, both in private and government institutions, veterinary clinics and hospitals to gain more hands-on experience and orientation of their craft. Such activities will also give the students more adequate training in all aspects of the veterinary medicine.

Moreover, the students are given opportunities to attend Seminar on International Training on Pig Husbandry, forum and seminars sponsored by the Philippine Carabao Center, Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Private and Government Parks and Wildlife, Philippine Animal Health Center, Private clinics, food processing plants and commercial farms, which are vital and meritorious for instruction purposes.

Source: Manila Bulletin Online