Relado, R. Z. (2016). Binhi para sa magsasaka: Enhancing delivery of and farmers' access to high-quality rice seeds (Unpublished master's thesis). Public Management Development Program, Development Academy of the Philippines.

Public Management Development Program Middle Managers Class Batch 8 Thesis (MMC)--Development Academy of the Philippines.

With the challenge of limited resources and clamor for greater public accountability, government programs, projects, and activities should be well-targeted and soundly crafted. For the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), its mandate and strategic directions should serve as the milieu of its public initiatives. One of PhilRice's three-pronged performance indicators focused on increasing rice areas planted to quality seeds. Tied up to this indicator is the organizational outcome that envisions for the growing adoption of high-quality seeds of developed/released varieties. Hence, this Re-entry Project (ReP) is proposed to enhance the delivery of and farmers' access to high-quality rice seeds that form the core business of PhilRice. To address issues of quantity, quality, and timeliness of high-quality rice seeds, this ReP intends to establish a PhilRice internal seed system. The system should provide an avenue for a multidisciplinary approach in increasing availability and accessibility of high-quality seeds that would translate into higher rice productivity and profitability. The system highlights the strengthening of the mechanisms and linkages from rice breeding to seed production to promotion and commercialization to monitoring and evaluation. As the ReP involves various players, it proposes a cyclical mechanism for seed delivery. The ReP components that are underscored in the three-month implementation period were: 1) ensuring a list of newly-released varieties that are ready for promotion and commercialization; 2) pilot-testing of seed and varietal preference survey; 3) designing an innovative and proactive way of delivering high-quality seeds to farmers through Lakbay-Binhi (mobile seed center); 4) releasing a memorandum to constitute PhilRice Seed Production and Commercialization Committee; and 5) executing a memorandum of understanding for a dealership agreement between PhilRice and partner. Moreover, additional outputs were achieved that have close links to the minimum ReP components. These outputs were: 1) seed kit distribution during PhilRice field days; 2) database for the seed and varietal surveys; 3) launch and pilot-testing of Lakbay-Binhi; and 4) development of promotional materials. All these components are part of PhilRice's commitment to explore avenues to enhance farmers' access to high-quality seeds. As a result of the implementation of these initiatives, the ReP advocates for a unified system as an alternative to the seemingly fragmented PhilRice seed system. The institutionalization of the system proposed by the ReP would ensure a more decisive and directed seed system. There will be constant and sustainable interaction among breeders, seed producers, development planners, agronomists, crop protection specialists, and socio-economists in guaranteeing that the right amount of high-quality seeds are delivered to the target clients at the right time. To sustain the gains of the ReP, lessons learned and recommendations for its sustainability were also discussed. Recommendations for the ReP's sustainability revolve around five enabling factors: 1) development and issuance of PhilRice Seed Production and Commercialization Protocol; 2) ReP orientations in all PhilRice stations; 3) continuous management support; 4) establishment of linkages with seed intermediaries; and 5) development of a Lakbay-Binhi proposal