The 3rd International Conference on Food, Environment and Culture (ICFEC 2025) by Benguet State University (BSU) held at Hotel Supreme, Baguio City, Philippines on November 5-7 served as a crucial global platform to actively bridge the gap between science, policy, and practice for sustainable and equitable community development.

𝗕𝗦𝗨’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗜𝗖𝗙𝗘𝗖 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗔 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿

The 3rd International Conference on Food, Environment and Culture (ICFEC) opened on November 5, 2025 with global leaders and researchers emphasizing that science must shift its focus from academic metrics to delivering tangible impact for sustainable and equitable communities. The home-grown international conference by Benguet State University held at the Hotel Supreme, Baguio City runs under the theme, “Global Conversations and Cooperations on Science, Technology, Innovations, and Culture Towards Sustainable Communities”. BSU President Kenneth A. Laruan underscored the urgency of the conference’s mission, which addresses challenges like climate change, food security and cultural preservation.

“It is imperative that we make the most of this opportunity to gain knowledge from one another, form new partnerships, and transform our collective vision into concrete actions in order to create a world that is more sustainable and equitable,” Laruan said.

On the other hand, Benguet Gov. Melchor Diclas, represented by Executive Assistant David Cabuten congratulated emphasizes the role of ICFEC 2025 in fostering collaboration among diverse experts to build a sustainable and resilient world. He highlighted the urgency of addressing global challenges through dialogue and innovation while celebrating the province’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, and cultural diversity.

A total of 134 delegates from around the world actively participated in the international conference on food, environment, and culture, bringing diverse perspectives and a wealth of research ready to be shared. Their presence highlights the event’s global reach and commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable solutions.

The core themes of Day one’s plenary sessions centered on turning research into action, a point powerfully driven home by keynote speaker Mercedita A. Sombilla, Center Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Sombilla delivered a critical address on Policy and Practice, highlighting the urgent need to formally align science, policy, and field practice to bridge existing knowledge gaps. She specifically championed the adoption of the Science-Policy-Practice Interface Framework and the Food-Environment-Nutrition Triple Nexus approach as essential tools to ensure evidence-based, practical solutions for the Philippines’ food system challenges.

The plenary session for the environment started with the discussion of Nelson M. Pampolina, Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, with the lecture “Fungi Biodiversity and Mycorrhizal Resources: Appreciating Science, and Conservation Towards Resiliency and Sustainability”. He discussed the vital role of forest fungi and mycorrhizal associations in ecosystem productivity, conservation, and resilience, emphasizing research, innovation, and conservation strategies for sustainable and climate-resilient environments.

Atsushi Yoshimoto, from the Institute of Statistical Mathematics-Japan lectures on the topic “Preventing the Spread of Disastrous Events through an Optimization Framework”. He presents statistical and computational models to manage and minimize the spread of disasters such as invasive species or pollination issues by optimizing landscape and resource use for greater ecological resilience and agricultural productivity.

The lecture, “Tracking Fires and Beetles with Modern GIS and Remote Sensing Tools” by Peter Surový from Czech University of Life Sciences, highlights how integrating satellite, aerial, and drone-based remote sensing with GIS and AI technologies enables precise monitoring, assessment, and prediction of forest conditions particularly for detecting bark beetle infestations and fire damage to support proactive and data-driven forest management.

On the other hand, three plenary speakers pioneered the discussion on this year’s edition of culture track. The lecture “Indigenous Culture as Food for Our Soul” by Lisa Linda Natividad from the University of Guam, underscores that indigenous food practices embody ancestral wisdom, environmental harmony, and cultural identity. It nourishes both body and spirit while fostering sustainability, sovereignty, and healing for communities and the land.

Ruth M. Tindaan, Professor at the University of the Philippines Baguio, emphasizes in her lecture titled, “Food as Cultural Site: Sustaining Indigenous Communities in Diaspora,” that food functions as a vital medium of identity, memory, and cultural survivance, enabling diasporic indigenous communities to reconstruct belonging, preserve heritage, and sustain social and cultural continuity through shared culinary practices and rituals.

Lastly, the lecture “Marketing in Education and Culture towards Sustainable Communities” Dr. Heny Sidanti from the Universitas PGRI Madium-Indonesia emphasizes how strategic marketing in education and culture can promote environmental, social, economic, and cultural sustainability by enhancing institutional quality, aligning learning with societal needs, and fostering responsible, values-driven communities.

𝗜𝗖𝗙𝗘𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝟭𝟮𝟭 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 3 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀

A total of 121 research presentations is continuously being conducted in four parallel sessions across the themes of food, environment, and culture. This reflects the diverse scholarly engagement in both competing (72 papers), noncompeting (33 papers), and poster (16 papers) categories. This breadth of participation underscores the ICFEC’s commitment to fostering global conversations and cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and culture, all essential to building sustainable communities.

The researches on food, environment, and culture are vital for bridging the persistent gaps between agricultural science, policy, and practice, as these fields collectively address the complexity of achieving sustainability, food security, and improved nutrition in diverse contexts. By generating localized insights and evidence-based solutions, these studies pave the way for policies and innovations that are not only scientifically robust but also context-sensitive and feasible for real-world application. Ultimately, empowering communities and stakeholders to advance resilient and equitable food- systems.

𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘆-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀: 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The second Plenary Session on November 6, 2025 began with Venecio U. Ultra Jr., Professor at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, who presented “Towards a Sustainable and Healthy Mining Communities: Mitigation Strategies against Bioaccumulation of Potentially Toxic Elements in Food Crops from Mine-Affected Agricultural Areas.”

Ultra Jr. highlights the serious environmental challenges caused by heavy metal pollution in agricultural lands affected by mining in Botswana and the Philippines. While mining drives economic growth, it also contaminates soils and crops with toxic metals leading to soil degradation and health risks from bioaccumulation in the food chain.

He emphasizes the need for sustainable mitigation strategies, including soil amendments like compost, beneficial microorganisms, and the cultivation of low heavy-metal accumulating crops, to restore soil health and ensure safer food production.

Following this, Thien Trung Le of Nong Lam University discusses the promising opportunities in Vietnam’s fruit processing sector, focusing on value-added products such as dried mangoes, juices, and jams that benefit from longer shelf lives and broader market access.

Trung Le underscores the importance of utilizing fruit by-products such as peels and seeds, transforming them into valuable resources like bioenergy, organic fertilizers, and specialty food ingredients. He also showcased how innovative startups in Vietnam are already leveraging these by-products to create novel products that support sustainability and stimulate local economic growth.

𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗖𝗙𝗘𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆

1st Best Paper – “Empowering Rural Enterprise: A Technology Transfer Initiative on Vacuum Fried Chopsuey Chips in the Philippine Highlands” Authored by: 𝘑𝘢𝘰-𝘫𝘢𝘰 𝘈. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘯, 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘈. 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘻, 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘈. 𝘎𝘢𝘯𝘰, 𝘑𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘯 𝘉. 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘴-𝘢𝘯, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘛. 𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘱𝘢𝘯, 𝘕𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘊. 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘸𝘢𝘵, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘔. 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘺𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢 𝘋. 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘴, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘉. 𝘋𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘺, 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘭𝘺𝘥𝘦 𝘉. 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭,& 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭 𝘎. 𝘋𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢

2nd Best Paper – “Correlation of the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Commercial Layer Farms and Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of Poultry Raisers in Benguet” Authored by: 𝘌𝘥𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰

3rd Best Paper – “Validation of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Meal as an Alternative Protein Source for Range-Type Chickens” Authored by: Mary Arnel D. Garcia, Sherwin B. Panaden, Kristine Joy Kiyawan, Laila Pil-o, Phoebe Tino, Emil Lachica

𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆

1st Best Paper – “Metal-Resistant Plant Growth Promoting (PGP) Microorganisms from the Rhizosphere of Tall Reeds (Phragmites karka) in Mine Tailings” Authored by: 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘦 𝘈. 𝘖𝘺-𝘺𝘦𝘯𝘨 & 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘊. 𝘛𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘰

2nd Best Paper – “Toward Standardization Battery Swapping: Simulation-Based Evaluation of a Prototype Battery Pack for Light Electric Vehicles” Authored by: 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘚. 𝘐𝘣𝘢𝘯̃𝘦𝘻, 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘎. 𝘐𝘣𝘢𝘯̃𝘦𝘻, 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘚. 𝘋𝘶𝘮𝘭𝘢𝘰, 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘎. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘻, 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘤𝘬 𝘊. 𝘋𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘦 𝘑. 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯

3rd Best Paper – “Towards a Sustainable Mineral Resource Utilization: Potential of Dry Fine Residues from Orapa Diamond Mines as Raw Materials for Fired Clay Bricks Production” Authored by: 𝘈𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘢, 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘢, 𝘙𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰 𝘚. 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘑𝘳., 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘦, 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰 𝘜. 𝘜𝘭𝘵𝘳𝘢, 𝘑𝘳.

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆

1st Best Paper – “Narratives of Responsibilities: Exploring the Roles and Women Agency of Bantay Basura Advocates in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines” Authored by: 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘩 𝘙𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘚. 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪, 𝘌𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘋. 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘨-𝘪𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘚. 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪

2nd Best Paper – “Voices from the Field: Navigating Mother Tongue Instruction in Benguet’s Heteroglossic Classrooms” Authored by: 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘓. 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘰

3rd Best Paper – “Igorot Challenge in the Net: Exploring Identity Construction Online” Authored by: 𝘙𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘚. 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘑. 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘰-𝘢𝘴, 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘋. 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘣, 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘩 𝘙𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘚. 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪, 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘦 𝘛. 𝘈𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘴 & 𝘑𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘚. 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭

𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆

1st Best Poster – “Suitability of Dry Fine Residues from Orapa, Letlhakane Damtshaa Mine (OLDM) as a Nutrient Source to Agricultural Soils in Botswana” Authored by: 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘪, 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘸𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰 𝘜. 𝘜𝘭𝘵𝘳𝘢, 𝘑𝘳.

2nd Best Poster – What Color is a Tomato?: Effects of Different Storage Temperatures on the Peel Color Development of ‘Diamante Max’ Tomato (𝘓𝘺𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘓.) Authored by: 𝘑𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘎. 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘤, 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘻 𝘗. 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘢, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘐. 𝘕𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘢, 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘰 𝘌. 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴, 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘚. 𝘡𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘨𝘢, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘋. 𝘙𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘰, 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘖. 𝘓𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘩𝘢𝘵

3rd Best Poster – “Sweetpotato (𝘐𝘱𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴) Shoot Hot-water Extract Supplementation Sustains Growth, Hematology, Ammonia-Stress Resilience, and Profitability in Nile Tilapia” Authored by: 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘊. 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘰, 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘔. 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘺 𝘗. 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘢, 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘓. 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴

𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻: 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗖𝗙𝗘𝗖 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

The Adivayan: Mayor’s Night and Solidarity Dinner was a vibrant celebration of cultural awakening, sharing, and communal collaboration during the closing ceremonies of the ICFEC 2025 on November 6.

La Trinidad Mayor, Roderick Awingan’s speech represented by his Executive Assistant, Delmar Cariño, resonated deeply, inspiring everyone to reconnect with their roots and embrace the rich diversity that unites us. His call for partnerships and shared cultural visions set the tone for a night dedicated to strengthening our collective identity.

The evening was alive with energy as the community came together to dance the indigenous dances of Benguet, the Tayaw and Bindiyan, welcoming all participants to join in the festivities. The BSU Dramatics Club performed a powerful play about protecting indigenous culture and stopping its exploitation. Their show combined important social messages with strong cultural roots.

Also, Ifugao State University proudly led the Ifugao’s Dinuyya indigenous dance, warmly inviting delegates to experience the beauty of indigenous movement and storytelling, fostering a true spirit of solidarity. The serenades by Liezl Villagracia and Rezalyn Boado, blending Filipino Pop and Igorot Country melodies, perfectly captured the night’s joyful harmony and cultural pride, leaving lasting memories for all involved.

Closing the event, Ruth Batani expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone whose dedication made ICFEC 2025 a remarkable success.