Center for Agricultural Crop Research and Engagement (CARE)

On January 16, 2025, University President Dr. Rolito G. Eballe designated Dr. Joy M. Jamago from the Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, as the Interim Director of CARE.

This marks the official launch of CARE’s mission and goals. Formerly known as the Crop Research Center, CARE was redefined to distinguish its mandate from other research centers in the university. CARE will primarily focus on major and minor agricultural crops, including neglected and underutilized plant species (NUPS).

 For decades, crop research at the university, particularly in the College of Agriculture, has been fragmented, sporadic, and sometimes overlapping. To ensure that future research is strategic, purposeful, and resource-efficient, CARE will serve as a unifying hub— streamlining efforts, optimizing limited resources, and maximizing impact in agricultural crop research.

The Center shall have the following goals and functions:
1. To spearhead the planning, fund sourcing, and conduct of ethical, collaborative, multidisciplinary, basic and cutting-edge research, and innovative activities on agricultural crops and production systems;
2. To develop useful and relevant crop technologies for target communities;
3. To deliver useful research outputs to target communities for community development, productivity, and better quality of life;
4. To lead the conservation and management of crop genetic resources for research and utilization;
5. To promote new agricultural crops for food, nutrition, and health security, and environment preservation;
6. To organize purposive and responsible local and international collaborations on crop research with current and future partners and stakeholders;
7. To protect and commercialize novel agricultural crop innovations and technologies generated by the researchers of the center;
8. To disseminate relevant research outputs as scientific publications, policy briefs, presentations, and others; and
9. Overall, to contribute to the growth and culture of CMU as a research university.
There are eight units of the Center.

CARE Vision Statement (for approval) 

A pivotal hub in Mindanao for agricultural crop research and engagement, pioneering
sustainable innovations to ensure food security, environmental resilience, and agricultural
prosperity—because no Filipino should be hungry.

CARE Mission Statement (for approval)

The Center for Agricultural Crop Research and Engagement (CARE) pioneers ethical,
collaborative, and innovative research to advance sustainable crop technologies.
Committed to food security, genetic resource conservation, and community
empowerment, we foster partnerships, commercialize innovations, and drive research that
enriches Central Mindanao University’s vision and culture of excellence.

Genetic Resources Unit (CARE-GRU) 

Crop production systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to various threats
such as genetic erosion, climate change, and anthropogenic activities, the CARE-GRU
leads and coordinates the harmonious and cost-effective conservation and management
of crop genetic resources for use, primarily in research and technology development of
various units at the Center, other centers in the University, and partner agencies. It shall
facilitate seed and field gene banking, and seed research and innovation. However, it shall
work toward the establishment of other complementary conservation approaches such as
in vitro conservation, DNA, and pollen banking.
 It will also coordinate with partners and stakeholders in the establishment of in situ
conservation of crop genetic resources and community seed banks. It shall coordinate
with the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (NPGRL), the national genebank
for better conservation and utilization of the country’s crop genetic resources. 

Crop Science Unit (CARE-CSU) 

The CARE-CSU directs, develops, and coordinates upstream and downstream research
on the banner crop(s) of the university, other agronomic and horticultural crops, and new
or emerging agricultural crops. Crop science studies are in the areas of seed technology
(through the Seed Technology Lab), field production, plant factory, micropropagation
(through the Tissue Culture Laboratory), elicitation, metabolomics, crop physiology,
morphogenesis, phenology, water management, post-harvest processing, soil and
nutrient management (in collaboration with the future Center for Soil and Plant Research
(CSPR), and other emerging crop research areas. 

Crop Protection Unit (CARE-CPU) 

The CARE-CPU develops and coordinates the upstream and downstream crop research
on weeds, insect pests, and pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and nematodes),
including diagnostics, prevention, control, and management. Knowledge discovery and
development of protocols, and technologies, among others, will be pursued through
conventional and cutting-edge approaches.

Crop Improvement Unit (CARE-CIU) 

The CARE-CIU takes the lead in planning breeding programs and pipelines, and in
organizing and conducting other projects and studies relevant to the development of crop
varieties. Primarily, the CIU will focus on crop genetic studies and varietal improvement of
agronomic (e.g. cereals, legumes, root/tuber crops, sugar crops, and forage crops) and
horticultural crops (e.g. vegetables, ornamentals, plantation crops and fruit trees) through
conventional and cutting-edge approaches in collaboration with the College of
Agriculture’s Molecular Laboratory, the Crop Research Station (CRS), and other partners
inside and outside of the university.

Community Engagement Unit (CARE-CEU) 

The CARE-CEU shall be the catalytic arm of the Center for deep, meaningful, committed,
and transformative collaboration with communities, groups, and/or stakeholders that could
benefit from the scientific outputs of the Center, as well as its expertise, for the
improvement of their quality of life. 
Relevant trainings, workshops, and other community engagements will be designed,

organized and conducted to optimize the utilization and sharing of new knowledge and

developed technologies generated by the other units of CARE to the CMU community,

other target communities, stakeholders, industries, and other clientele of CMU.

The CEU will closely coordinate with the Office of Community Engagements (OCE) of the

University for their expertise, as well as, those from the Departments of Development

Communication and Agricultural Education & Extension.

Smart and Precision Farming Unit (CARE-SPFU) 

The CARE-SPFU spearheads the foray of the university into precision and smart
agriculture focusing on crop production research. It shall also pursue research on the
“internet of things” in collaboration with other experts and units in the University such as
the College of Information Sciences and Computing (CISC), College of Engineering,
RGMO; as well as, with local and/or international partners.

Database Management and Statistics Unit (CARE-DMSU)
With various research units, the Center could generate voluminous and big data. Hence,
the CARE-DMSU shall have the crucial role of processing, storing, organizing, updating,
retrieving, analyzing, and running queries, among others, on the bulk of data of the Center
and its different units. It is essential for the smooth management and operations of the
Center, as well as, for the optimal utilization of its outputs. It will also develop an online
database system for the CARE-GRU that is useful for the optimal utilization of its genetic
resources for university researchers and those from other agencies.

Field Experiment Station (CARE-FES)
The CARE-FES (former Agricultural Experiment Center or AEC) is the field research
facility of the Center. It helps facilitate and establish the field crop investigations of
students and faculty, even including those in partnership with other agencies; subject to
set policies and conditions.
The Center is still on its third phase of physical development but has commenced with
basic operations to start working on its goals. It welcomes partnerships and collaboration
on research interests and/or community engagements within the scope of its goals. It will
be finalizing soon its vision and mission but as of present, it anchors on the undertaking
that “no Filipino should be hungry”.