The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is supporting agricultural research cooperation between the Philippines and Japan through its funding and technical support to the Project for the Development of Novel Disease Management Systems for Banana and Cacao (BaCaDM).

As part of this five-year initiative that began in November 2021, Japan’s Tamagawa University and the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture ? Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on September 26, 2025, to promote plant health, particularly in sustainable banana and cacao production.

JICA provides support to the BaCaDM initiative under the scheme of Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS). With Central Luzon State University (CLSU) and Tamagawa University as lead implementers, the project seeks to generate innovative, science-based solutions for major banana and cacao diseases that continue to threaten farmers’ livelihoods and the country’s agricultural sustainability.

A broad coalition of partners from the Philippines and Japan, including government, academia, and industry groups, contributes expertise and field access to the work program.

The purpose of the MOA is to provide a framework for collaboration between the DA-BPI and Tamagawa University in preserving and conserving microbial resources necessary for ongoing and future research activities, even after SATREPS, including the isolation, transfer, and preservation of certain cultures and isolates.

Banana and cacao production in Davao is under threat from major diseases, including fusarium wilt and Sigatoka-like disease in bananas, as well as vascular streak dieback (VSD) and pod rot in cacao. Under current Philippine regulations, isolates in Davao cannot be transferred to other islands within the country.

Therefore, transferring and preserving selected cultures and isolates at Tamagawa University from Davao is crucial to advancing research on these destructive diseases. This collaboration is expected to deliver significant benefits to stakeholders in Davao and across the Philippines

The MOA signing builds on earlier activities of the BaCaDM project. In June 2024, a workshop on the isolation and identification of fungi was jointly organized with DA-BPI to expand technical knowledge among researchers and practitioners. This was followed by a forum in February 2025, which convened stakeholders from government, academe, and industry to discuss progress and research directions.

Research outputs are advancing in parallel. Among its early results is the pilot application of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) for banana Fusarium wilt management, which has shown encouraging outcomes in field trials. These innovations are expected to provide farmers with practical solutions to reduce production losses and improve crop resilience.

In August 2025, a workshop on ASD was jointly organized with DA-BPI in Davao to transfer the methodology to the members of the Department of Agriculture. JICA Philippines