A student-led initiative from the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) has received a SGD5,000 seed grant to pilot an aquaponics project for coastal communities in Miagao, Iloilo.
Project “Sikulo,” led by UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences student Eva Cerise Lopez, was presented at the Asian Undergraduate Symposium (AUS) hosted by the National University of Singapore in July. The event brought together around 300 student delegates from across Asia.
Aquaponics for fisherfolk
The project aims to help small-scale fisherfolk address unstable incomes, food insecurity and limited livelihood opportunities through small-scale aquaponics systems.
The six-month pilot will be implemented in Barangay Sapa, Miagao, with the grant funding aquaponics systems and related activities.
“Sikulo means cycle. The aquaponics system cycles water from the fish tank to the growing crops,” Lopez said.
Building sustainable livelihoods
Project Sikulo will train participating fisherfolk in system maintenance, harvesting, post-processing, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
The team also plans to develop a guidebook that other coastal communities can use to replicate and scale the model.
Lopez met with AUS organizers in Manila on Wednesday for a planning workshop ahead of the pilot.
Expanding regional partnerships
This year’s AUS, themed “Communities in Action,” featured discussions, workshops, cultural exchanges and collaborative projects among young leaders from across Asia.
Lopez said the event also gave her an opportunity to promote the fisheries program and highlight its importance.
She hopes to work with UPV-CFOS and partner institutions to sustain Project Sikulo and develop international collaborations that could benefit the local fisheries sector.
