Rola, Agnes C.
Ph.D. Agricultural Economics
Social Sciences
Academician
Dr. Rola conducted several studies using many localities across the country as bases of her researches.(1) Her study on the “Evaluation of the Performance of the Farmer Field Graduates in Iloilo” had shown that farmer-to-farmer sharing of knowledge is essential to attain productive results; (2) her work on “Winning the Water: Watersheds, Water policies and Water Institutions” recommended for a community-based management and to use the watershed as the unit for water resource planning (as implemented in the Cordillera region); (3) the results of her research on “An Upland Community in Transition: Environment and Economic Development in the Philippines” have demonstrated that agricultural intensification due to response to markets byupland farmers led to soil and water degradation because of the lack of local institutions to safeguard the natural resource use in a rapid economic development scenario and the lack of capacities of local governments to regulate such activities despite the law that give them authority.Capacity building could slow down such degradation and put the community in a more sustainable way; (4) her research on the “Role of Institutions in Managing Agriculture-Related Climate Risks: Angat Reservoir Case Study” has showed that capacity building in using climate information will help improve decision mechanisms towards climate risk management strategies at the local level.