
ARDS Alumni Dr. Leocadio Sebastian awarded the prestigious “Medal for Contribution to the Cause of Agriculture and Rural Development” from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (MARD).
This is the highest possible honor from the ministry given to someone who has made a significant contribution to agriculture and rural development of the country.
Dr. Sebastian is currently the regional program leader of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) in Southeast Asia. Dr. Sebastian is a staunch advocate of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and is leading various research for development (R4D) activities to promote locally-adaptive CSA technologies and practices to help farmers cope with climate change in Vietnam.
The awarding ceremony held in Pullman Hanoi Hotel in November 2019 was chaired by the Vice Minister Le Quoc Doanh. Also in attendance are Dr. Cao Duc Phat, former Minister (2006-2017) of MARD and current member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Dr. Bui Ba Bong, former MARD Deputy Minister (2001-2013), Consul General Paul Vincent Uy, Chargé d’affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi, and the director generals of key departments of MARD, and the participants of the CCAFS Annual Regional Program Meeting from Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia.
This news and photo appeared in Good News Pilipinas.