Iloilo: A multinational project that aims to improve food security and create sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities in Miagao, Iloilo has secured a SGD5,000 seed grant following its presentation at the Asian Undergraduate Symposium (AUS) hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS).

According to Philippines News Agency, Project "Sikulo," led by University of the Philippines Visayas College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UPV-CFOS) student Eva Cerise Lopez, was among the initiatives presented before some 300 student delegates from across Asia during the symposium held in July. The project seeks to help small-scale fisherfolk cope with unstable incomes, food insecurity and limited livelihood opportunities through small-scale aquaponics systems.

'Our tagline is 'Together, we're innovating a cycle of food security and resilience.' Sikulo means cycle. The aquaponics system cycles water from the fish tank to the growing crops,' Lopez said in a chat message Thursday. The SGD5,000 grant will fund the project's six-month pilot implementation in Barangay Sapa, Miagao.

Lopez said the initiative will provide aquaponics systems and conduct training on system maintenance, harvesting, post-processing, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to help fisherfolk diversify their income and improve food security. The team also plans to publish a guidebook to help other coastal communities replicate and scale the model. Lopez met with AUS organizers in Manila on Wednesday for a planning workshop to begin the project's implementation.

According to the UPV Information and Publications Office, this year's AUS, themed "Communities in Action," brought together young leaders from across Asia for discussions, workshops, cultural exchanges and collaborative project development. Lopez said she was proud to represent the fisheries program at the international event.

'Many did not know what the Fisheries degree program was, and it allowed me to educate people on its importance. It also gave me great pride that my project was seen by hundreds of people and even praised by the organizer of AUS,' she said. Lopez is hoping to work with UPV-CFOS and partner institutions to sustain Project Sikulo and pursue more international collaborations that will benefit the local fisheries sector.

Other members of the Project Sikulo team are Leanne Losa±es of UP Manila, Randolf Montibon of UP Tacloban, Dwayne Hipolito of Ateneo de Manila University, Mirei Yamazaki and Kusao Kutaro of the University of Tokyo, Pranay of the University of Delhi, and Ryan Tan Wey Han of NUS.