History

SIBAT was founded on April 13, 1984, as a network promoting appropriate technology as a response to problems of poverty and under development in Philippine countryside. The founding group, which consisted of 9 Manila-based organizations, envisioned to serve the needs of the rural poor and other marginalized sectors by using science and technology as a core template for development.

Appropriate technology (AT) development was the focus of network collaboration - strongly premised on building local capability and self-reliance, technological adaptability to local culture and conditions, and strengthening of local organizations.

From its first assembly in Cebu, nine regional clusters were comprised to elect the National Coordinating Board (NCB), and its National Secretariat. The latter was formed to serve the expressed needs of the network under the guidance of the NCB. SIBAT's formal members reached a peak of 40 in 1991, and mostly included rural-based grassroots organizations nationwide.

The Network's early thrust was the coordination and collaboration of local initiatives in the areas of research, training and cooperation in organic agriculture and appropriate technology. Information exchange constituted the first hub of collaboration, through the creation of the Science and Technology Resource and Information Services (STRIS) as a repository of information built from the collection of AT materials and documents contributed by the founding members.

Organized efforts in sustainable agriculture - then called organic agriculture, and genetics conservation was introduced and began by SIBAT members in the mid-80. The Network took a strong lead in the NGO and farmers' critique of Green Revolution and gene monopoly as adverse impacts unfolded among poor farmers in the country's lowland rice farms. Inappropriate technologies in agriculture were reviewed and studied in individual member areas, and collectively in SIBAT network forums. In these gatherings, alternative technologies sprang in specific socio-economic contexts and thus became objectives of research and innovation in farmers' and center-based demonstration farms.

At the base of these efforts were the research on indigenous agricultural knowledge, innovation for production and conservation and dissemination of traditional seeds. Water systems to support production and community needs as well as postharvest technology innovations were developed.

Thus, member organizations had made substantive contributions through their individual initiatives on AT in their respective regional and local contexts, to the network database of experiences. Put together, the collective experiences on AT (on sustainable agriculture, community seedbanking, small water systems, small renewable energy technologies), contributed not only to overall Filipino technological innovation, but most especially, had generated concrete positive impact on the lives of rural communities and sectors, poor farmers, women and indigenous peoples.

Another most significant contribution of the SIBAT Network is the development of the community-based approach, where the NGO-PO and SIBAT as AT partner, produced innovative replicable models of rural development.

The members pursued their on-the-ground initiatives strengthened by information shared through forums and conferences. The subjects of SIBAT's major conferences were considered as NGO breakthroughs in AT. These were Conferences on:

• Organic Agriculture and Appropriate Technology (1984, 1985)
• Sustainable Agriculture (1990, 1991-94)
• Women, Technology and Development (1986)
• Genetics Conservation and Development (1987, 1995, 2000)
• Post-harvest Technology (1989)
• Renewable Energy (1993, 1999, 2000, 2007)

These conferences served to unite the views and analysis on problems of rural development and the proposed alternative solutions to these problems.

SIBAT has advanced from being a network to one with institutional character, responding to changes and challenges met in 25 years of arduous development work. Its institutional center has matured from rendering AT advisory services through partnership strategies with NGOs and POs, while sustaining the network advocacy role through conferences and fora. SIBAT's brand of AT advisory and advocacy work today has been consistently shaped and improved by the rich network experience of its members.