BASC Palayamanan Team was one of the  winners of the 2023 Civil Service Commision National Pagasa Award, which was conferred by the President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the 2023 Outstanding Government Workers Awards Rites held at Malacañang Palace on February 14, 2024.

     Dr. Imelda S.A. Navarro, the project leader, along with the project members, Dr. Imee D. Esguerra, Associate Professor Jennifer I. Guevarra, Dr. Anthony C. Ortega, and Engr. Rhuelyn A. Ballaran received the award for their unwavering dedication to enhance rural communities and improve lives of countless people.

     The Palayamanan Project was first proposed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in 2004 which was implemented to different agricultural institutions including BASC. The model farm serves as a learning site for students, farmers, and community members. Dr. Navarro led the project in 2007, establishing nine clusters in Bulacan.

      The group has assisted farmers in developing 11 Palayamanan techno-demo farms in Bulacan and three municipalities in other Central Luzon provinces. They distributed farm inputs and provided capacity-building activities, assisting 587 farmers. The project improved their knowledge, skills, and attitude, enabling them to save money and improve their living standards.

      As part of the Palayamanan project’s success, they started to implement its new extension project, “Sustainability of Diversified and Integrated Rice-Based Farming System (Palayamanan) in Upland and Rainfed Areas of Central Luzon,” aiming to increase the income of farm families through the demonstration and promotion of the integration of free-range chicken, pekin ducks, and swine productions to the rice-based farming systems for sustainable productivity of small-scale lowland & upland farms.