He is Nicomedes P. Eleazar, who was deputy director of the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) until he was appointed by President Arroyo to head the DA agency.
He was sworn into office by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap last Dec. 22.
BAR is DA’s research arm created in 1987 "to ensure that agricultural research is coordinated and undertaken for maximum utility to agriculture." It taps farmers, farmers’ organizations, and research institutes, especially state colleges and universities (SCUs), in the conduct of research for the use of DA and its clientele, particularly the farmers/fisherfolk and other rural workers.
Eleazar, 44, holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB, 1981). He earned his Master of Science in Management (Agricultural Development, 1993) from Cranfield University in Bedford, England, as a scholar of the British Council.
Holder of a CESO (Career Executive Service Officer) Rank IV, he has also undergone nondegree training and related activities in various fields.
Among these were the Cochran Fellowship Program (Animal Disease Control) in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Maryland, Virginia, and Iowa State University, USA, in 1999; Agricultural Research Management Enhancement Course in Kasetsart University, Thailand, in 1991; Designing and Management Development Programs at the George Mason University Professional Training Center in Arlington, Virginia, USA; Study Tour on Agricultural Trade, Department of Agriculture, Wellington and Lincoln University, New Zealand, in 1999; Agricultural Food Mission in Australia in 1998; and Food and Dairy Industry Convention in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1995.
He has received prestigious awards as a public servant, among them the DA Gawad Saka Award (Outstanding DA Employee for Planning, 1991) and the DA-BAR Commendation Award (1992).
He has authored a number of major professional papers on agriculture and related fields. – Rudy A. Fernandez