The team members of the Youth for Ifugao Rice Terraces (#Y4IRT), a project of The UP Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), presented their research at the International Conference of the Society for Human Ecology (ICSHE). The theme of the said conference was “Envisioning Pathways to Just and Sustainable Futures: Celebrating diversity, pursuing integration, and developing livable communities.” The conference tackled four thematic areas: (1) Health, Aging, and Demographic Change; (2) Sustainable Cities and Landscapes; (3) Food and Water Systems; (4) Communities in Transition: Implications for rural resilience, biodiversity, and tourism.

The project team members from UPOU, Ifugao State University (IFSU), University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), and Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) spearheaded two panel sessions for the conference entitled Sustainable Development and Open and Distance e-Learning and The Use of ICTs and e-Learning in Preserving Indigenous Knowledge. Four studies were presented per panel session. The first panel session was moderated by Dr. Joane Serrano, Project Leader of the #Y4IRT project. On the other hand, the second panel session was moderated by Dr. Consuelo Habito, Senior Team Member of the #Y4IRT project. The complete list of the studies that were presented in the conference follows:

Panel 1

• Digital Literacy in Remote Areas: the case of Ifugao
• Mainstreaming sustainability and conservation of IRT through academe and community partnership and networking
• E-learning and online media as tools for Ifugao Rice terraces conservation as perceived by selected Ifugao youths
• The Role of Social Media in Promoting the Conservation of Indigenous Knowledge in Ifugao

Panel 2

• Potentials and challenges in teaching Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices through Blended Learning
• Using ICTs to preserve Indigenous Knowledge: The Case of a Youth Capacity Building Project in the Philippines
• Strengthening tourism practices in Ifugao through the use of blended learning for an Indigenous Youth Capacity Building and Exchange Program in the Philippines
• Digitized Education for the Ifugao Youth: E-Learning as a tool for preserving Indigenous knowledge

ICSHE was held on 28 November to 01 December 2017 at Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) located in Los Banos, Laguna. This was the first time that the ICSHE conference was held in the ASEAN region. The conference brought together global and regional practitioners, researchers, policy makers, experts, and academics in an event to discuss contemporary research and practices in promoting a just and sustainable future.