The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) based in the City of Batac, Ilocos Norte, through a research grant from the Seed Fund for Strategic Research and Training (SFRT) Program of the South East Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), spearheaded the documentation and characterization of IFPs and their habitats in the province with the goal of promoting their conservation and utilization. IFPs are reported to be integral part of the daily diets of many poor rural households in the province, especially among the tribal groups such as the Isneg, Igorot, I-apayao and Tingguian.

There have been efforts on IFP promotion and conservation such as production of information, education and communication (IEC) materials; presentation of research results in scientific gatherings and lecture for booth exhibits/displays; establishment of a botanical garden/conservation park; and uploading of research highlights in the web, hence this study. With these information dissemination activities being undertaken, these will lead to greater recognition of the benefits of IFPs, local communities to employ in situ conservation and "conservation by use" of these PGR such as planting yearly or continuously propagated in fields, kaingin farms, and home gardens, as well as, domestication of the wild varieties.

In an endeavor to develop an increased awareness about the different existing indigenous plant species consumed either as food, food source or secondary ingredient, one information dissemination strategy is to develop an Indigenous Food Plants Databank System (IFPDS). It is a database system about indigenous food plants (IFPs) such as the botanical characteristics, ethnobotany and related information on the plants' utilization, as well as, the geographical location of the identified plant species. The databank system is consists of 46 species of IFPs representing 28 plant families that were identified in the several upland communities of Ilocos Norte. This was developed by applying bioinformatics through the use of database information system and web application. Open source development tools such as MySQL, Apache server, PHP were used in the development of the database information system and web application.

The source of information and knowledge used were obtained from the results of the study "Ethnobotany, Conservation and Promotion of Indigenous Food Plants in Ilocos Norte, Philippines" conducted by MA Antonio, RT Utrera, EO Agustin, DL Jamias, AJ Badar and ME Pascua in 2010. They conducted a key informant interview using a modified structured interview schedule, coupled with participatory rural appraisal. Prior-Informed Consent (PIC) certificates (permit to collect) were secured from the local government units. Herbarium specimens were prepared for taxonomic identification, while planting materials were collected for propagation and botanical characterization. The sources of the target plants were identified and the position of these areas were obtained geographically using Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. According to their research, the different species of IFPs found in the Ilocos province can potentially contribute to food sufficiency, community health, and economic improvement of upland communities. The documented IFPs, particularly root crops, can be developed as potential livelihood projects by developing new recipes and value-adding of by-products. Proper habitat management is an effective means of conserving PGR. Through the IFP inventory, researchers gained better understanding of each species' habitat requirements and that they are not soil condition-specific, thus, they can be grown and propagated in other areas as well. Conservation of these IFPs contributes greatly to the preservation of the culture of the various indigenous groups in Ilocos Norte. It documented the botanical characteristics/description and ethnobotany and other related information on the plants' utilization, as well as, the geographical location and habitat characteristics of target plants based on geomorphology, vegetation, soil resources, and existing land use classification.

We need to define the business requirements of the project, establish the database and develop the software for the whole duration of the project. As we gather feedback, we continuously refine the system being developed. On the 3rd and 4th quarter of Year 2, the modified software (IFPDS) will be deployed.

The Indigenous Food Plants databank system will be established and functioning. This will serve as an accessible, easily operated online tool that will help the users to efficiently manage the information and knowledge gathered from the inventory of the different IFPs.

The web-based sharing tool will provide users for an easier, organized and efficient access of data through a user-friendly format. It is hoped that this will serve as part of the decision support system for policy making in the conservation and management of the indigenous plant resources.