SEARCA News

Ten international students from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Economics, along with faculty members led by Prof. Dr. Shuji Hisano, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 28 February 2025 as part of their field research in the Philippines. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the Center's youth-focused initiatives. Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Unit Head for Partnerships, introduced the Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI) program—the Center's banner youth engagement initiative. She highlighted some of #Y4AGRI's non-academic and nonconventional approaches to make agriculture enticing to the youth and develop… Read more

In a rapidly changing climate, ensuring sustainable food systems is more urgent than ever. On 19-20 February 2025, the ASEAN Climate Leadership Program III (ACLP III) Module 2 provided an overview of the key principles, criteria, guidelines, and protocols for climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The module also highlighted the importance of CSA in achieving food systems and nutrition resilience in the context of climate change. Experts stressed the urgency of scaling CSA, bridging climate-nutrition policy gaps, and fostering multistakeholder collaboration. To mainstream CSA in ASEAN, stakeholders must tackle financial, technological, and policy barriers while strengthening networks, public-private partnerships, and leadership to… Read more

San Mateo, Isabela—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with Leads Agricultural Products Corporation (Leads), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the municipal government of San Mateo in Isabela province conducted the first stakeholder engagement session for the project Transforming Rice Farming through Low-Carbon Solutions on 19 February 2025. The over 70 participants consisted of actors and stakeholders across the rice value chain in Isabela. They are primarily from an irrigators' association, rice farmer groups/associations, rice traders/brokers/distributors, rice millers, the academe, and from the Municipal Agricultural Office. The workshop provided an in-depth… Read more

SEARCA hosted its Special Graduate Seminar on Postharvest Management for a Sustainable Agrifood Supply Chain on 20 February 2025 at the Drilon Hall and online via the SOLVE Platform. Organized in partnership with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics - College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños (DAAE-CEM UPLB), the event presented the highlights of the research publications of two SEARCA alumni. Mr. Reymond Denver Buenaseda and Mr. Arjay A. Gerance, both 2024 graduates and recipients of the DAAD-SEARCA Scholarship for MS in Applied Economics for Agriculture and Environment Program at Kasetsart University, Thailand, discussed… Read more

The ERASMUS+-funded program on Postgraduate Micro-credentials in Food Security and Climate Change (PMC FSCC) held its first international conference on 10–12 February 2025, at Amari, Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand. Themed "The Role of Micro-credentials and Research in Advancing Capacity Building for Mitigating Climate Change and Ensuring Food Security," the conference featured 29 research presentations on micro-credentials and research in food security and climate change resilience. Kasetsart University (KU), as the PMC FSCC project leader, spearheaded the event in collaboration with Work Package 5 (WP5) on Communication and Dissemination managed by Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB University), Central Luzon State University (CLSU)… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) Los Baños and the local government of Los Baños, has officially launched Project GENUINO or the Gulayan Empowerment for Nutritional Uplifting Involving Network Optimization. This initiative aims to strengthen the institutionalization of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) across 22 elementary and secondary schools in Los Baños town, ensuring its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The project also seeks to enhance stakeholder and partner engagement to foster greater collaboration and support for school gardening initiatives. Project… Read more

Chonburi Province, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) partnered with the Postgraduate Micro-Credentials in Food Security and Climate Change (PMCFSCC) Project and the Regional SEARCA Alumni Association (RSAA) to conduct the 2025 SEARCA Scholars and Alumni Conference. Following the theme "Innovation Meets Education: Building Pathways for Food Security and Resilience to Climate Change," the event presented the research studies of 13 SEARCA scholars and alumni for the Academic Year 2024–25. The conference was conducted on 11 February 2025, at the Amari Hotel in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand, back-to-back with the ERASMUS+-funded… Read more

LAGUNA, Philippines – A groundbreaking three-day training titled Quality Assurance for Livestock Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Measurement was concluded on 6 February 2025, marking a significant step forward in enhancing GHG monitoring for sustainable livestock management in Southeast Asia. Hosted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Dairy Training and Research Institute (UPLB-DTRI) by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the training brought together 17 participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and the US, fostering regional collaboration on livestock GHG management. This initiative, jointly led by the Philippine and Vietnam… Read more

In an enriching cultural and academic exchange, 19 Taiwanese and Filipino Project LAKBAY (Learning Actively through Knowledge-Based Appreciation for Youth) fellows, together with the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association officials and staff, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 6 February 2025. Project LAKBAY, a youth cultural and learning immersion camp to enhance youth awareness and active participation in global sustainability programs, is a partnership between the UPOU-Faculty of Management and Development Studies (UPOU-FMDS) and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asian Association. Dr. Nur Azura binti… Read more

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR, led by Mr. Bounthavy Sayapheth, Director General of the Department of Personnel and Organization, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 5 February 2025 to learn about the Center's graduate study program. Director Sayapheth was joined by Dr. Soulaphone Inthavong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Planning and Cooperation; Dr. Siviengkhek Phommalath, Director of Rice and Cash Crop Research Center of the National Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Research Institute; Mr. Dethsackda Manikham, Director of Provincial Agriculture and Forestry of… Read more