Dr. Bo Zhou, agriculture officer and lead technical officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), paid a visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 11 August 2023 to revisit past partnerships and explore new areas of collaboration. He was accompanied by Dr. Romeo Labios, agronomist and farming systems specialist, FAO RAP.
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director (center), with Dr. Bo Zhou, agriculture officer and lead technical officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP) (right) and Dr. Romeo Labios, agronomist and farming systems specialist, FAO RAP
During the meeting, Dr. Zhou was given a bird's eye view of SEARCA's programs and activities toward achieving its 11th Five-Year plan. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, conveyed the Center's aspiration to be more visible to elevate its mandate to more partners and stakeholders.
Dr. Bo Zhou expressed his pleasure at visiting SEARCA for the first timeDr. Zhou expressed his pleasure at visiting SEARCA for the first time and seeing both familiar faces and new acquaintances. He admired the Center's impressive history and continuous efforts to serve the Southeast Asian region. "SEARCA's mandate truly reflects the direction of transformative agriculture," Dr. Zhou remarked.
He stated that in the near future, SEARCA and FAO RAP can work together in a joint webinar or workshop, covering both institutions' priority areas, particularly crop protection. In addition to this potential partnership, Dr. Zhou also discussed other possible joint missions, such as aligning and integrating ongoing projects and designing programs related to low-carbon agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, and agricultural mechanization. "We should strive to make agriculture more attractive, efficient, and profitable," he added.
Dr. Gregorio with Dr. Bo ZhouDr. Gregorio highlighted some of SEARCA's initiatives that FAO RAP could participate in, including an upcoming event with the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry on calamansi and banana processed products, to which FAO RAP can provide one of their experts as a resource speaker.
The SEARCA director also mentioned the Center's capacity-building activities, including scholarships and training and development programs. "The partnership between SEARCA and FAO is not new. We have been collaborating on different activities, such as joint workshops," Dr. Gregorio shared.
In this context, Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of Education and Collective Learning, provided information on the SEARCA-FAO RAP training program titled Southeast Asian Learning Framework on Inclusive, Integrated, and Innovative Public Policy Cycles for Family Farming, which took place in November 2022.
Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, program head, Research and Thought Leadership, discussed an overview of the Web-based Integrated and Spatial Engine and Smart Ecosystem (WISE) Carbon Farming. She proposed involving FAO RAP in co-designing the initiative to make it more concrete, targeted, and programmatic.
Dr. Zhou was welcomed by a SEARCA delegation headed by Dr. Gregorio. With them in the meeting were Assoc. Prof. Joselito Florendo, deputy director for administration; Dr. Cuaresma; Dr. Tatlonghari; Atty. Eric Reynoso, program head, Emerging Innovation for Growth; Ms. Sharon Malaiba, unit head, Partnerships; Ms. Corinta Guerta, technical advisor to the director; and Partnerships unit staff.
Dr. Zhou and Dr. Labios with the SEARCA delegation led by Dr. Gregorio.