The Fifth Asian Short Course on Agribiotech, Biosafety Regulation and Communication (ASCA5) participants led by Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita (sixth from left), Director of the ISAAA Southeast Asia Center and Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, that visited SEARCA on 7 November 2022.
The Fifth Asian Short Course on Agribiotech, Biosafety Regulation and Communication (ASCA5) participants comprised scientists, lawyers, policymakers, and regulators visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 7 November 2022 to tour around the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) facilities which showcases various agricultural innovations, products, and solutions.
ASCA is a capacity-building initiative of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a non-for-profit international organization that shares the benefits of new bioscience technologies to key stakeholders, particularly resource-poor farmers in developing countries, through knowledge sharing, support to capacity building initiatives, and partnerships.
ASCA aims to encourage a strong voice for science-based regulations that will support research and development (R&D) initiatives, commercialization, and trade. Furthermore, the short course enables more Asian stakeholders to be trained given the limited resources in the developing countries.
For more than two decades, SEARCA and ISAAA have been partners in advancing agricultural biotechnology through sharing of scientific information, research, and capacity-building activities.
In April 2021, the two organizations renewed its commitment to further deliver accurate, science-based information on agricultural biotechnology through SEARCA’s Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Knowledge Platform, an initiative that accelerates agricultural innovations by creating opportunities for knowledge sharing and learning with various stakeholders.
The ASCA5 delegation was headed by Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Director of the ISAAA Southeast Asia Center and Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology. They were received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director; Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration; Mr. Nathan P. Felix, Senior Associate, Public Relations; and Ms. Katerina M. Vargas, Senior Associate, Events and Visitors.