Her Excellency Dr. Catherine McIntosh, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, and staff, visit the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)
Her Excellency Dr. Catherine McIntosh, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 12 September 2024. She was accompanied by Mr. David Pennycook, Second Secretary; Ms. Dyan Rodriguez, International Development Cooperation Manager; Mr. Jao Yabut, Policy Adviser; and Ms. Moira Uycoco, Executive Assistant to the Ambassador, all of the New Zealand Embassy Manila. The meeting focused on revisiting potential joint initiatives with the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) on climate-smart agriculture previously discussed during SEARCA's engagement with the New Zealand Embassy Manila in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, on 27 August 2024.
New Zealand's agriculture sector, known for its efficient dairy, beef, and sheep production, is a key driver of the country's economy. With its commitment to achieving net zero carbon, the country is developing and promoting innovative farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"We acknowledge SEARCA's contribution to sustainable agriculture and rural development in the Southeast Asian region. It's great to see what you're doing," Ambassador McIntosh remarked.
Dr. Nur Azura Adam, SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs, provided an overview of the potential joint capacity-building initiatives on climate-smart agriculture, including the prospect of engaging NZAGRC experts as speakers for the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagements (SOLVE) webinar series. Dr. Nur also explored the development of a training program on greenhouse gas emission measurement tools and facilities, as well as extending SEARCA's scholarship grants to New Zealand nationals.
Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, Senior Program Head of SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department, proposed engaging with the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases. In this context, SEARCA Center Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio highlighted the Center's partnerships and linkages. He introduced the Consortium for Agricultural Development, Research, and Extension (CADRE) and the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). He shared that through UC, SEARCA and Kasetsart University in Thailand offer the Master of Science in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC) and are developing a micro-credential program on food security and climate change.
Dr. Gregorio accentuated SEARCA's research focus on carbon neutrality and expressed interest in learning from New Zealand's pioneering net-zero carbon initiatives.
Her Excellency Dr. Catherine McIntosh, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, with SEARCA’s artificial intelligence robot SOPHIE
The visitors tour the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum
The visit concluded with a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum, where the delegation was introduced to SEARCA's AI robot SOPHIE, which is short for SEARCA Optimized Platform for Highly Intelligent Engagement.
The delegation was received by Dr. Gregorio along with Dr. Nur; Dr. Cuaresma; Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit (PU); Ms. Corinta Guerta; Technical Advisor to the Director; Ms. Beatrisa Martinez, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Director; and key PU staff.