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SEARCA and CIAT ink MOU for cooperation in ARD

  • 21 April 2015

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture Asia Regional Office (CIAT Asia) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue common education, training, and research objectives in various areas of agricultural and rural development in the Southeast Asian region.

Dr. Ruben Echevarria, CIAT Director-General, expresses appreciation of the MOU with SEARCA and poses with Dr. Bessie M. Burgos of SEARCA RDD.On the basis of this MOU, SEARCA participated in CIAT Regional Partners’ Forum which was held on 7-8 April 2015 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Forum was aimed at refining and validating CIAT-Asia regional R&D framework, and identifying priority research areas and projects/activities for collaboration and recommended next steps in 2015. Dr. Bessie M. Burgos, Acting Program Head, Research and Development Department (RDD) of SEARCA joined the panel discussion on Building Resilience through Climate Smart Agriculture and Systems Research. In her brief commentary, she emphasized commonalities in the priority thrusts of CIAT and SEARCA and the possible areas of complementation such as linking CIAT researches with the work of the University Consortium and SEARCA PhD scholars through joint research, collaboration in learning and knowledge events, and sharing and development of knowledge products.

In turn, CIAT sent two scientists, a Geospatial Analyst and an Entomologist, to SEARCA’s Regional Knowledge Sharing Writeshop on Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ISARD) which took place on 15-17 April 2015 at SEARCA. Dr. Kris Andre Georges Wyckhuys and Mr. Louis Parker of CIAT Asia were case presenters during the writeshop and authors of case stories that they will contribute to the Case Book on CCA.

Dr. Burgos discusses collaboration on the [i]Regional Consultation Workshop towards an Umbrella Program on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CChAM) in Southeast Asia (SEA) for an Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ISARD)[/i] with Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, Regional Coordinator of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security for Southeast Asia (CGIAR CCAFS SEA).SEARCA and CIAT take their partnership to the next level by co-organizing, in cooperation with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security for Southeast Asia (CGIAR CCAFS SEA), the Regional Consultation Workshop towards an Umbrella Program on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CChAM) in Southeast Asia (SEA) for an Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ISARD). This Regional Consultation Workshop will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 12-14 May 2015. It aims to develop a unified and integrated agenda for collaborative research and development and knowledge management and capacity development on climate change adaptation and mitigation particularly as it relates to agriculture and rural development (ARD) in SEA. (Bessie M. Burgos)