The signatories to the agreement are Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. on behalf of SEARCA as Chair of its Governing Board and Dr. Marco Wopereis, Director General of WorldVeg.
SEARCA is mandated to promote inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development through its core programs on graduate education and institutional development, research and development (R&D), and knowledge management. It serves the 10 ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, plus Timor-Leste.
Meanwhile, WorldVeg (formerly known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center or AVRDC) is an international nonprofit R&D institute established in 1971 by seven countries, including the Philippines. Today, WorldVeg has regional bases in Africa, Asia, and Oceania with 44 international scientists and 300 national scientists and support staff dedicated to the mission of alleviating poverty and malnutrition through the increased production and consumption of nutritious, health-promoting vegetables.
Dr. Sanchez said "the thread that binds us in this MOU is our common objective to push for a more nutrition-sensitive approach to agriculture and sustainable and diversified cropping systems."
For his part, Dr. Wopereis said "the WorldVeg is determined to contribute to realizing the nutritional and economic potential of vegetables but we can't do it on our own, so we're always looking for strategic partners. And I'm so thrilled that we have found SEARCA. SEARCA is a very, very strong strategic partner for us."
Dr. Wopereis added that while WorldVeg hosts ASEAN-AVRDC Regional Network on Vegetable Research and Development (AARNET), a network of research institutes in ASEAN, including the Philippines, SEARCA has been the secretariat of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, which it established in 1989.
SEARCA is also an associate partner of the Food Security Center, a global project of Germany's University of Hohenheim since 2009; the European Union (EU) program called Exchange by Promoting Quality Education, Research and Training in South and Southeast Asia (EXPERTS); and Asia: Life Sciences, Food, Agriculture, Biology, Economics, Technology (ALFABET) funded by the EU Erasmus Mundus program.
Moreover, SEARCA is a partner of Agreenium, a consortium of French research organizations and higher education institutions in life, agricultural, environmental, and veterinary sciences whose members altogether boast of more than 300 research labs. SEARCA has also recently formalized its partnership with Agropolis Fondation, which is a scientific network of 41 higher education institutions and research units.
"So by teaming up," Dr. Wopereis affirmed that "SEARCA and WorldVeg will be able access each other's networks, develop joint research programs, and organize roundtable conferences to come up with new insights and perhaps also reflect on joint scholarship programs."
Dr. Wopereis said "it is fitting that the MOU was signed during the International Conference on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems. I am convinced that SEARCA and WorldVeg together will contribute significantly to greater diversity of what's on the farm and what people can find on their plates." (Leah Lyn D. Domingo)
The memorandum of understanding for institutional cooperation between the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) was signed by Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. (second from right) on behalf of SEARCA as Chair of its Governing Board and Dr. Marco Wopereis (second from left), Director General of WorldVeg. Behind them to witness the signing were Ms. Adoracion T. Robles (right), Officer-in-Charge of the SEARCA Office of Deputy Director for Administration, and Mr. Shun-Nan Chiang, SEARCA Visiting Research Fellow.
Dr. Sanchez and Dr. Wopereis also exchanged information materials about SEARCA and WorldVeg.