Eighteen Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) undergraduate students, accompanied by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nina Nocon-Shimoguchi and Asst. Prof. Dongyool Kim, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 16 August 2024 for a briefing on the Center's programs and activities on agribusiness development.
Since 1999, SEARCA has been hosting Tokyo NODAI students for their Philippine Field Practice, with this visit marking the 34th batch of students to engage in this enriching cross-cultural and educational experience.
"This is the 25th year of Tokyo NODAI's Philippine Field Practice, and SEARCA has always been part of it. SEARCA has truly become one of our homes in the Philippines," remarked Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nocon-Shimoguchi.
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Center Director, welcomed the students and commended them for choosing agribusiness as a degree, making agriculture attractive to the younger generation.
Ms. Anna Gale Vallez, Program Specialist of the Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), introduced the department's key agribusiness development undertakings, including the calamansi-focused projects—Upgrading the Calamansi Value Chain towards Improving the Calamansi Industry of Oriental Mindoro, which addressed the calamansi industry's technical and market constraints; and the Technical Assistance for Development and Promotion of Calamansi in Oriental Mindoro, wherein RTLD worked with the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro in developing their calamansi industry roadmap. She also presented other significant efforts, such as the Development of Coconut Industry Growth Areas in the Province of Quezon and the School Edible Landscaping for Entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lichelle Dara Carlos, Program Specialist of the Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), showcased three climate-resilient innovation projects supported by the SEARCA's Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS). The first project, led by Indonesia-based Aerasea, focuses on developing a smart aquaculture system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor conditions in black tiger shrimp hatcheries. The second is SpaceCrop Technologies' project on mainstreaming a spatial decision support tool for predicting soil moisture in agriculture in the Philippines. Last is a project in Thamai City, Chantaburi province, Thailand, that applies weather big data to advance smart agriculture practices.
To cap the visit, the students were treated to a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum.
They were received by the SEARCA delegation led by Dr. Gregorio. Joining them in the briefing were Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Head of Partnerships Unit (PU); Ms. Vallez; Ms. Carlos; and key PU staff.
