Dr. Yann-rong Lin, deputy director general for partnerships of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 8 August 2023 to discuss a proposed joint scholarship project.
Dr. Yann-rong Lin (second from the right) with the SEARCA Executive Committee
WorldVeg, formerly known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, is an international nonprofit institute committed to alleviating poverty and malnutrition by increasing the production and consumption of nutritious and health-promoting vegetables.
The meeting started with a brief overview of the Center's mandate and its 11th Five-Year Plan. Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), presented SEARCA's Scholarship Program, mainly focusing on its joint scholarships with various universities and research institutions.
Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), presents SEARCA's Scholarship Program.
Dr. Lin took an interest in joint scholarship of SEARCA and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) as SEARCA and WorldVeg can venture into a similar approach. According to her, since WorldVeg is a research institution, they cannot offer degrees but can provide research opportunities.
In her presentation, Dr. Lin imparted a glimpse of WorldVeg's history, achievements, and present endeavors. She discussed their research and development flagships on vegetable diversity and improvement, safe and sustainable value chains, and healthy diets. Dr. Lin also underscored WorldVeg's impact within Asia and globally, one of which is their gene bank, which maintains the world's most extensive public vegetable germplasm collection with over 65,000 acquisitions. Lastly, she shared that WorldVeg provides fellowships to MSc and PhD students worldwide to conduct research at its headquarters in Taiwan. Through these fellowships, the students can gain valuable research experiences, networks, and exposure to international settings.
Dr. Lin shares WorldVeg's history, achievements, and present endeavors.To close the productive discussion, Dr. Lin and the SEARCA team agreed to accept four scholars yearly, preferably MSc and PhD students from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Brunei Darussalam. The prospective scholars' research areas should focus on vegetables, which can delve into nutrient analysis, value chain assessment, and vegetable diversity and improvement. A proposal will be crafted by the SEARCA team to further develop the joint scholarship project.
After the meeting, Dr. Lin toured the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING).
Dr. Lin was welcomed by a SEARCA delegation led by Dr. Cuaresma. With them in the meeting were Assoc. Prof. Joselito Florendo, deputy director for administration; Ms. Sharon Malaiba, unit head, partnerships; Ms. Corinta Guerta, technical advisor to the director; Ms. Zacyl Jalotjot, program specialist of ECLD; and Partnerships Unit staff.
Ms. Sharon Malaiba, head of the Partnerships Unit, gives Dr. Lin and her former students a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation.