SEARCA News

Young farmers, researchers, and development practitioners involved in research, teaching, and extension projects in agriculture have convened in the SEARCA Training on Digital Storytelling for Young Agrinnovators on 21-22 April and 4 May 2022 via Zoom. As part of SEARCA’s Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI) initiative, the training aimed to equip the youth participants in digital storytelling as an approach for agricultural extension and marketing. There were 28 youth stakeholders trained to produce online stories and multimedia content that promote agriculture-related technologies, research, or advocacy in digital platforms. “In this training, we challenged our youth participants to infuse creativity… Read more

SEARCA further facilitates capacity building activities and international linkages for Philippine higher education institutions through the Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) project funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Three faculty members are ongoing with their mobility programs in partner universities from the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). The LevelUPHEI AFAR project aims to upgrade the institutional capacities of the State Universities and Colleges – Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines, Inc. (SUC-ACAP, Inc.) and its 75 members. Faculty and… Read more

Dr. R. K. Singh, Program Leader and Principal Scientist (Plant Breeding), Crop Diversification and Genetics, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 2 June 2022. He was received by Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration; Dr. Romeo V. Labios, Operations Consultant, Partnerships Unit (PU); Asst. Prof. Glenn N. Baticados, Program Head, Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD); Ms. Beatrisa L. Martinez, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Director; and PU and EIGD staff. On 2-7 June 2022, SEARCA will assist Dr. Singh in conducting… Read more

The German UNESCO Commission awarded Mr. Amar Maruf from Indonesia with the Magda Staudinger Prize Award for his scientific achievement in the field of Biodiversity and Climate Change. Amar is a SEARCA Full PhD scholar studying Community Development at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The Magda Staudinger Prize Award recognized his early-career research activities presented during the Research and Science in, for, and with UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Conference from 16-20 May 2022 in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Germany. One hundred twenty (120) early-career scientists and research managers attended the conference from the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. It aimed to discuss research… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA organized the 3rd GSID Conversations on 27 May 2022 (Friday), 10:00 AM (GMT +8:00) to specifically tackle how scholars can navigate their postgraduate studies. The webinar is part of the scholarship package provided by the Center which includes academic and extracurricular learning events that serve as tools for the scholars to complete their academic requirements and support their social well-being. Dr. Ng Siew Imm, Associate Professor at the School of Business and Economics and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, served as guest speaker… Read more

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN), through its implementing institutions, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and SEARCA, and in partnership with its Vietnam focal agency, the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), is organizing its 2nd High-Level Policy Forum (HLPF) in hybrid format on 1-2 June 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam and via Zoom platform, with the theme “Transforming Food Systems in the ASEAN Region Post COVID-19”.  The event will showcase the ATMI-ASEAN project outputs, among which are… Read more

Representatives from farmer groups, local government units (LGUs), academic institutions, and the private sector convened in an Agri-innovations Forum organized by the Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 19-20 April 2022 via Zoom and Facebook Live. The two-day forum also discussed multidisciplinary perspectives on agri-innovations that should be in place to ignite dynamic and systemic changes in the region. Linking agri-food systems and innovations “Food systems are always transforming as new technologies are introduced, such as digital applications. To make food systems more nutritious… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA will conduct the 3rd GSID Conversations on 27 May 2022 (Friday), 10:00 a.m. (GMT +8:00) for SEARCA Scholars and Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) Grantees. The Center continues to foster the professional and academic development of scholars and grantees as they are poised to become the future leaders of agriculture and rural development in the region. Embedded in the scholarship package offered by SEARCA are the annual customized training programs targeted to build the scholars' capacity for communication, research, and facilitate the completion… Read more

SEARCA continues to provide opportunities for the capacity building of Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) with three delegates attending the Training-Workshop on Sustainability Assessment in Agricultural Production and Food Processing from 15-25 May 2022, at Krabi, Thailand. The training, organized by Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand and L’ Institut Agro of France, is designed to equip the participants with the capacity for sustainability assessment and to build their skills in data collection, survey, observation, investigation, and interview. The participants are placed in a position to actively assess sustainability in agricultural production. The training workshop is also a part of KU’s… Read more

Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio has been appointed to a second term as Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the center of excellence in agriculture in Southeast Asia established by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Dr. Gregorio will continue to serve in this capacity until 30 April 2025. In a Townhall Meeting of SEARCA officials, staff, and scholars to kick off Dr. Gregorio's second term, Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor and Country Representative of the Philippines to and Chair of the… Read more