SEARCA News

Reliving the past, celebrating the present, and looking forward to the future of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), current and former partners, alumni, scholars, grantees, officials and staff gathered together in a virtual culminating program of the Center’s 55th Anniversary held on 26 November 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live. SEARCA was established by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) in 1966 as one of its centers of excellence in Southeast Asia. It is hosted by the Philippine government on the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus in… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN) at Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Agreement in November 2021 to establish the CE SAIN-SEARCA Joint Graduate Scholarship Program. The joint scholarship program aims to contribute to the institutional capacity and human resources development of RUA staff. These Scholarship recipients from RUA will pursue their PhD studies at Kasetsart University in Thailand and conduct research focusing on agricultural extension models, agricultural research commercialization, and the bridging of agriculture… Read more

SEARCA participated in the ASEAN Conference on Policy and Governance for Climate-Smart Land Use (CSLU) held virtually on 16-18 November 2021 and hosted by the Department of Agriculture Thailand. The conference, with the aim of increasing knowledge on strategies, policies and governance framework on CSLU, provided an avenue to share experiences and lessons learned on how to engage local communities and groups and mobilize the private sector to work towards resilient, productive, and sustainable use and management of land. The presentations and discussions during the conference featured one of the three core themes on CSLU: multi-level governance for Day 1… Read more

LAGUNA, Philippines – Young educators, students, and out-of-school youth from different districts of Laguna province joined the SEARCA-hosted Information and Demonstration Session on Hydroponics as part of the “Pook Luntian Sa Tahanan Ko” project of Gawad Laguna, Inc. (GLI) held on 27 November 2021 via Zoom. The session enabled 44 participants to learn the basics of hydroponics as a soil-less farming method and eco-friendly solutions to mitigate challenges of a small-scale hydroponic system. Participants were pre-selected from a vlogging contest initiated by GLI to elicit their interest to venture into hydroponics as a modern way of growing food. This initiative… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN), will conduct a series of training program titled Trainers’ Training for Integrating the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) in ATPs and Mini-ATPs in   Cambodia, that will run from 1 December 2021 to 9 February 2022 via the Zoom platform. Expected participants are teachers, principals, officials and representatives from CE SAIN, Raksmey Sophanna High School, Samdech Euv High School, Institute of Community Development, Sor Kheng Chanteu II High School, and Chea… Read more

SEARCA, through the Graduate Scholarship and Institutional Development Unit (GSIDU), collaborates with the Regional SEARCA Alumni Association (RSAA) for the upcoming Alumni Forum on Transformational Leadership on 25 November 2021, Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (GMT +8:00). The forum is in celebration of SEARCA’s 55th Anniversary and will tackle the experiences and reflections of selected SEARCA alumni on what it takes to be a transformational leader. SEARCA invited Dr. Weerapon Thongma (Thailand), Dr. Asikin Yoeu (Cambodia), and Mr. Natalino Babo Martins (Timor Leste) as panelists for the forum to be hosted via the #SEARCASOLVE platform. Dr. Weerapon Thongma is… Read more

Three publications showcasing institutional and field experiences in implementing an effective agricultural and rural development model were recently launched by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, described the launching of the monograph Championing Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development in Southeast Asia: SEARCA’s 10th Five Year Plan Plus One in Retrospect as a “celebration of the success and legacy of SEARCA’s 10th five-year plan.” The plan pertains to SEARCA’s blueprint in 2014–2019 anchored on Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development or ISARD. The retrospective monograph… Read more

Bringing the spirit of fiesta to Filipino homes in the prevailing pandemic, SEARCA featured experts, advocates, and youth partners on food and agriculture at the 2021 Pista ng Pagkain at Kabataang Pinoy or “Pistang PagKaPinoy” on 23 October 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live.  In relation to the World Food Day celebration, the festival featured lessons, stories, and concepts on food and its intersections with business, nutrition, arts, gender, culture, and tourism. The speakers were Ms. Amy Besa, Owner of NYC-based Purple Yam; Prof. Cristina Sison, Co-Project Leader of UP Rural High School Youth in Agriculture Program; Mr. Raymund Vincent Aaron, Banana… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through its Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD) conducted its  second online Training-Workshop on National Roadmap Development  under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Project Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns, or ATMI-ASEAN on 3-5 November 2021. This second training-workshop was organized for participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam as part of the Project's national technical assistance component on roadmapping. The three-day training-workshop was facilitated by Dr. Roehlano Briones, Senior Research Fellow of Philippine Institute for Development Studies… Read more

Conveying together the partners and stakeholders for the collaborative project titled, The Project Development on Coconut Industry Growth Areas in the Province of Quezon, the project team from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Provincial Government of Quezon (PG Quezon) conducted a planning workshop on 19 October 2021via the Zoom platform. In line with SEARCA’s initiative of scaling up successful agricultural and rural development (ARD) research models to other crops and locations within and outside the country, the planning workshop served as a venue in finalizing the project proposal by validating… Read more