SEARCA News

Collaborations between farmers, institutions, mother-support and nutrition support groups; prioritization of breastfeeding as a vital part of the "First Food Systems" paradigm; and a proposal for policy makers to make a close inspection of the current food and agri systems were among the calls of the participants in the round table discussion, "First Things First… Prioritizing Breastfeeding in the First Food System" jointly organized by SEARCA and LATCH Los Baños (LATCH LB) on 29 June 2021 via Zoom. This event is also supported by Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina, Inc. (KMI) and Arugaan. "We at SEARCA, our priority areas like Food and… Read more

A virtual regional consultation workshop will be held on 7 July 2021, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (UCT+7), to formally kickstart the development process of the third volume and the accompanying implementation strategies of the ASEAN Guidelines for Promoting Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) Practices. Co-organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), this event is hosted by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) on behalf of the ASEAN-Climate Resilience Network (CRN) and supported by the Climate Smart Land Use in ASEAN Project of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The… Read more

Sustainable, creative, and well-thought-of edible landscaping not just adds beauty to the environment, but also promotes food safety and increases awareness of the community toward healthy living—this sums up the message delivered by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director and the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Panel for Agriculture Chair during the City Nursery Garden Launch of the Food Always In The Home (FAITH) Program of the City Government of Parañaque on 30 June 2021. In Dr. Gregorio’s message, he congratulated the city government led by Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez for the significant milestone… Read more

The Kingdom of Morocco has been admitted to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), an intergovernmental organization founded in 1965 to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture among Southeast Asian nations. The Southeast Asian Regional Center Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is one of the oldest SEAMEO specialist institutions. The membership of the Kingdom of Morocco was approved at the virtual 51st SEAMEO Council Conference held on 17 June 2021, which was attended by H.E. Abdelilah El Housni, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. The SEAMEO Council is composed… Read more

In its commitment to further elevate the interest of young people and engage in agricultural sciences, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research and Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with the University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS) organized five (5) agricultural biotechnology-related sessions under the UPRHS “Youth in Agriculture Online Engagement Program”. The sessions were held every Saturday via Zoom and Facebook Live from 24 April to 29 May 2021. The sessions received an overwhelming response from junior and senior high school students, as well as their teachers, with over 18,000 views and reaching more than… Read more

Recognizing the importance of listening and including farmers in the process of transforming agri-food systems, the Southeast Asian Regional Center on Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and CropLife Asia (CLA) hosted “Transforming Pathways: Working with Farmers in the Agri-food Systems”. This independent dialogue in connection with the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) was held last 14 June via Zoom. “There is a need to transform agricultural systems for long-term sustainability. In this process, farmers, the people who produce our food, must have an active role. This begins with transforming farmers into “transfarmers”. This is a new breed… Read more

Mr. Gaspar L. de Chavez, Carpenter, General Services Unit of SEARCA, is one of the recipients of the 2020/2021 Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Service Awards (SSA) held in a virtual award ceremony on 8 June 2021. The SEAMEO Service Award is given “to staff members of the SEAMEO Units who demonstrate exceptionally high level of achievement in work performance, innovation, and creativity, professionalism, and commitment that contribute to the success of the Organization's mission and goals.” Dr. Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat (SEAMES) Director, opened the awarding ceremony by emphasizing the importance of the SEAMEO Service… Read more

Transformation in food systems entails rethinking food security and sowing seeds of curiosity. These were the main actions reinforced by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), in the first installment of the Climate Change Webinar Series organized by NAST Task Force on Climate Change and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation, Inc. on 21 May 2021.  Acd. Aura G. Matias, Full Professor and Former Dean of the UP Diliman College of Engineering, representing… Read more

. Young professionals, agripreneurs, public servants, and students who are leading projects and advocating for Philippine agriculture have convened in the 1st SEARCA Virtual Youth Camp on 19 June 2021 via Zoom. The camp enabled youth perspectives on challenges and solutions in the agri-food system amidst and post-pandemic. There were 21 youth representatives from the academe, business, civil society, and government sectors who shared their insights on navigating the agri-food system and engaging the youth on it. Gracing the virtual event for a “Campfire” session were two UN Food Systems Champions, SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, and AGREA President and Philippine Department of… Read more

A ceremonial turnover of the techno-demo-learning farm for calamansi research in the Mindoro State University (MinSU) was held on 21 June 2021.This was followed by an online seminar on Good Agricultural and Manufacturing Practices in Calamansi hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) via Zoom and SEARCA's Facebook page. The techno-demo-learning farm was established in MinSU through the SEARCA-implemented project “Upgrading the Calamansi Value Chain towards Improving the Calamansi Industry of Oriental Mindoro” with funding support from the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). The demonstration farm is one of… Read more