SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Sweden-based International Foundation for Science (IFS), commenced its Mentorship Program for Advanced Grants Mentoring Workshop on 15 June 2021. The activity ran until 21 June through the Microsoft Teams platform. The workshop aimed to improve the quality and effectiveness of research on agriculture and food systems by enhancing the capacity of early-career scientists. Twenty-four young researchers from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam, were selected to participate in the workshop. These researchers are grant applicants who passed… Read more

Studies on policy and institutional structures, contextualized assessment tools, and stakeholders’ preferences around sustainable agriculture and food security concerns are the major themes of the June 2021 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). The paper on Thailand’s organic agriculture cites the potential of cooperatives in influencing the switch to low-carbon and low-pesticide agriculture. With a review of state policies, the author urges the government for more coherent support through synchronous work with cooperatives and non-government organizations, the main drivers of organic agriculture in Thailand. A comprehensive set of evaluation indicators to assess climate smart agriculture in… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) formalized its agreement with the Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its Asia Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand to cooperate on training programs, scholarships, and development projects. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Dindo M. Campilan, IUCN Regional Director for Asia and Oceania Hub Director, signed a five-year memorandum of understanding between the two international organizations in a virtual ceremony held on 28 May 2021. Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, and Dr. Scott Perkin, IUCN-Natural Resources Group (NRG)… Read more

[2 April 2022 Update] The synthesis of all UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues, including the one hosted by SEARCA, is now available here. As food systems around the world continue to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted a Food Systems Dialogue "Breaking Silos: Transforming Agricultural Education and Research toward Sustainable Food Systems in Southeast Asia" to inform the first-ever United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which will take place in New York in September 2021. The milestone summit is drawing on the input of… Read more

SEARCA, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN) of the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) entered into an agreement for the project “Development of Innovative and Sustainable Aquafeed Using Local Agro-Residual Resources.” Officials from SEARCA, USM, CE SAIN-RUA, Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab - Kansas State University, World Fish Center, and Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish - Mississippi State University, attended a virtual MOA signing on 10 June 2021 to formalize the partnership. Dr. Manuel R. Reyes, Research Professor at Kansas State University and Coordinator for Cambodia of the… Read more

Committed to elevating the lives of farmers and farming families, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with CropLife Asia (CLA) will host an independent dialogue titled Transforming Pathways: Working with Farmers in the Agri-food Systems on 14 June 2021, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT+8) via Zoom. The online forum will be conducted as part of this year’s United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS).  As a UNFSS independent dialogue, the forum intends to provide a platform that brings together farmers and stakeholders from the academe, industry, and government (AIG) to share information, knowledge, and experiences related to (1) digital technologies in producing… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) have renewed their partnership to develop and promote cooperation on education, training, research, technology transfer, and agri-incubation for the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia. “We recognize the important role of PCAARRD in the Philippines and beyond in sustaining dynamic leadership in S&T to cultivate various platforms for AANR,” SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said during the virtual ceremonial signing of the memorandum… Read more

DAAD-SEARCA scholar Nor Akhlisah Zulkipli won 1st Runner-up and People's Choice Award at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) faculty level competition in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) on 05 April 2021. Her win qualified her for the university-level competition where she bagged 2nd Runner-up on 22 April 2021. She was also chosen to represent UPM in the 3MT National Competition for the engineering category in June 2021. The 3MT competition was first developed by the University of Queensland and subsequently carried out in other Australian and New Zealand universities. It is a competition where Ph.D. students present their research projects to… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA - The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) provided a grant to the Mindoro State University (MinSU) to establish a techno-demo-learning site for calamansi research. A virtual signing of the Letter of Agreement between SEARCA and MinSU on the establishment of the learning site was done on 24 May 2021 via the Zoom platform to further strengthen the ongoing partnership. The ceremony was participated in by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Levy B. Arago, Jr., MinSU President, as signatories, and by Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted its 29th SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar titled Declining Agricultural Productivity: Farm Clustering Strategies on 12 May 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live. The webinar aimed to enhance public knowledge on farm consolidation models and programs in the Philippines and Cambodia. The presenters were Mr. Rodolfo Vicerra, Undersecretary for Policy and Planning of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippines, and Dr. Buntong Borarin, Director of Research and Extension of the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), Cambodia.  Mr. Vicerra… Read more