SEARCA News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a Stakeholders Forum on 28 October 2020 to gather experts and thought leaders from the academe, industry, and government to weigh in on the status of agricultural and rural development (ARD) in Southeast Asia and define a forward-looking and transformative ARD in the region from various perspectives. “Through the years, we have been conducting numerous projects, programs, and policy formations, but one thing that keeps us going is how we can sustain all these activities. Upon closer introspection, it is important to emphasize that the nature… Read more

The deadline for young Filipino innovators to register for the Innovation Olympics 2.0, an “agri hackathon” to develop innovative solutions for the farming sector, has been extended until 17 November 2020 because of typhoon Rolly. The Innovation Olympics 2.0 is made possible by the partnership of East-West Seed with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Sensient Colors LLC, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), UPLB-Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (UPLB-TTBDO), UPLB Startup Innovation and Business Opportunity Linkaging Labs (SIBOL Labs), and APEX: The UPLB Business Network. The organizers have also dropped… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Batangas State University (BatStateU) on 8 October 2020 via an online platform. The MOU between SEARCA and BatStateU is a five-year collaboration in the areas of education, training, and research with special focus on innovative agritechnologies, agribusiness incubation, and technology transfer. The MOU signatories were Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo, BatStateU President. Dr. Gregorio said “Partnership is our number one priority in SEARCA’s 11th Five Year Plan and we would like to engage and… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Learning Links Academy of Santa Rosa, Inc. on 8 October 2020 to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among K-12 students. Signing the MOU in a virtual ceremony were Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Ma. Luisa C. Castro, Learning Links Directress. Dr. Gregorio said “It is important that agripreneurship and an appreciation for agricultural endeavors are integrated in all education levels even as early as kindergarten. Youth engagement in agriculture and rural development is a priority of SEARCA’s 11th Five-Year… Read more

Continuing its commitment in improving access to unbiased science-based information, SEARCA in collaboration with the United States Embassy Manila and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) conducted the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar on the "Unrealized Potential of Animal Biotechnology" on 7 October 2020 via Zoom and Facebook As Filipino scientists direct their efforts towards animal biotechnology, the webinar presented an opportunity to share timely and credible information on the subject and dispel common misconceptions that affect the progress of maximizing its potential for improving countless lives especially those engaged in the agricultural sector.   The webinar… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted an online seminar on 13 October 2020 to promote the enhancement of calamansi products and enterprise development in Oriental Mindoro. With the theme “Waste Utilization and Product Development Opportunities in Calamansi”, the seminar aimed to enable the participants to have a good grasp of the calamansi processing industry and the opportunities and challenges it presents and to recommend interventions and strategies for potential calamansi products and enterprises. Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, SEARCA’s Program Head for Research and Thought Leadership welcomed the participants, which included farmer-leaders, processors… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on actions for the benefit of rural fisherfolk and smallholder farmers in the region. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio and NACA Director General Dr. Jie Huang inked the accord in an online ceremony on 7 October 2020 with witnesses from both intergovernmental centers. Dr. Gregorio said “SEARCA and NACA share the mandate for rural and smallholder farmers development, with NACA concentrating on aquaculture as a major sector of agriculture. Such partnerships… Read more

Writing a competitive research proposal requires an understanding of the writing techniques, tools, and skills to articulate scientific ideas and concepts into a clear and concise proposal while bearing in mind how the proposals are going to be evaluated. In this light, a virtual training-workshop using the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) platform held on 14 October 2020 titled “Higher Education Institutions’ Training-Workshop on Research Project Development for Agriculture 4.0” was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in collaboration with Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Philippines. The training-workshop aimed… Read more

As agricultural research on omics as an emerging field of scientific technology that involves the study of molecular interactions found in living organisms becomes important especially during the pandemic, Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), discussed the importance of integrating omics in crop breeding program up to commercialization in the Mindanao-Wide Webinar on Omics Research, Moving Past Pandemics: Omics in Agriculture on 9 October 2020 held via Zoom. The webinar series organized by the Philippine Genome Center Mindanao kicked off with a discussion of omics research in… Read more

The Provincial Government of Laguna (PGL) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for institutional cooperation on 15 October 2020 at the Provincial Capitol Extension in Calamba City, Laguna, Philippines. Under the MOU, SEARCA and PGL committed to partner on a number of programs and projects, including joint capacity building activities and exchange scientific materials, publications, and information. SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio emphasized that SEARCA puts premium in establishing “a better, bigger, and smarter academe-industry-government relationship in line with its 11th Five-Year Plan (2020-2025)” and that… Read more