SEARCA News

Under the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR)-commissioned project "Financial Viability and Profitability Analysis of Agricultural Technologies and Enterprises," the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) published a monograph series to analyze the profitability and financial viability of selected products and technologies funded and promoted by DA-BAR. The project also aimed to stress the importance of conducting thorough research and analysis to attract potential adopters and investors to venture emerging agricultural products and technologies. Soya chips is one of products featured in the monograph series. It was developed by Ms. Marilou Lagdameo… Read more

The Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) published a monograph series to provide information and analyze the profitability and financial viability of selected products and technologies funded and promoted by the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). The monograph as produced under the DA-BAR project "Financial Viability and Profitability Analysis of Agricultural Technologies and Enterprises." The project also aimed to stress the importance of conducting thorough research and analysis to attract potential adopters and investors in developing products and technologies. One of the products featured in the monograph series is Pinoy GOURmix. This… Read more

The Philippine-American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE) organized a session on research and development (R&D) proposal evaluation and project review process held online via Zoom and YouTube on 10 August 2020. This is in line with the month-long celebration of the 40th PAASE anniversary and 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting (APAMS) Philippines with a conference theme, "Outreach to Philippine Regions." Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, the Executive Director of Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD-DOST) led a discussion of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) system for R&D grant proposal evaluation and project overview. Mr. Joel H. Lales… Read more

Committed to pursue gender balance and inclusion of the younger generations among agricultural families and communities, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar on "Youth Disengagement in Agriculture: Addressing Challenges, Creating Opportunities" on 5 August 2020 via Zoom and Facebook. SOLVE webinars aim to provide an avenue for knowledge sharing on concrete innovative actions on the ground along SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan (2020-2025) via technology-mediated social platforms that would directly benefit farmers and farming families and engage the youth in ARD. Launched on 28… Read more

The Philippine component of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project titled, Rural Regional Transformation: Pathways, Policy Sequencing, and Development Outcomes in China, the Philippines, and Vietnam (RRT), will hold a series of online stakeholders' validation meetings via Zoom video conferencing platform. These meetings are intended to discuss and solicit insights from various experts that are essential to validate the typology of rural regional transformation in the Philippines, as well as the initial findings of the RRT project's research studies. These online stakeholders' validation meetings aim to provide opportunities for the RRT Project Team and the participants to: (1)… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – The NTU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program for Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (Global ATGS) is now accepting applications until 20 November 2020 for AY 2021-2022. The joint scholarship between National Taiwan University (NTU) and SEARCA provides support for graduate studies under the Master Program in Global ATGS offered by the International College of NTU. The program aims to provide deeper understanding on smart farming technology, genome science research, and breeding science and technology. It combines an interdisciplinary curriculum with opportunities for internship and field visits to develop global bio-agricultural talents who are responsive to the needs… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently participated in the first Multi-Actor Global Exchange Meeting (GEM), co-organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for the development of a Modular Training Program on Public Policy Cycles for Family Farming (MTP). The MTP is the first global product that IFAD and FAO are currently developing in the framework of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 (UNDFF). The MTP is intended to be a capacity development tool that will assist in… Read more

The project titled “Piloting and Upscaling Effective Models of Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development” (ISARD) is set to scale its gains through the application of the project’s implementation model in the province of Quezon. The SEARCA team led by Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Program Head for the Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), Dr. Jose R. Medina, former ISARD Overall Program Coordinator, Dr. Rex L. Navarro, Coordinator cum Facilitator, Ms. Carmen Nyhria G. Rogel, Program Specialist, and Ms. Ruth Jazrel M. Bandong, both from RTLD had a virtual meeting with the representatives from the Provincial Local Government Unit… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) organized a virtual meeting with the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) on 22 July 2020 to discuss areas for collaboration that will engage the youth in agriculture and rural development (ARD). The meeting took off from the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations signed on 01 July 2020 which was facilitated by the SEARCA Partnerships Unit and YPARD Philippines. YPARD is an international movement by young professionals with a vision for a food-secure world without poverty where young people are enabled to fully contribute… Read more

While the world reels from the social and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the search for sustainable mechanisms to address food insecurity concerns doable at the community level becomes more urgent. Agricultural losses in terms of decrease in farm labor and agricultural production are projected to further impoverish 14.69 million families in Southeast Asia, based on a recent study. Left unmitigated, such repercussions could compromise the health status of vulnerable sectors, especially children and the rural poor. A collaborative endeavor among the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), University of the Philippines Los… Read more