SEARCA News

SEARCA headquarters, Philippines – "Working with women social scientists in developing plant varieties taught me to look at science holistically, not only at the plant but the farmer." Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director and renowned rice breeder, shared this life-long lesson in being a scientist from equally renowned former colleagues, notably the late national scientist and distinguished sociologist, Dr. Gelia T. Castillo, during the launch and seminar for the book titled Gender Dimension of Climate Change Research in Agriculture: Case Studies in Southeast Asia. "They were the social scientists who told us to put a human face to science,"… Read more

STUTTGART, Germany – A Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) delegation joined experts, students, and practitioners to tackle various perspectives, solutions, and challenges to global food security and trade at the World Food Day Colloquium held here on 16 October 2019. The colloquium, with the theme “Food Security and Trade in the Period of Change and Innovation,” is an annual event organized by the Food Security Center (FSC) of the University of Hohenheim. Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, SEARCA Program Head for Research and Development, presented the Southeast Asian experience on the enablers of inclusive… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA scholars participated in a sing-off event organized by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Language Instruction Towards Excellence (LITE) Program on 14 October 2019. "Sounds of the English Language: The Karaoke King and Queen Challenge" was conducted by the LITE program as part of the students' speech class activity. Scholars Hoang Le Huong sang Donna Donna by Joan Baez, Candle Sidthisone sang You and I by Scorpions, Thant Mon Paing sang The Day You Went Away by M2M, Simao Margono Belo sang Send Me the Pillow by… Read more

"With enlightened moderation on both sides, we can enjoy the best of both worlds and make organic and inorganic farming work in the Philippine context." Thus concluded Dr. Emil Q. Javier, National Scientist, in his presentation during the Forum on Organic and Inorganic Farming organized by the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMP), in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)… Read more

A Senior Fellow and four former scholars of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) were among the awardees of the University of the Philippines Los Baños Alumni Association (UPLBAA) for 2019. The UPLBAA honored Dr. Cielito F. Habito, SEARCA Senior Fellow, with the Presidential Award, its highest accolade. He was recognized for his contributions to shaping sound economic policies for the Philippines and other countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and to promoting economic literacy through his writings. Currently, he is a professor at the Ateneo de Manila University and chair of the… Read more

SEOUL, Korea – Even with the use of genetic modification—including genomic selection and molecular marker-assisted breeding—to improve certain traits of plants, crop improvement is a long process of developing a commercially ready product. "Many are impatient with this process and offer better techniques and tools to shorten the process, but still fail in the implementation of a new breeding program," said Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), an eminent rice scientist, and a member of the Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). Speaking at the… Read more

BOGOR, INDONESIA. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (University Consortium or UC) and the Food Security Center of the University of Hohenheim in Germany, and in collaboration with Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), held the Integrative Forum on Food and Nutrition Security for Southeast Asia on 30 September 2019 at IPB – Baranangsiang Campus, Bogor, Indonesia. As its Umbrella Program on Food and Nutrition Security for Southeast Asia (FANSSEA) 2014-2019 nears it closing, SEARCA realized that it… Read more

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) co-organized with the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Special Projects, the first roundtable discussion (RTD) of the Philippine component and the third Philippine National Project Steering Committee (NSPC) Meeting on 2-3 October 2019, respectively, at the Sulo Riviera Hotel. These activities are under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project titled "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns" or ATMI-ASEAN, which is being implemented by the… Read more

A Planning Meeting among the implementing partners of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC), its Advisors, and the AWG-SF Secretariat will be held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 18-19 October 2019. The partners will present their respective accomplishments based on the Log Frame of the ASFCC and Plan of Action of the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) for 2016-2020. Further, the meeting will discuss operationalization of the program and institutionalization of support after ASFCC Phase III; formulation of a strategy for communication and final dissemination of results and knowledge products; and development of a design… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA and the Food Security Center (FSC) of the University of Hohenheim in Germany concluded the 2019 FSC Summer School on 27 September 2019 with 19 students from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The theme of the recently held activity was "Transformative Changes in Agriculture and Food Systems" with modules on Precision Agriculture, Vertical and Urban Farming, and Edible Insects. Module 1: Precision Agriculture was handled by Dr. José Paulo Molin, Associate Professor at University of São Paulo, Brazil from 9-13 September 2019 in SEARCA. After the lecture, an outfield post tour at the International… Read more