SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – After 11 months of course implementation, which included a series of face-to-face (F2F) and online sessions that started in September 2017, SEARCA conducted the Final Assessment and Testimonial Ceremony for Batch 1 of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) funded project titled Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Mentorship Program: Communicating Agriculture and Fisheries Research for Inclusive and Sustainable Development (CAFRISD) on 25-26 September 2018 at SEARCA based here. … Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – Calamansi is indigenous to the Philippines and widely cultivated throughout the country, with the largest production areas found in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. It is one of the integral parts of Filipino cuisine with its taste described as 'earthy' and 'refreshing'. According to the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Program (DA-PRDP), buyers prefer calamansi from Oriental Mindoro because it has a thicker rind, stronger taste, longer shelf-life, and resists weight loss. However, there are gaps and constraints in the calamansi industry that limit its potential to increase income and generate the much-needed employment for… Read more

INOPACAN, LEYTE, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture is co-implementing the Piloting and Upscaling Effective Models of Inclusive Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (ISARD) program with Visayas State University (VSU) Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Program (ViCAARP) and the local government of Inopacan, Leyte (LGU Inopacan). The program aims to strengthen the linkages among farmers, industry players, and government institutions in achieving ISARD outcomes of food and nutrition security and poverty alleviation. … Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – "Family farms are truly key players for inclusive growth and rural development, as well as to our food secure future." Thus said Senator Cynthia A. Villar, Chair of the Philippine Senate Agriculture and Food Committee during her keynote speech at the 2nd National Small and Family Farmers/New and Beginning Farmers Conference held at SEARCA on 20-21 September 2018. … Read more

PAHANG, Malaysia – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), which manages the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Strategic Response Fund (ASRF), conducted a project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) visit in Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, Malaysia on 13-14 September 2018… Read more

MALANG, Indonesia – Universitas Brawijaya (UB) hosted the 4th University Consortium Graduate Forum (UCGF) with the theme Sustainable Development of Tropical Resources: Issues, Challenges, and Recommendations. The forum was held back-to-back with UB's International Conference on Green Agro-Industry and Bioeconomy on 18 – 19 September 2018 at UB, Malang, Indonesia. More than 300 experts, academicians, practitioners, and students attended the conference, including 50 graduate students from the UC member universities. These students shared their research work and experiences during three parallel sessions: On-farm Production System; Off-farm Production System; and Production System Management and Regulation. … Read more

University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) – A total of 54 new and continuing SEARCA scholars pursuing masters and doctoral degrees here attended an orientation seminar held at the SEARCA headquarters on 9 September 2018. … Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines – The Philippine component of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project "Rural Regional Transformation: Pathways, Policy Sequencing and Development Outcomes in China, the Philippines, and Vietnam (RRT)" successfully held a workshop-meeting on 31 August to 1 September 2018 at the SEARCA Residence Hotel to set up the RRT database, which is pivotal in the model development of rural transformation in the Philippines. … Read more

The Joint Master Degree – Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC) project team held its meeting with the project partners from SEARCA and SupAgro at KU on 14-15 August 2018. KU and SEARCA, as the co-coordinators of the project, presented updates regarding the students enrolled in the course. Important issues, which needed clarifications from the project team were also tabled. The two-day event also discussed the result of the assessment of the technical implementation report from the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and how its comments and recommendations would be addressed. Furthermore, additional information and clarifications with… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines — On its 12th year, the awaited annual regional SEARCA Photo Contest has officially opened for submissions from photo enthusiasts across Southeast Asia, starting on 7 September 2018. For 2018, SEARCA looks at its contributing role in the light of its efforts to bring to fore, and unify into a regional cooperation, many efforts that respond to the inevitable growing concern on climate uncertainties and water scarcity in the Southeast Asian region. SEARCA's 12th Photo Contest theme "Managing Climate Uncertainties and Scarce Water Resources," aims to put a spotlight into an already familiar challenge in agriculture… Read more