SEARCA News

MUÑOZ, PHILIPPINES – Senator Cynthia A. Villar pushed for more training of smallholder farmers in agribusiness and entrepreneurship in her keynote speech at an international conference on carabao-based enterprise development here. Represented by her Chief-of-Staff Atty. Rheagee Tamaña, Sen. Villar, who chairs the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food, Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, also stressed the need to remove barriers to their success through financial literacy and mechanization drive, among others. Legislative reforms pursued by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food under her leadership include RA 10848 or the Act Extending the Period of Implementation of the… Read more

SEARCA, represented by Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, Program Head for Graduate Education and Institutional Development (GEID), and Dr. Maria Monina Cecilia Villena, Special Projects Coordinator of the Biotechnology Information Center (BIC), joined the 2017 World Food Day Colloquium and FSC Planning Workshop on 19-20 October 2017 in Stuttgart, Germany… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened its 65th Governing Board Meeting (GBM), which was hosted by the Government of Thailand through the Ministry of Education (MOE) on 19–20 October 2017 at the Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok. … Read more

UPPSALA, Sweden. Le Ngoc Hiep (M.Sc.), a lecturer and researcher from Department of Food Technology of An Giang University (AGU), Vietnam was awarded with a travel grant by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to present his paper at the International Conference on Rural Transformation and Urbanization - Agriculture for Development (Agri4D) held at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), UPPSALA, Sweden on 20-21 September 2017… Read more

MAKATI, Philippines - A forum jointly organized by the Philippines and France highlighted several factors that affect the integration of smallholder farmers, such as markets, standards, organization, policies, and investments. Recognizing the crucial role of smallholder farmers in sustainable food production to achieve food security and nutrition, the Department of Agriculture, together with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD) and the University of the Philippines… Read more

Bangkok, Thailand - Three administrative staff from SEARCA were welcomed by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization's Secretariat (SEAMEO Secretariat) at its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand on 20-21 September 2017 as part of the SEAMEO Staff Exchange Program. The program aims to enhance cooperation and partnership between and among SEAMEO Centers and the SEAMEO Secretariat, as well as strengthen capacities of its staff along their respective areas of interest and expertise. … Read more

SEMARANG, Indonesia. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) participated in and supported the 2nd International Symposium on Food and Agrobiodiversity (ISFA). With the theme "Developing Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production," the symposium was held on 26-27 September 2017 and was organized by the Diponegoro University and the Indonesian Food Technologists (IFT). … Read more

VIENTIANE, LAO PDR. The Department of Forestry (DoF) of Lao PDR developed a proposal to improve the guidelines on and harmonize approaches to village forest (VF) and non-timber forest product (NTFP) management during the pilot testing of the Project Development Toolkit from 26 to 28 September 2017. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)-ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Strategic Response Fund [ASRF] program management unit developed the toolkit to assist ASEAN Member States (AMS) in developing strategic proposals that respond to emerging issues on food insecurity, poverty, and climate change. … Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), commissioned by the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), successfully launched the Orientation and 1st Face-to-Face Session under the Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Mentorship Program: Communicating Agriculture and Fisheries Research for Inclusive and Sustainable Development (CAFRISD) on 12-15 September 2017 at SEARCA’s headquarters here. … Read more

Forty-five SEARCA Scholars based in the Philippines enjoyed a day of fellowship and recreation through their team building activity on 17 September 2017 at Caliraya Resort Club in Lumban, Laguna. … Read more