SEARCA in the News

AT least 22 climate-smart agriculture (CSA) educators and practitioners from Cambodia, Indonesia, Germany, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand have completed a blended course on climate-smart villages (CSV), immersing themselves in community innovations. Starting with a webinar in September, "Climate-Smart Villages as Platforms for Community-Level Anticipatory Climate Adaptation to Improve Food Security and Resiliency: A Roving Workshop" featured speakers on agriculture, nutrition, food systems and nature-based solutions. The onsite sessions that followed featured learning sites in the provinces of Cavite, Quezon and Laguna, where the participants witnessed firsthand how food systems-sensitive climate change adaptation (CCA) platforms are established, sustained and scaled… Read more

OFFICIALS of the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) paid a courtesy visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), also for a briefing with SEARCA officials. The visitors from the Bangladeshi institution on Oct. 23, 2023 were led by Dr. Mirza Mofazzal Islam, BINA director general, and Dr. Shamsun Nahar Begum, BINA chief scientific officer and Plant Breeding Division head, who were also briefed on SEARCA's mandate, programs and services. They were welcomed by a SEARCA delegation led by director Dr. Glenn Gregorio. Joining the meeting with BINA visitors were Associate Prof… Read more

THE Central Luzon State University (CLSU), in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), conducted a training workshop on VEX Robotics to play a pivotal role in advancing agricultural engineering toward smart farming. CLSU Strategic Communication Office (SCO) said trainers from Hytec Power Inc. (HPI) showcased their latest innovation of Vex Robotics bundles during the two-day training workshop on Oct. 23 and 24, 2023, in collaboration with CLSU Precision and Digital Agriculture Center or PreDiCt. The CLSU-SCO said HPI also guided the participants during the hands-on training, where they experienced building robots… Read more

CARBONFARM is eyeing possible collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on innovative and profitable climate solutions for agriculture. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said CarbonFarm is a French climate-tech startup established in 2022 that harnesses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and certify decarbonization projects. CarbonFarm Chief Executive Officer Vassily Carantino and James Hastwell, chief technology officer, visited SEARCA on Oct. 26, 2023. Both have worked with academic and research institutions such as Cornell University, the European Space Agency, AgroParisTech and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Also with them… Read more

DELEGATES from the Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Los Baños, Laguna, to explore scholarships, grants and capacity-building opportunities for their faculty and students. The KU Kamphaeng Saen Campus-Department of Human and Community Resource Development (HCRD) Faculty of Education and Development Sciences delegation was led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Varaporn Yamtim, deputy dean for Research and Academic Service, on Oct. 19, 2023. Faculty members joining Yamtim were Dr. Issaree Supnui, Dr. Supharuk Aticomsuwan, Dr. Sunti Srisuantang and Orawan Boontu. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the… Read more

REPRESENTATIVES from a pioneer on agronomy-based risk assessment approach visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) "to foster green financial solutions and digital innovations." The delegation from AgriG8 visited the SEARCA headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, on October 20 and was led by its chief executive officer, David Chen, and Joshua Tan, chief operating officer. Vanessa Teo, AgriG8 chief technology officer, and Qian Yu Ho, project manager, also formed part of the delegation. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said AgriG8 was a participant of the roundtable discussion series on Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has partnered with United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab), a leading pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, to provide health and financial literacy seminars to farmers in Los Baños, Laguna. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, the director of SEARCA, emphasized the importance of educating and inspiring farmers to make informed decisions in their financial endeavors, marketing strategies, and daily dietary habits. Associate Prof. Joselito Florendo, SEARCA's deputy director for administration, also highlighted the need to equip farmers with knowledge and resources to enhance their productivity and livelihood. On October 16, 2023, SEARCA… Read more

IN his homecoming, Deputy Director General for Administration Dr. Pheak Sothea of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction in Cambodia visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on October 9, 2023. Sothea's courtesy visit to SEARCA coincided with his recognition as one of the 2023 University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf) distinguished alumni. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said Sothea is a former SEARCA scholar who earned his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Community Development from the UPLB in 2006… Read more

Photographers from Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, are invited to join the 17th Photo Contest being initiated by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) with the theme "Regenerating agri-ecosystems, lowering global boiling." SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the competition draws inspiration from United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who declared: "We are past the era of global warming, and we are now experiencing global boiling." This declaration on July 21 strongly underscores the gravity of the climate crisis, Gregorio said. Gregorio elaborated: "'Global boiling' serves as a metaphorical depiction of the… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted virtual learning sessions on climate-smart villages (CSVs) to enhance the capacities of participants to promote, disseminate and advocate for local platforms for scaling inclusive forms of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and anticipatory climate adaptation. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said these learning sessions jointly offered with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) from Sept. 19 to 20, 2023, via Zoom, were part of an eight-day blended course "Climate-Smart Villages as Platforms for Community-Level Anticipatory Climate Adaptation to Improve Food Security and Resiliency." A module was delivered virtually… Read more