SEARCA in the News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-Philippines, and Rome-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) organized the High-Level Policy Forum on Rural Transformation in the Philippines: Pathways, Policies, and Prospects to be held on 8-9 September 2022 at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City and via Zoom. According to SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio, the hybrid event will convene stakeholders from relevant Philippine government agencies, development and research organizations and think tanks, civil society and farmers organizations, the academe, and the private sector to discuss the state of rural… Read more

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Franciso Benitez has proposed a law that will create agricultural trading centers to be known as “Bagsakan ng Bayan Market” in every province. House Bill (HB) 4303, filed by Benitez on Wednesday afternoon, cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to strengthen agriculture and pledged higher investments in infrastructure in the agricultural value chain to increase productivity and profits. “This presidential pronouncement signals continuity in government policy to facilitate and enhance access of farmers and fisherfolk to markets,” the lawmaker said in the bill’s explanatory note. He noted that the President recognized in… Read more

TO enhance the capacities of halal professionals, practitioners and policymakers in Southeast Asia, a training workshop was held at Universiti Putra Malaysia-Halal Products Research Institute (UPM-HPRI), according to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The University of the Philippines Los Baños-headquartered SEARCA said the Regional Training-Workshop on Halal Slaughtering and Certification was in partnership with the UPM-HPRI which was conducted in Putrajana, Malaysia on August 23 to 25, 2022. This training workshop was also participated by other key players and stakeholders on halal slaughtering and certification to increase the exchange of knowledge and… Read more

A PHILIPPINE government-hosted inter-government treaty organization continues to offer the Basic English Course (BEC) for scholars which aims to enhance their proficiency in the language. According to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the course is to encourage SEARCA scholars under diverse scholarship programs to be more comfortable in using the language in preparation for their studies. Offered annually, SEARCA said the course also contributes to building the capacity of individual scholars and their home institutions as part of accelerating transformation through agricultural innovation. poster SEARCA said BEC is part of a broader… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) commended 34 scholars who completed their graduate studies in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 through a testimonial ceremony on August 4, 2022. SEARCA said these were 24 full Master of Science (MS) and 10 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) scholars. Out of the 24 full scholars, eight were supported by SEARCA's collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD, Nagoya University in Japan and the Philippine Carabao Center. At the SEARCA headquarters on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, 12 scholars together with their… Read more

The Asian Development Bank commissioned the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study & Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for a 10-year plan to turn the Philippines into a major agricultural producer. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said the plan will require a budget of P5.03 trillion that will come from both the public and private sectors. He added the National Agriculture and Fisheries Organization and Industrialization Plan has an indicative implementation schedule of 2021 to 2030. The recommendations, submitted to the Department of Agriculture, include: the consolidation of production and post-harvest facilities; construction of critical infrastructures spatially integrated within agri-fisheries industrial… Read more

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has commissioned the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study & Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for a 10-year plan with an aim to catapult the Philippines to be a major agricultural producer, probably a farm produce exporter. This endeavor apparently aligns with the pronouncements of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. about the Philippines’ pursuing food security aims, even agriculture modernization, having himself taken on the task as secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).  SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio told a press orientation that the “National Agriculture and Fisheries Organization and Industrialization Plan” has… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study & Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has submitted to the Department of Agriculture a 10-year plan that outlines a P5-trillion strategic intervention aims at transforming the Philippines into a major agricultural producer. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio told a press orientation that the “National Agriculture and Fisheries Organization and Industrialization Plan” that the plan has an indicative implementation schedule for 2021 to 2030. The plan was commissioned by the Asian Development Bank. Gregorio said the 10-year industrialization plan requires a budget of P5.03 trillion. “The budget should come from the public sector… Read more

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has commissioned the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for a 10-year plan that will enable the Philippines to become a top agricultural producer. SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio told a press orientation that the “National Agriculture and Fisheries Organization and Industrialization Plan” will be implemented until 2030. The press orientation was in conjunction with the launch of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Young Generation (SHARING) Cafe.   “We have already submitted our recommendations to the Department of Agriculture [DA],” said Gregorio. The industrialization… Read more

HINIMOK ng isang propesor sa University of the Philippines Los Baños ang mga kabataan na kumuha ng kursong agrikultura dahil hindi lamang pagsasaka ang maaaring gawin dito kundi maaari rin itong maging negosyo. Ayon kay Dr. Glenn Gregorio, agriculture professor sa nasabing unibersidad, kasalukuyan nang dini-develop ang curriculum sa Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness kung saan hindi lamang magiging agriculturist ang mga estudyante pagka-graduate kundi maaari ring maging agripreneur. “We should change the mindset of the farmers to be business-like,” wika ni Dr. Gregorio, chairperson ng technical panel sa Commission on Higher Education na bumubuo ng curriculum sa agriculture education… Read more