SEARCA in the News

If smallholder farmers in the Philippines want to compete with those having big farms, the best they can do is to employ the so-called agricultural clusters approach. That’s one way of enhancing their competitiveness, according to a new policy paper. “An agricultural cluster is a strategic approach to operationalize the appropriate channels at a scale necessary for (smallholder farms) to have enhanced competitive strength to connect with national and international markets,” said the paper released by the Laguna-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The agriculture-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries… Read more

Scholarship and research grantees of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) have published a book illustrating the practical application and various research methodologies that support sustainable development. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Searca director, said the book was authored by 30 scientists and researchers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam highlighting relevant methodologies they used for their research in their countries to tackle the challenges that bear on sustainable development.   “The book presents customized methodologies the authors have tested in their independent research work. It highlights and celebrates some commendable research… Read more

As part of the efforts to boost the Philippines’ agricultural production, the Philippine government should find a way to be able to tap into financial technology (FinTech) in linking farmers with financial services.   “If done well, FinTech could be key to increasing agricultural productivity because of its huge potential for financial inclusion by making financial services and products accessible even to the marginalized farmers and farming families,” Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn B. Gregorio said. Rico C. Ancog, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Associate Professor and UP Scientist… Read more

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has commissioned the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) to develop a pioneering jurisdictional-level platform for Palawan for the management and monitoring of forest and landscape climate finance investments. “As both carbon source and sink, forests play a key role in climate change mitigation. To achieve a significant emissions reduction, there is a need for investment in forest landscape and climate finance to support scalable approaches and programs, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+),” Searca Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio… Read more

Research scholarships for master’s and doctoral degrees are being offered to Filipinos and other Southeast Asians. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea, Joint Graduate Research Scholarship for Southeast Asian Countries is open to Filipinos and nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said the joint scholarship aims to strengthen the capacities of Southeast Asian scientists and researchers by enabling them to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees by research in the fields of… Read more

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) is developing a pioneering jurisdictional-level platform for Palawan province for the management and monitoring of forest landscape and climate finance investments. Glenn Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) director, said the UN-FAO has commissioned Searca to lead the project. UN-FAO will fund the project. Gregorio said forests play a crucial role in climate change mitigation both as a sink and a source of carbon, and to achieve significant emissions reduction. He added that investment in forest landscape and climate finance is needed to support scalable… Read more

A South Korean university and a Philippine-hosted intergovernmental treaty organization are offering research scholarships to Filipinos and other Southeast Asians to earn master’s and doctoral degrees. The Sejong University-Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joint graduate scholarship for Southeast Asian countries is open to Filipinos and nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Sejong University is in the capital city of Seoul. The scholars under the joint scholarship program will be conferred their master’s or Doctor of Engineering degree by Sejong University, according to SEARCA Director… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Sejong University in Seoul, Korea are jointly offering research scholarships to Filipinos and other Southeast Asians to earn master’s and doctoral degrees. The Sejong University-SEARCA Joint Graduate Research Scholarship for Southeast Asian Countries is open to Filipinos and nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said the aim of the joint scholarship is to strengthen the capacities of Southeast Asian scientists and researchers by enabling them to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and APPGeese, Inc. have launched AgriEX, a digital agriculture exchange platform that allows fair trade via farm-to-fork system. Through its Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), SEARCA has been working with APPGeese, a startup company based in Pasig, to establish a pilot digital agriculture platform in Laguna and Quezon particularly the vegetable farming communities at the foothold of Mt. Banahaw. “Since October 2020, SEARCA and APPGeese have been coordinating with local government units as well as meeting with leaders of farmer organizations and potential farmer-cooperators in Nagcarlan and Liliw… Read more

The Pasig-based startup company APPGeese, in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), has launched AgriEX, a digital agriculture exchange platform that allows fair trade via farm-to-fork system part in Laguna and Quezon provinces, particularly the vegetable farming communities at the foothold of Mount Banahaw. Raymund Austria, APPGeese chief executive officer, said AgriEX will help the farmers attain financial inclusion with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to be able to grow and manage their crops more efficiently. He said people can now preorder crops at preagreed prices, subscribe for… Read more