SEARCA in the News

LOCAL agricultural production likely contracted, albeit at a slower pace, in the second quarter, as the strict lockdown affected the employment of farm workers and prevented them from transporting their harvest, economists said. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to release farm sector data for the second quarter on Aug. 5. Rolando T. Dy, executive director of Center for Food and Agri-Business of University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), said the agricultural sector may have shrank in the April to June period as demand was hurt by rising unemployment and lower consumption. “My guess is negative for the second quarter’s… Read more

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) governance will bring about greater participation among Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, said its director Dr Glen B Gregorio. “It will pursue gender balance and inclusion of the younger generations to draw from a more diverse pool of culture and ideas towards meaningful teamwork in pursuit of its mission,” Dr Gregorio said. From July 2020 to June 2025, the Philippines-based SEARCA will concentrate its resources and efforts toward Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN). The regional centre of the inter-government treaty organisation focussed on agricultural research and education… Read more

A regional centre of an inter-government treaty organisation focusing on agricultural research and education kicked off the implementation of its 11th five-year plan to push agricultural innovation in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia. According to Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), from July 2020 to June 2025, the Philippines-based SEARCA will concentrate its resources and efforts toward Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN). According to SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA commits to accelerating the transformation that elevates the quality of life of agricultural families through sustainable livelihoods and access to modern networks and… Read more

Los Baños—To institutionalize their mutual desire to partner on areas of common interest such as education, training and research, an agreement was forged between Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture and Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc,. in a virtual ceremony. The memorandum of understanding was signed on July 20 by SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio and PSFI Executive Director Sebastian C. Quinones Jr. and witnessed by officers and staff from both institutions. Dr. Gregorio stressed that SEARCA gives high priority to fostering stronger academe-industry-government interconnectivity as part of its 11th Five-Year Plan (2020-2025) and that… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is urging the government to tap the “intellectual capital” of higher education institutions (HEIs) to boost food security and economic recovery by fostering a “knowledge economy (KE)” amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis. The top 10 countries in 2008 that have high knowledge economic index (KEI) based on a criteria of the World Bank Institute are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. The Philippines ranked 79. KEI measures the conduciveness of an environment to use knowledge… Read more

FOOD SECURITY will depend largely on unlocking the Philippines’ intellectual capital residing within research institutes and the education system, providing the best possible footing for an economic recovery, an agriculture think tank said. According to a paper written by Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn B. Gregorio and Rico C. Ancog, the Philippines must maximize the “knowledge economy” in agriculture to upgrade food production, manufacturing, and services. According to their study, Food Security amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, the researchers said the country’s “intellectual capital” can contribute to food security by ensuring greater food… Read more

THE government should tap the “intellectual capital” of higher education institutions (HEI) to boost food security and hasten economic recovery by fostering a “knowledge economy” amid the Covid-19 crisis. Experts at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) made this recommendation as they noted that developed countries have put up incentives for a “knowledge economy” (KE). The incentives are meant to meet their people’s needs. Searca said KE accelerates economic growth objectives. The top 10 countries in 2008 that have high knowledge economic index (KEI) based on the criteria of the World Bank Institute… Read more

An Asean center on agricultural research kicked off recently the implementation of its 11th Five-Year Plan. The new strategic plan sets out the principles and objectives that will guide the center as it moves toward Accelerating Transformation Though Agricultural Innovation (Attain). “Our new development strategy was shaped by SEARCA’s desire to  contribute to the transformation of farmers who are stuck in the belief that farming is limited to production, into new farmers operating in a modern agriculture ecology, that is Agriculture 4.0,” said Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) came up with a paper discussing the critical role of higher education institutions to undertake research and development initiatives that contribute to food security during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Authors Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Searca director, and Dr. Rico C. Ancog, Operations Consultant for Emerging Innovation and Growth, also of Searca, said there is a needed transformative change in the agricultural food systems would stem right at the hallowed halls of the universities and colleges. Titled “Food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic: research and development priorities… Read more

Two experts in the field of agriculture point to the critical role of universities and colleges in undertaking research and development (R&D) initiatives that contribute to food security during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Glenn Gregorio and Dr. Rico Ancog authored a paper titled, “Food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic: research and development priorities for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” published in the Central Mindanao University (CMU) Journal of Science. Gregorio is Director of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Ancog is Operations Consultant for Emerging Innovation and Growth, also… Read more