LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Representatives from Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc. and various Don Bosco training centers visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 3 December 2025 to learn about the Center's best practices in agricultural innovation, sustainability, and institutional collaboration.
Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc. is the national coordinating office for the network of Don Bosco training centers across the Philippines, providing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to young Filipinos.
Dr. Nur Azura binti Adam, SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs, provided the visitors with an overview of the Center, its mandates, and introduced the Center's 12th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP): Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia). Her introduction was followed by presentations on SEARCA's core programs and flagship undertakings.
Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, Program Head of the Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), highlighted SEARCA's focus on the Science-Policy-Practice Interface framework. She emphasized that this approach connects research, policy development, and community initiatives to drive agri-food system transformation. Tatlonghari shared SEARCA's policy research on school meals, land use, and school garden biodiversity, as well as capacity-building work on coconut and calamansi production. She also presented the Consortium for Agricultural Policy Research Initiatives (CAPRI), a platform for evidence-based agricultural policy innovation and transformation in Southeast Asia.
Ms. Darlyn Angeles, Program Specialist at the Emerging Innovation for Growth Department, shared SEARCA's commitment to sustainable agricultural transformation through innovation, technology transfer, and enterprise development. She introduced the Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS), which funds innovators creating prototypes that address agricultural challenges. Angeles discussed various GRAINS-supported projects, including an artificial intelligence (AI)-automated hatchery platform for shrimp farm water-quality monitoring, black soldier fly technology for turning organic waste into animal feed, biodegradable bioplastics from shrimp shells and mango waste, and an agri-financing platform that links Myanmar farmers with investors.
Angeles also discussed the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Enhancement (SAFE) Acceleration Program, designed to assist enterprises developing regenerative, climate-resilient solutions, with the strategic goal of scaling and integrating these innovations across Southeast Asia.
Furthermore, Angeles highlighted the DAYAMI Hub, an effective model for integrated rice straw management that promotes circularity and empowers communities.
Focusing on graduate scholarship and capacity building, Ms. Zacyl Jalotjot, Program Specialist at the Graduate Scholarship and Institutional Development Unit, Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), detailed the SEARCA Graduate Scholarship Program, which offers full MS and PhD, PhD research, and non-degree scholarships to Southeast Asians, including joint programs with partner institutions. She described the financial benefits, study posts, support initiatives such as training grants and research dissemination, along with team-building activities for academic and professional growth.
Mr. Sonny Pasiona, Program Specialist at the Training for Development Unit, ECLD, presented the SEARCA Short-term Training Program (STTP), highlighting short-term activities like online courses, conferences and fora, and study missions. Pasiona also discussed the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagements (SOLVE) Webinar Series, a dynamic platform sharing practical agricultural and rural development innovations, and the Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS), a key forum for presenting and debating agriculture and development issues and supporting sustainable transformation across Southeast Asia.
At the close of the meeting, participants toured the SEARCA Sky Garden, a rooftop edible garden.
The activity is part of Don Bosco - One TVET Philippines, Inc.'s Learning Visit for TVET Lay Mission Partners, aiming to gather valuable insights that can further inspire their work in community-based TVET and green skills development. Such benchmarking activity fosters collaboration, promotes mutual learning, and expands SEARCA's network within the region. The sharing of best practices and innovative approaches helps build stronger relationships and amplifies the impact of SEARCA's initiatives across Southeast Asia and beyond. Engaging with partners dedicated to technical and vocational education strongly aligns with the Center's core mission of advancing sustainable agricultural transformation through knowledge sharing and partnership.