SEARCA News
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture–Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB IPB), will conduct the Pilot Training and Validation of the Training Module on Biotechnology for Public Servants on 27–29 October 2026 at UPLB IPB in Los Baños, Laguna. The three-day activity aims to test and refine an enhanced training module designed to strengthen the capacity of public servants, particularly those in provincial and local government units (LGUs), to understand agricultural biotechnology and… Read more
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei Darussalam—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened its 74th Governing Board Meeting on 29–30 September 2026 to review its performance and strengthen regional cooperation in agricultural and rural development. At the opening formalities, SEARCA Center Director Dr. Mercedita Sombilla welcomed senior officials from the Government of Brunei Darussalam the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Network. She underscored the importance of fostering collaboration, deepening partnerships, and strengthening human resource development for greater regional impact. "Our task is to connect SEARCA's efforts even more deliberately—linking knowledge generation with capacity… Read more
"ASEAN's strategic food security objective should be resilience, not maximal self-sufficiency." This is the urgent call in a new policy review published by the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD), as one of the world's major food-producing and food-exporting regions continues to face food insecurity within its borders, worsened by various shocks in recent years. The article, "ASEAN Food Security in an Era of Polycrisis: From Production-Centered Policy to Regional Resilience," is authored by Dr. Paul Teng of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. It examines how climatic shocks, geopolitical conflict, energy and fertilizer price volatility, biological threats, trade… Read more
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Forty-five researchers, policymakers, and development partners from across Southeast Asia and beyond convened on 1–2 October 2026 at the hybrid ASEAN Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) workshop, "From Priorities to Investment: Advancing Fundable Actions in Livestock and Rice Low-Emissions Systems in Southeast Asia," held at Holiday Inn & Suites in Jakarta, Indonesia and via Zoom. The workshop aimed to develop an implementation plan for activities under the ASEAN CSA Initiative, using livestock and rice systems to demonstrate how research-based solutions can be scaled up. Her Excellency Joanna Anderson, New Zealand Ambassador to ASEAN, and Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, Center Director of the… Read more
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened agricultural biotechnology experts, its project management team, and a technical reviewer for a writeshop on 24–25 September 2026 at the SEARCA Residence Hall, Los Baños, Laguna to review and enhance a training module on agricultural biotechnology for public servants. The activity was conducted under the Strengthening the Enabling Environment for the Development and Uptake of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology (SEED) Project, implemented by SEARCA and funded by the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) through the Biotechnology Program Office. The writeshop focused on making… Read more
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A new policy brief from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) calls for a shift from largely low-value copra production toward higher-value processing, stronger farmer enterprises, and coordinated long-term investment to revitalize the coconut industry of Quezon Province, Philippines, which accounted for about 10 percent of national coconut production in 2023 and had the country's largest coconut production area that year. Titled Revitalizing the Coconut Industry in Quezon Province, Philippines through Inclusive Enterprise Development and Strategic Roadmapping, the brief draws on field scoping missions, baseline assessments, and rapid value chain analyses… Read more
MAKATI, Philippines—Regional climate experts, policymakers, and forestry specialists gathered for a four-day regional validation workshop to validate geospatial land use data, examine national policy alignment, and strengthen climate mitigation across the Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector in Southeast Asia. The workshop brought together 34 key stakeholders to review findings from a regional LULUCF study led by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) under its ASEAN Chairmanship. The study is supported by the ASEAN-EU-German Climate Action Programme (CAP), funded by the European Union and Germany and implemented by GIZ, with technical implementation by the… Read more
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture–Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) and Science Communicators Philippines (SciCommPH), will hold a roundtable discussion on 23 September 2026, at SEARCA in Los Baños, Laguna. The roundtable, titled "From Energy Shocks to Agricultural Resilience: Roundtable Discussion on Harnessing Agricultural Biotechnology for Fertilizer Efficiency and Climate-Resilient Agriculture," will be held as part of the Philippine National Biotechnology Week 2026, themed "Biotek Para sa Kinabukasan: Kalikasan, Kalusugan, Kagandahan, Kabuhayan, at Kaunlaran." The discussion comes amid continuing pressures on Philippine agriculture from climate… Read more
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Forty-two students preparing for the Licensure Examination for Agriculturists visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 11 September 2026. The examinees, who are enrolled at Upstep Review Center (URC), were accompanied by staff, Ms. Joy Aira Bunan, Ms. Christine Joy Quinto, and Mr. Kyle Adaraya. Established in 2019, the Los Baños, Laguna-based review center aims to help improve national board examination passing rates and prepare future frontline agricultural professionals for careers across Philippine industries. The delegation was the second URC cohort hosted by SEARCA and comprised graduates from state and… Read more
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Human Ecology (UPLB-CHE), convened the Regional Workshop on Policy Coherence and the Financing Landscapes for Agrifood Systems Transformation in ASEAN Countries on 24-26 August 2026. The workshop aimed to promote more coherent policies and stable, strategic investments to address food insecurity and malnutrition while strengthening long-term economic resilience. Participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR… Read more
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