SEARCA News

NUEVA ECIJA, Philippines—The Central Luzon State University (CLSU), in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC), successfully launched the Fifth International Summer Short-term Program (ISSP) on 17 November 2025. First held virtually during the 2021 pandemic, the ISSP has evolved into a dynamic platform for international academic mobility, hands-on training, and collaborative research. Now in its fifth year, the intensive program offers international students three key sustainability tracks: Crop Biotechnology, Tropical Mushroom Pharming, and Precision and Digital… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed 12 MS Agricultural Extension students from the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP), Tagum-Mabini Campus, on 14 November 2025. The visit was part of their educational tour required for their coursework in Extension Research Linkages and Agro-Forestry Enterprise and Management. They were accompanied by Professor Dr. Fernando Magdato. During the visit, the USeP delegation received an overview of SEARCA's mandates and core programs. This was followed by engaging presentations spotlighting SEARCA's research and extension initiatives. Ms. Lichelle Dara Carlos, Program Specialist at SEARCA's Emerging Innovation… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—To bolster food security and nutrition education in the Philippines, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is championing the enhancement of the Department of Education's (DepEd) Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP). Through its School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement and Enterprise (SHGBEE) Program, SEARCA builds upon the GPP's foundation to demonstrate how integrating school and home gardens can significantly improve child nutrition, strengthen food security, and enhance community livelihoods. The SEARCA-led SHGBEE Program creates a vital link between education, agriculture, nutrition, and enterprise through nutrition-sensitive gardens, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood initiatives across… Read more

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—At the 3rd International Conference on Food, Environment, and Culture (ICFEC), held on 5–7 November 2025 at the Hotel Supreme, Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, Center Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), called for bold, systemic transformation in Southeast Asia's agrifood sector. In her keynote address, Sombilla emphasized the power of the Science-Policy-Practice Interface (SPPI) to bridge research, governance, and grassroots action. She advocated for stronger multi-stakeholder collaboration and dynamic knowledge exchange, introducing the triple nexus approach linking food, environment, and nutrition as a framework for cross-sectoral coordination toward healthier diets… Read more

TOKYO, Japan—The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) will convene its 38th Executive Board Meeting on 18–20 November 2025, hosted by Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) in Japan. The annual meeting will bring together 30 UC executive board members and 11 other university officers and staff, representing 15 participating institutions. Attending the meeting are representatives from regular UC member universities, namely Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), IPB University (IPB), and Universitas Brawijaya (UB) all in Indonesia; Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in Malaysia; Kasetsart University (KU) and Maejo University (MJU) in Thailand; and Central… Read more

MANILA, Philippines —The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joined the celebration of the National Biotechnology Week (NBW) 2025 held on 28–30 October 2025 at the Century Park Hotel in Manila. With the theme "gAIn Biotech, growing Artificial Intelligence, nurturing Biotechnology," the event gathered government agencies, academic institutions, students, and private sector partners to promote the emerging intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology, as well as innovations that advance sustainable agriculture, food security, and human capital development. The Philippines' Department of Education (DepEd) hosted the celebration this year, with the Department of Environment… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has released a new issue of its Policy Brief Series 2025, highlighting the persistent food and nutrition insecurity in Vietnam's upland districts and calling for integrated, evidence-based responses to close the seasonal hunger gap. Titled "Closing the Seasonal Food Gap: Policy Options for Food and Nutrition Security in Vietnam's Upland Communities," the brief, authored by Dr. Lê Thị Thanh Loan of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, focuses on Tuong Duong District in Nghe An Province—one of Vietnam's poorest areas where 16 of 18 communes… Read more

NAY PYI TAW and YANGON, Myanmar—The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a mission to Myanmar to reinforce partnerships and advance the Center's capacity-building initiatives for the country's agricultural and academic sectors. While in Nay Pyi Taw, Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, Senior Program Head of ECLD, and Ms. Blessie Saez, Senior Program Associate of ECLD, paid courtesy visits separately to H.E. Dr. Tin Htut, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI) of Myanmar, and Dr. Ye Tint Tun, Director General of… Read more

SAVANNAKHET, Lao PDR—Hydroponic farming—the practice of growing plants without soil—has been gaining popularity among vegetable farmers in Savannakhet province, Lao PDR. Water efficiency, higher yields, faster growth, and reduced reliance on pesticides and soil are commonly known advantages of hydroponics in meeting consumer food demand and climate resilience. Yet, farmers must import pricey hydroponic nutrients from neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam. It turns out that an affordable innovation can come from farm waste and a liquid mixture of microbes called probiotics, which farmers can produce locally. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)… Read more

PASIG CITY, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened the Roundtable Discussion on Micro-Credentials in Southeast Asia: Lessons for the Philippines on 30 October 2025 at Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with hybrid participation from regional and national experts in education, government, and industry. Organized with the support of the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd), the event forms part of SEARCA's Regional Scoping Study on Micro-Credentials in Southeast Asia, a six-month research initiative examining national policies, institutional practices, and quality assurance mechanisms in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand… Read more