SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has opened applications for the SEARCA Youth Ambassadors Program (SAYAP) for Sustainable Agrifood Systems. This new initiative seeks to develop a generation of innovative and systems-oriented young leaders equipped to advance the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in Southeast Asia. SAYAP is aligned with SEARCA’s Education, Capacity Building, and Youth Engagement priority area under its 12th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP), themed Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia). As a regional catalyst for agricultural and rural transformation, SEARCA recognizes… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Research supported by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is showing why farmers need a stronger voice in deciding which crop varieties move from experimental fields into their farms and markets. Findings from a study led by Mr. Mark Anthony Parducho, a recipient of the SEARCA Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT), form the basis of a new SEARCA policy brief calling for agricultural agencies to look beyond yield when selecting and promoting maize varieties. Titled "Moving Beyond Yield: Institutionalizing Participatory Varietal Selection for Farmer-Preferred Maize in Laguna, Philippines," publication… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) featured two distinguished experts at its Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) on 28 July 2026, themed "Resilient and Profitable Crops under Climate Change: What Works for Smallholder Farmers?" The speakers were Mr. Joseph Manicad, Director of the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and Dr. Antonio Lalusin, Professor at the Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). In his presentation, Manicad highlighted the importance of high-value crops… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Eighteen undergraduate agribusiness students from Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI), accompanied by Prof. Dr. Nina Nocon-Shimoguchi and faculty members from the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship, University of the Philippines Los Baños, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 10 August 2026 to learn about the Center's programs and initiatives. Nocon-Shimoguchi expressed appreciation for the long-standing partnership between Tokyo NODAI and SEARCA, noting that 2026 marks the 27th year of the university's Philippine Field Practice. She also highlighted how the visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the… Read more

Twenty-seven incoming SEARCA scholars from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste completed a five-week synchronous consultation program held every Friday from 3 to 31 July 2026 via Zoom. The sessions complemented the 2026 YES! Your English Sidekick Micro-credential (YES! MC) and prepared the scholars for academic, social, and intercultural communication situations they may encounter at their respective study posts. The YES! MC is offered online and asynchronously to incoming SEARCA scholars who are non-native English speakers. Its self-paced modules focus on strengthening foundational skills in grammar, writing, and reading. To complement the asynchronous modules, SEARCA's Education and Collective… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted the fifth session of its Meet the Diplomat Series on 29 July 2026, featuring Her Excellency Yuliia Fediv, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of the Philippines. Following four successful installments featuring diplomatic representatives from Thailand, Spain, Vietnam, and the European Union, the Ukraine session focused on expanding agricultural markets, strengthening bilateral trade, and academic collaboration between Ukraine and the Philippines. In her presentation titled "Between the Skies and Planes," Fediv provided an overview of Ukraine's national profile and rich cultural… Read more

CHIANG RAI, Thailand—Dr. Jihan Santanina Santiago-Alumbro, a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) School of Technology (SOTECH) completed the FMFC International Training Programme: Integrating the Healthy Foods Value Chain: From Local to Functional Claim at Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) in Chiang Rai, Thailand on 1–15 July 2026 through a Faculty Mobility Grant from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Her participation supports UPV's internationalization efforts and strengthens its engagement in functional food innovation. Dr. Alumbro joined participants from across Southeast Asia in a two-week program designed to strengthen… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed 62 participants, including lecturers and the organizing team, from seven countries to the International Ecology School (IES) 2026 held on 15–21 July 2026 in Laguna, Philippines. The participants included 23 graduate and undergraduate students. With the theme "Resilient Ecologies, Shared Futures: Innovation for Climate and Biodiversity," the week-long program brought together participants from Mongolia, the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Through lectures, research presentations, and field-based training, they deepened their understanding of climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and… Read more

Social enterprises play an important role in strengthening resilient and inclusive agrifood systems by addressing market inefficiencies while creating lasting social and economic impact, a social entrepreneurship expert said during the 56th installment of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar series held on 22 July 2026. Speaking to more than 200 participants on Zoom and Facebook Live, Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, Senior Lecturer and Online MBA Program Manager at the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, underscored how social enterprise business models can respond to persistent… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A delegation of 19 development communication (DevCom) student interns from Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University (ZPPSU), Mindanao State University (MSU), and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), accompanied by their faculty facilitators, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 15 July 2026 to learn how communication supports agricultural innovation, knowledge management, and sustainable rural development. Organized in coordination with their host institution, the UPLB College of Development Communication (CDC), the visit introduced the student interns to SEARCA's regional initiatives at the intersection of communication, agricultural technology, and sustainable rural… Read more