SEARCA News

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, Center Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), showcased the Center's initiatives in smart agriculture, carbon neutrality, One Health, and biotechnology at the 2025 X Agriculture Forum held on 2 December 2025. The event was hosted by the National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Bioresources and Agriculture (CBA). In her presentation, Sombilla discussed SEARCA's 12th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP): Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia). This plan guides the Center in implementing programs and initiatives that accelerate the shift from subsistence… Read more

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… Read more

PARAÑAQUE CITY, Philippines—The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has recognized the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as one of the top contributors to its Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) database in 2025. PIDS is the Philippine government's primary socioeconomic policy think tank, and the SERP-P database is an online resource containing studies and materials from PIDS and other academic and research institutions. Ms. Bernice Anne De Torres of SEARCA's Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD) and Mr. Stoix Nebin Pascua of SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department – Training for… Read more

Dr. Rico Ancog, a highly awarded academic leader and researcher, has been appointed as the new Deputy Director for Administration of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) effective 1 December 2025. Ancog is a Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and a recognized UP Scientist. He was the Dean of the UPLB School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) from 2021 to 2025. He has risen through the ranks at SEARCA, previously serving as a Program Specialist of the Research and Development Department (now known as the Research and… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines —The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has officially opened applications for the 2026 edition of the Executive Program for Leaders in Asian Agriculture and Development (LAAD): Focus on Southeast Asia. The program, which combines online and in-person learning, aims to strengthen the leadership and innovation capacities of professionals navigating the rapidly evolving agrifood landscape in the region. Designed for leaders working in government agencies, private agrifood enterprises, academia, civil society, and development organizations, the program will equip participants with a deeper understanding of contemporary agrifood challenges and the strategies needed… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Dr. Karl Kendrick Chua underscored that agricultural productivity is the missing foundation in the Philippines' long-delayed structural transformation during a seminar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 14 November 2025. NEDA has been renamed as the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev). Speaking at the SEARCA Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS), Chua said the Philippines remains a stable but not yet a prosperous economy. He emphasized that true prosperity cannot be achieved unless the country begins its transformation… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A seminar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) highlighted the need for next-generation professionals to be equipped and to engage in the biodiversity-climate nexus. Speaking at the SEARCA Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) on 17 November 2025, Dr. Dindo Campilan of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) delivered his lecture titled "Biodiversity-Climate Nexus for a Nature-Positive Future: Renewing the Role of Academe in Nurturing Next-Generation Professionals." He emphasized the urgent need to bridge gaps between biodiversity and climate action, which are areas often treated separately despite… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Thirty teaching and non-teaching personnel under the Department of Education in Laguna (DepEd Laguna) completed the "In-Country Training on Urban Farming for Sustainable Cultivation to Support Biodiversity Conservation, Education, and Food Security in the Philippines" held on 29-30 October 2025 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of educators to implement practical and ecologically sound urban farming systems that not only provide food but also contribute to environmental education and biodiversity goals. Tap an image… Read more