BANGKOK, Thailand—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will convene country experts from the 11 Southeast Asian countries on 26-27 January 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand for a workshop to kick off the Center's new flagship publication titled "Southeast Asia Agricultural Outlook Series (SEA Agri Outlook)" with the theme "The Role of Agricultural Transformation in Promoting Broad-based and More Inclusive Structural Transformation."
The SEA Agri Outlook Series will cover country- and regional-level agricultural situation analyses and outlooks. It adopts a comprehensive mixed-methods approach to generate evidence-based insights and forward-looking policy recommendations.
The workshop will provide a forum for SEARCA and the identified country experts to discuss and agree on the overall focus of the country studies, methods of analysis, data sources, and report contents. Sessions will revolve around the current agricultural situation of the Southeast Asian countries as well as the identification of indicators to be used for the regional cross-country analysis and agricultural transformation dynamics. A session on the use of computable general equilibrium (CGE) model will also be part of the program.
The workshop will also discuss the Southeast Asian Agricultural Statistics Database (SAASD), a comprehensive and sustainable regional database that supports analysis of agricultural transformation in Southeast Asia. SAASD is an open-access dashboard that features interactive visualizations, such as trends, charts, and maps, alongside downloadable datasets and analytical reports. It will also gather inputs from the participants on the indicators relevant to the database's analytical functions, design, and system's infrastructure. The workshop is expected to help firm up the countries' research plans and guide their analyses. The results of these studies will assist the Southeast Asian countries' in identifying the relevant strategies and interventions to further enhance the competitiveness of the agriculture sector and speed up its transformation.