The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has approved the Five-Year Roadmap for Agriculture Higher Education in the Philippines, a strategic framework developed by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with the Visayas State University (VSU).
The roadmap seeks to modernize curricula, strengthen institutional governance, and align academic programs with national and global development priorities. As the culmination of a multi-year project commissioned by CHED, its approval during the CHED Committee En Banc (CEB) meeting on 2 February 2026 marks the delivery of a significant milestone for the future of the country's agriculture higher education.
Roadmap presentation to CHED Committee en Banc online meeting on 2 February 2026
The roadmap offers a coherent framework for reform, integrating institutional strengthening, curriculum modernization, and policy innovation into one vision. It reimagines governance in agriculture higher education by reinforcing leadership and accountability while prioritizing capacity building for faculty and administrators to ensure they serve as active drivers of transformation.
The five-year plan advances future-ready curricula that combine flexible learning modes, interdisciplinary approaches, and innovative teaching methods. By linking classroom instruction with research, extension, and industry, the roadmap ensures graduates are not only technically proficient but also equipped with the entrepreneurial skills necessary to thrive in evolving agri-food systems.
Equally, the framework establishes a supportive policy environment that aligns higher education with industry needs, regional priorities, and global standards. Sustained collaboration among CHED, higher education institutions (HEIs), government agencies, and private sector partners is emphasized, embedding accountability and coherence into reform efforts.
A key value addition of the roadmap includes benchmarking Philippine agriculture education against international best practices using insights from Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. It also positions digital transformation as a strategic lever for teaching and learning as well as strengthens industry-academe linkages to make research and extension more responsive to community and enterprise needs. Collectively, these innovations aim to make the country's agriculture higher education in the Philippines harmonized, future-ready, and globally competitive.
Throughout the project, SEARCA and VSU led a consultative, multi-stakeholder process involving selected HEIs and private sector partners. This participatory approach ensured that the roadmap is not only technically sound and responsive to the realities of agriculture higher education in the Philippines.
The roadmap now serves as a strategic vision and direction for policy reforms, guiding CHED and partner institutions in strengthening agriculture higher education. It is expected to inform enabling policies and development initiatives that address industry, community, and scholarship needs for socioeconomic development, while ensuring accountability, transparency, and long-term impact.
This initiative underscores SEARCA's continuing commitment to strengthening agricultural education and capacity development in Southeast Asia, as articulated in its 12th Five-Year Development Plan. By modernizing the academic landscape, the roadmap directly contributes to resilient food systems, rural development, and sustained growth, and SEARCA reaffirms its role as a trusted partner is shaping futures and transforming agriculture through innovation.
Under the coordination of SEARCA's Project Development and Technical Services Unit, the roadmap was presented to CHED by Project Leader Dr. Virginia Cardenas, completing a vital multi-year initiative to advance agriculture higher education in the Philippines.