SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Dr. Shenggen Fan, a renowned agricultural economist, has called for a stronger science-policy-society interface to transform food systems amid escalating global challenges. Speaking at the Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 24 March 2025, Dr. Fan emphasized the urgency of holistic approaches to food systems transformation to address hunger, malnutrition, resource decline, climate change, and widening inequality. "There is an urgent need for novel and more effective forms of 'science-policy interfaces' that extend their influence by directly including 'society' to… Read more

As a SEARCA Regional Professorial Chair for Academic Year 2024–2025, Dr. Vachel Gay V. Paller, a parasitology professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños – Institute of Biological Sciences, delivered a compelling lecture on 10 March 2025 at SEARCA. Her presentation, titled Agricultural Intensification and Zoonoses Emergence: Utilizing One Health Framework to Assess Management Practices in Agricultural Landscapes, explored the critical links between agricultural practices and the rise of zoonotic diseases. In her lecture, Prof. Paller outlined the pressing challenges confronting the Philippine agriculture sector, from adverse weather conditions and governance issues to persistent low productivity. She underscored… Read more

A Midterm Review of the Postgraduate Micro-Credentials for Food Security and Climate Change (PMC FSCC) project is set on 23–24 April 2025 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Running from 2023 to 2026, the PMC FSCC project is funded by the European Commission's ERASMUS+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) program. It aims to develop modular, flexible, and stackable micro-credential programs that address pressing global challenges in food security and climate change. Now at its 18-month mark, the project has reached the pilot testing phase of the developed micro-credentials, with full implementation… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), and the Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) have partnered for the project titled Evaluation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) 2019-2024. The initiative formally kicked off during an inception meeting held on 19 March 2024. The RCEF was established under the Rice Tariffication Law and the Philippines' liberalized rice trade policy to help Filipino rice farmers become more competitive and increase their income. As the lead implementing agency of the… Read more

A professor from the University of Guelph (UofG) and her student visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 26 March 2025 to explore potential areas for collaboration. UofG is a comprehensive public research university located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Helen Hambly, a professor at the UofG Capacity Development and Extension Office, and Mr. Francis Jabile, a master's student, presented several funding opportunities available to Southeast Asian countries. These opportunities emphasize nature-based solutions and socially inclusive approaches. Dr. Hambly elaborated that UofG actively supports research projects related to food security, agriculture, and… Read more

QUEZON CITY, Philippines—Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, Senior Program Head of the Education and Collective Learning Department, and Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Unit Head for Partnerships, represented the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council (SEAMEC) Flagship Program 3 (FP3) titled "Ready SEA: Showcasing the Integration of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change in the Teaching and Learning Process," held at Novotel Manila Araneta City Hotel on 25 March 2025. With the theme "Harmonizing Futures: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change in Southeast Asian Education," the FP3 brought… Read more

PALAWAN, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted an Endline Study on Nutrition and Socio-economic Components and the Monitoring and Evaluation of School Gardens in the nine pilot schools of the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) Project in Busuanga Island, Palawan. The endline study builds upon the insights gained from the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP), the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), and the School-Plus-Home Gardens Project. It primarily aims to evaluate the impact of school-based feeding initiatives on enhancing food and nutrition security in Busuanga Island, Palawan. Additionally, the… Read more

The Agri-Innovation Forum 2025 concluded with a celebration of winning entries presented by student and researcher teams across Region III of the Philippines. The forum was organized by the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 17 to 21 March 2025. Innovators submitted posters showcasing their technologies and took the stage to pitch their ideas in either the student or researcher categories. Evaluators from government agencies and the academe declared five Best Pitch winners and three Best Posters in each category. The cash awards ranged… Read more