SEARCA News

The June 2023 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) presents fresh perspectives on Thailand's and Indonesia's domestic investments in agriculture, Singapore's successful "leapfrogging" model of growth, and valuing heritage in the disputed West Philippine Sea, and also three other articles on various Asian countries and two book reviews. In his paper "Economic Returns to Agricultural Research: Thailand and Indonesia," Australian National University Emeritus Professor Peter Warr reiterates how knowledge generated from scientific research helps raise agricultural productivity in developing countries, amidst increasing pressures on production resources. He asked how effective public sector research is in raising… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joined the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC), Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC), and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) at the Philippines-New Zealand Program Launch held on 20 June 2023 at the Office of the UPLB Chancellor. New Zealand Ambassador Peter Kell discussed his country's present and potential engagement for global research with the Philippines. An overview of objectives and components of the current New Zealand investment and the UPLB project titled Enhancement of Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Mitigation… Read more

CABUYAO, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joined the Cabuyao Human Milk Donation Drive held here on 20 June 2023 as a community action partner of the nonprofit Lactation, Attachment, Training, Counseling, Help Los Baños (LATCH LB) in promoting and raising awareness on breastfeeding. The donation drive was led by the Laguna Human Milk Bank (LHMB), LATCH LB, and local government units (LGUs) of Cabuyao and Laguna, Philippines. Launched in December 2022, the LHMB provides lactation education and mother-to-mother breastfeeding counseling services. The milk facility is under the supervision of LATCH LB. During… Read more

Four delegates from Philippine universities, namely the Cagayan State University, the Nueva Vizcaya State University, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the Visayas State University, participated in a training program focused on practical bioinformatics skills for plant and animal whole genome sequencing data. The training was organized by the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology (CAB) at Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand and took place on 22–26 May 2023 at KU's Kamphaeng Saen campus. Their participation in the training was made possible through the support of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)… Read more

A faculty member from the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) recently completed a one-month faculty attachment at the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) from 1–30 May 2023. Engr. Melissa Medina, an instructor at NEUST's College of Agriculture, successfully secured the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUP HEI AFAR) grant to support her research and teaching capacity at her home institution. This grant aligns with her responsibilities as chair of the Agricultural Innovation Research and Related Project at NEUST. During her… Read more

University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-based inventors founded HS InnoTech, Inc. (HSII) to manufacture products that make fresh fruit last longer. The technology named Fruitect® consists of edible coating formulations that delay the ripening of mangoes and bananas. Unlike petroleum wax coatings, Fruitect® is biodegradable because it is made from agricultural waste such as peels and leaves. Carabao mangoes stored at room temperature (28oC–31oC) turn ripe and sweet five to six days after harvesting, but when mangoes are coated with Fruitect®, the fruits ripen after 10 or more days. At cooler storage temperatures, the Fruitect®-coated fruits ripen after 20… Read more

KAMPOT CITY, Cambodia – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a training-workshop on internal quality assurance (IQA) for 24 higher education institution (HEI) leaders and officers of the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) on 22–25 May 2023. The activity aimed to build the capacities of focal points and internal assessors on the IQA process and implementation, finalize the IQA manual of RUA, and assess the milestones and partnership experience of the SEARCA-RUA project. Vice-rectors, deans, and officers of various faculties and the IQA office of RUA participated in the workshop. “These officials… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) launched the pilot episode of the Youth in Agri Talk Show on 26 May 2023. The talk show is aimed at stimulating the youth’s general perception of agriculture as a field integrated into the basic education curricula, specifically in science subjects. The first episode, “Agri 101 for the Youth,” discussed farming practices on crop planting and crop rotation, planting methods such as hydroponic farming, and the difference between tissue-cultured seedlings and genetically modified (GM) plants. These topics were among the salient subjects inquired about by John Dominic… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), hosted an online special graduate seminar on the "Physical and metabolomics approaches of purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) during growth and development" on 26 May 2023. Dr. Shahidah binti Md. Nor, a DAAD*-SEARCA alumna and senior lecturer at the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, delivered the seminar. This initiative is part of her dissertation requirements. Dr. Shahidah is motivated to help the small industries in Malaysia, especially the small-scale farmers improve their agriculture output. The purple passion fruit… Read more

Dr. P. Adbul Salam, dean of the School of Environment, Resources, and Development of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 26 May 2023. Dr. Salam intended to better understand the Center’s undertakings, particularly its graduate scholarships and agricultural innovations. AIT was interested in becoming eligible for membership in the SEARCA-initiated Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC). The meeting also explored potential collaboration on faculty mobility and agricultural technology. Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education… Read more