SEARCA News

Researchers at the University of San Carlos (USC) turned shrimp waste into bioplastic with potential use for packaging. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Grants for Research toward Agriculture and Innovative Solutions (GRAINS), supported the USC project to create biodegradable plastic out of chitosan—a material extracted from shrimp shells. The grant was awarded in 2022 to the Cebu-based USC team of Dr. Maria Kristina Paler. She shared that the development of chitosan-based bioplastic aimed to help lessen the massive waste from nonbiodegradable plastics and the shrimp industry. Her team explained that… Read more

Prof. Sven Schottmann, associate dean for development and partnerships of Ulster University, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 24 April 2023 to discuss potential areas of collaboration on education and training. Ulster University is a Northern Ireland civic university known for its world-class teaching. It aims to enhance its learners’ social experiences and promote interactive classroom setups and immersed pedagogical innovations. During his visit, Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), provided a brief overview of the Center’s core programs. She also emphasized… Read more

Rice farmers and municipal agricultural officers in Laguna and Nueva Ecija probed into the use of rice straw for bioenergy to stop the harmful effects of burning waste straw in the fields when they participated in a series of roundtable discussions (RTDs) facilitated by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The participants cited the negative effects of burning, such as air pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, health hazards, and motorist accidents. They emphasized the need to strengthen the use of rice straw for bioenergy, fertilizer, mulching, livestock feed, or mushroom substrate instead of… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) partners with the Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) in organizing a regional policy forum titled From Farms to Schools: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive School-Based Food and Nutrition Programs in Southeast Asia. The policy forum will be held on 24–25 April 2023 and will be conducted through a hybrid format that includes both virtual (via Zoom) and in-person attendees at Crimson Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. The activity aims to maximize opportunities in the nutrition-education-development nexus by including family farmers in new and existing school-based… Read more

Former Philippine Senator, Atty. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, is the guest speaker of the SEARCA Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) to be held at the SEARCA Umali Auditorium, Los Baños, Laguna on 25 April 2023. Atty. Pangilinan will speak on Leveraging the Role of Family Farming towards More Productive and Resilient Food Systems in the Philippines. He was a three-term senator of the Republic of the Philippines who has chaired senate committees on agriculture and food, social justice and rural development, and agrarian reform, among others. The ADSS topic is aligned with SEARCA’s five-year strategic plan (2020–25) with an umbrella… Read more

Ms. Crislin Cruz, a grantee-participant of the Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) project organized a hybrid seminar series on sustainable agricultural production, assessment, and agri-food systems. Ms. Cruz, faculty-researcher at Visayas State University (VSU), led the event on 5 April 2023. The hybrid seminar series conducted with the National Coconut Research Center-Visayas (NCRC-V), saw over 40 participants from VSU faculty members, researchers, farmer beneficiaries, and students. Ms. Cruz invited Dr. Jose Bacusmo, former VSU president and Baybay city councilor, to discuss the role of good governance in sustainable agricultural production. Dr. Bacusmo outlined… Read more

The Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC) conducted its Lakbay Aral for Graduate Students at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 13 April 2023. The activity aims to expand the graduate students’ knowledge and information on Southeast Asian research outputs related to agricultural and rural development. Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, SEARCA deputy director for programs, welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of disseminating the agricultural research and experimentation findings. “I am happy that we are one with our goal of making agriculture and farming sexy,” said Dr. Nur. “With this benchmarking… Read more

CAVITE, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has recently concluded the co-hosting of the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM) with over 200 experts and delegates from 25 countries held at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in Silang town on 29 March to 2 April 2023. The IETM is the world’s first green travel mart that brought together delegates and exhibitors to showcase products and services with a strong ecotourism component, green technology, and sustainable green practices. In a special message delivered at the opening ceremony, SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio emphasized… Read more

Her Excellency Michèle Boccoz, ambassador of the French Republic to the Philippines and non-resident ambassador-designate to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for the second time on 11 April 2023. The courtesy visit is part of the embassy’s 75th-anniversary celebration of Franco-Philippine diplomatic relations. The French Ambassador previously visited the Center in June 2021 to learn about SEARCA’s strategic directions and priority areas. During the French envoy’s visit, Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, shared the Center has recently concluded its International Ecotourism… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), will hold the “Roundtable Discussion Series on Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems in Southeast Asia” from 18 to 19 April 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. The event will be streamed live via Zoom and the official Facebook pages of the SEARCA and the BSP. "We are excited to partner with the BSP in this initiative to promote sustainable agriculture practices in Southeast Asia. Through this roundtable series, we hope to foster greater… Read more