SEARCA News

Agricultural economists, scholars, professors, and students have convened in the hyflex Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) on 10 November 2022, held at the Drilon Hall and aired via Zoom and Facebook live. The seminar was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-College of Economics and Management (CEM). Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, expounded in his opening message, “This event marks a new chapter for SEARCA’s Agriculture and Development Seminar Series or ADSS, as we bring back face-to-face… Read more

The Fifth Asian Short Course on Agribiotech, Biosafety Regulation and Communication (ASCA5) participants comprised scientists, lawyers, policymakers, and regulators visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 7 November 2022 to tour around the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) facilities which showcases various agricultural innovations, products, and solutions. ASCA is a capacity-building initiative of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a non-for-profit international organization that shares the benefits of new bioscience technologies to key stakeholders, particularly resource-poor farmers in developing countries, through… Read more

A book on Philippine economic development has been released in honor of Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. Titled “Pro-poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia,” the book was presented to Dr. Balisacan on 8 November 2022 and officially launched at the Philippine Economic Society (PES) 60th Annual Meeting and Conference on 9 November 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. A co-publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, the 750-page book is a Festschrift—that is, a collection of writings published in honor of an eminent… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines – To equip Philippine higher education institution (HEI) leaders with relevant skills and knowledge needed to lead resilient universities in the country, the Leadership Development Program for HEIs in the Philippines (LDP HEIs in PH) kicked off its opening ceremony and first session on 03 November 2022 with the overarching theme “Designing Your University’s Future.” The regional program is on its third in-country run organized through the collaborative efforts of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and The HEAD Foundation (THF) in Singapore.  LDP-HEI is a component of the project… Read more

Eighteen individuals representing seven Southeast Asian countries are learning how to develop and advance inclusive, integrated, and innovative public policies for family farming at the headquarters of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines on 7-11 November 2022. They are participants in the regional workshop Southeast Asian Learning Framework on Inclusive, Integrated, and Innovative Public Policy Cycles for Family Farming advanced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, led by its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP) with Procasur, a Latin American consortium… Read more

Mr. Ramon Espedido, PEZA Investment and Promotion Partner, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 4 November 2022 to explore potential collaborations on agricultural projects in the Visayas region. During the exploratory visit, Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit, briefed Mr. Espedido on SEARCA’s activities and programs under its 11th Five-Year Plan, focused on Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN). He also toured SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) facilities, and was apprised of the Center's work on agricultural innovations and solutions. As PEZA Investment… Read more

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), together with the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), successfully conducted the 11th Workshop on the Development of the latter’s Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) System under the SEARCA-RUA IQA project funded by the Higher Education Improvement Project (HEIP) of Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (MOEYS). Held on 24-28 October 2022 at RUA, the face-to-face workshop aimed to: 1) enhance quality management capacities of RUA personnel who will ensure improved program and research delivery; 2) present and refine the Internal Quality Assurance Manual… Read more

Sharing the commitment to achieving food and nutrition security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and restoring biodiversity or ‘BioAgversity,’ the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) partnered with the Regalo ng Kilit Foundation, Inc. to convene the First International Conference on School plus Home Garden cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE1) with the theme “Restoring Biodiversity, Regenerating Agriculture, and Building Businesses” on 8-12 November 2022, to be held at Coron, Palawan, Philippines. SHGBEE1 aims to provide a platform for sharing of experiences and best practices related to school and home gardens and its contributions to biodiversity enhancement and… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ) institutionalized their mutual cooperation to collaborate in a number of areas of common interest such as education, training, and research. Moreover, UNPAZ and SEARCA agreed to collaborate in undertaking programs, projects, and other related activities, exchange scientific materials, publications, and information. In a face-to-face signing ceremony held on 10 October 2022, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two parties was signed by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Engr. Jose Menezes Soares da Costa, UNPAZ Administration Council President, with… Read more

The International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) had a ceremonial signing of its Letter of Agreement (LOA) on the implementation of the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM 2023) on 12 October 2022 at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). The event will be held from 29 March to 2 April 2023 at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) James Yen Center in Silang, Cavite. ACB is also a partner of ISST in the implementation of the event. ISST is a private non-stock and non-profit corporation… Read more