SEARCA News

“We need to encourage young people to go into agriculture and be involved in the agri-food system. Young people are very critical for the economic growth of today and the future,” said Prof. Dr. Khin Mar Cho, International Agriculture, Food Systems, and Nutrition Specialist at Cornell University, during her visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 21 November 2022.  She was received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director; Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration; Ms. Corinta C. Guerta, Technical Advisor to the Director; Dr. Nova A… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is partnering with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Inc., and other partners in organizing a Forum on Philippine Biotech Regulations. This activity offers a platform to present and discuss current, recently approved biotech-related policies in the country. It generally aims to contribute to increasing knowledge on the policies that protect the interests of consumers, promote their general welfare, and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry, including the protection against hazards to health and safety… Read more

Building a culture of agricultural innovation for sustainable impact through new ways of working and thinking, participatory governance, adoption of ideas, strategies, and innovating sources of funding and financing recapitulates the presentation of Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, the Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and a Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), in the forum titled “2022 Future Science Leaders’ Forum” on 11 November 2022 held in Manila, Philippines. In his presentation, Dr. Gregorio emphasized the innovations for transformational change and how to reinforce a transformed agricultural… Read more

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