SEARCA News

BANGKOK, Thailand – Twenty-one administrators, and senior and junior faculty members representing 14 Philippine State Universities and Colleges joined a cross-visit to Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand on 5-9 December 2022. They drew insights, learned from, and gathered some of the best practices in terms of governance, quality management system, research and development, and extension as well as strengthening academe-industry-government cooperation and interaction in KU during their visit. Recognizing that higher education is critical for sustained economic and social growth, the Thailand cross-visit participants observed how KU, the first agricultural university in Thailand, strengthened its education policy, teaching, and learning… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA organized the 4th GSID Conversations on 16 December 2022 (Friday), 10:00 AM (GMT +8:00), for scholars to talk about mental health problems and its prevention. The webinar was exclusively offered for scholars as part of SEARCA’s non-monetary scholarship benefits and on top of the annual customized training programs on English proficiency, writing thesis proposals, conducting data analysis, or other academic or technical concerns. Through the GSID Conversations, SEARCA wants to explore other areas that may interest the scholars or benefit them in their professional and academic development as they are poised… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed faculty members from Sejong University on 25 November 2022 to benchmark the Center’s programs and activities and to learn more about SEARCA and Philippine agriculture and medicinal plants. They were received by Dr. Nova A. Ramos, Head, Education and Collective Learning Department-Training for Development Unit (ECLD-T4DU); Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit (PU); Ms. Beatrisa L. Martinez, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Director; and key support staff. SEARCA partnered with Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea, for the capacity building of Southeast Asian scientists and… Read more

Former Philippine Senator and Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 23 November 2022. During the visit, he was apprised of the Center’s programs and activities promoting agricultural and rural development in the Southeast Asian region. He was also toured around the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING). Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit, presented SEARCA’s strategic plan of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) through an audiovisual presentation. Ms. Malaiba emphasized that the… Read more

Dr. Wilfredo A. Dumale, Jr., President of the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), along with Atty. Regine Karla G. Tabas, Executive Assistant to the University President, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 9 December 2022. They were received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, with whom they had a meeting after being given a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) by key Center staff. During the visit, Dr. Dumale expressed interest in the SEARCA-established Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education… Read more

In an era of change when the vulnerabilities, uncertainties, complexities, and ambiguities of a fast-evolving environment dictate the way agricultural challenges are appraised and addressed, how can agri-ventures and their innovations flourish in Agriculture 4.0? The SEARCA Agri-Innovator Program (SEARCA AIP) contributes to responding to this question by advocating for a human-centered approach combining Design Thinking as a mindset and Lean Startup as a methodology for developing agricultural innovations. The short-term training program, formally launched on 22 November 2022 and will feature weekly sessions until 28 February 2023, brought together 16 agriculture and rural development practitioners from diverse backgrounds to walk… Read more

The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) successfully offered the 6th UC Summer School from 13-27 November 2022 at the Banyuwanggi Regency and Malang, Indonesia. This year's offering with the theme “Crop Diversification, Mixed Cropping, and Risk Management in Smallholders’ Agriculture in the Context of Climate Change” was jointly organized by Universitas Brawijaya (UB) in collaboration with L'Institut Agro of France. Specifically, the course aimed for the post-graduate participants to collectively build a framework for the assessment of mixed cropping and risk evaluation in smallholders’ agriculture; develop their capacities on integrated sustainability of… Read more

The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) conducted its 35th Executive Board Meeting on 25-26 November 2022, hosted by Universitas Brawijaya (UB) in Malang, Indonesia. UB hosted the meeting back-to-back with this year’s 6th UC Summer School. The hybrid meeting was attended by representatives from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Kasetsart University (KU), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI), National Taiwan University (NTU), Maejo University (MJU), Visayas State University (VSU), and Central Luzon State University (CLSU). The Southeast Asian… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) met with several regional agencies based in Thailand to explore possible collaborations in the areas of agriculture, technology, and research. Winrock International On 28 November 2022, SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio and William Sparks, Winrock International Country Director, met in Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Bangkok, Thailand, and discussed potential collaborations. They were joined by Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit (PU), and Ms. Beatrisa L. Martinez, Executive Coordinator. The meeting particularly focused on how SEARCA can be engaged in Winrock’s project on Regional Agriculture… Read more

Dr. Attaphon Sangkkawasee, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Thailand, representing Her Excellency Treenuch Thienthong, Minister of Education, Thailand, formally opened the 45th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting (HOM) on 29 November 2022 at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Bangkok, Thailand. The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is the mother organization of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The HOM brought together education ministers, permanent secretaries, and other high-level education officials of the 11 SEAMEO Member Countries, Associate Member Countries, and affiliate members as well as officials and… Read more