SEARCA News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Office of the Undersecretary for Livestock of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA), will conduct an online inception workshop cum policy roundtable discussion on 16 February 2022, to kick off the national technical assistance (TA) component in the Philippines of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded Project Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN). The TA is intended for the development of a national roadmap of the processed pork industry in the… Read more

Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines—The online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) commenced last 1 February 2022 via the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagements (SOLVE) platform. Dr. Edmund G. Centeno, Associate Professor at the Department of Educational Communication, College of Development Communication (CDC), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and concurrently Director of the UPLB Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, serves as the training-workshop’s Technical Coordinator and Lead Faculty. He is joined by… Read more

With the goal of boosting the capacity of teachers and local government offices of the target schools for the Agricultural Technology Parks (ATPs) and mini-ATPs in Cambodia, the e-training titled, Trainers’ Training for Integrating the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) in ATPs and Mini-ATPs in Cambodia conducted its 6th session on 26 January, via the Zoom platform. This is an ongoing online training program jointly organized and implemented by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN), in partnership with… Read more

The Trainers’ Training for Integrating the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) in ATPs and Mini-ATPs in Cambodia held its Session 5 on 19 January 2022, via the platform Zoom. This is an ongoing collaborative training program organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN), in partnership with the Kansas State University (KSU) and the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB). Professor Bryan V. Apacionado, Associate Professor from the Institute of Crop Science, UPLB led the session with… Read more

Over 250 amateur and professional youth out of 376 photographers across Southeast Asia participated in the recently concluded photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). There are a total of 1,513 entries from the photos submitted in 11 countries. Among the winners of the 2021 edition, five youngsters emerged victorious in capturing scenes of the contest theme, “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems amidst COVID-19.” Aung Myat Thu (Myanmar) and Emely J. Escala (Philippines) bagged the Best Youth Photographer Award (Camera) and the Best Youth Photographer Award… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) continues the implementation of the Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) project funded by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). After the successful implementation of the 2nd Leadership Development Program for HEIs in the Philippines last year, SEARCA is now set to run the online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs) beginning 1 February until 14 March 2022 via the SEARCA Online Learning and… Read more

“Let us not discount the dynamic roles that women are taking as we navigate the evolving landscape of food security, nutrition and environment protection,” said Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), at the Women Strong Network ASEAN Kick Off: Models of Women in AgriBusiness held online on 24 January 2022. The launching of the Women Strong Network was jointly organized by the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WomenBizPH), Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), IPB University, Indonesia, and SEARCA. WomenBizPH… Read more

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Photographers from Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam bagged the top three prizes and special awards in the 2021 edition of the annual competition. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien Aldaba won the first prize. The winning picture is a vignette illustrating how the COVID-19 pandemic opened people’s minds to… Read more

The Training-Workshop on Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs and Data Analysis held its last lecture and coaching session on 25 January 2022. The College of Development Communication of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB-CDC) facilitated the training as part of the customized training for scholars organized by SEARCA through the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD). Asst. Prof. Rosa Pilipinas F. Francisco, Training Coordinator from UPLB-CDC, provided the training synthesis at the end of the final session and highlighted that the training was a journey with the scholars starting at different locations or stages of their research. The… Read more

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project, Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN), and the IFAD Philippines Gender Network (IPGN) hosted a regional forum on “Mainstreaming Gender Equality towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Post-COVID 19 Regional Recovery” on 21 January 2022 via Zoom. The forum served as a venue for local and international experts’ sharing and discourse on gender mainstreaming in Southeast Asia and to come up with recommendations on how existing initiatives can be scaled up and adopted to complement and support the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF). Dr. Glenn… Read more