SEARCA News

Well-functioning and inclusive financial systems coupled with recent innovations in financial technologies that can contribute and support agricultural development towards Agriculture 4.0 rationalizes the joint forum on “Unlocking the Potential of Financial Technology (FinTech) and Innovations in Advancing Agricultural Development in the Philippines” held on 29 January 2021 via Zoom and Facebook. The forum was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and its private sector partner SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV). In its 11th Five-Year Plan focused on Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN), SEARCA has recognized the role of… Read more

“Be a scientist, you will see the world and the world will see you.” Taking it from his own experience, SEARCA Director and National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Academician Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio challenged more than 200 high school students to consider a career in in the field of agriculture during the launch of the Online Youth Engagement in Agriculture held on 23 January 2021 via Zoom and Facebook. Fully committed to this cause, SEARCA is working with the University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS), UPRHS Alumni Association, Inc., and the East-West Seed Foundation in an… Read more

High schools in Malaysia and the Philippines won the top prizes of the 2020 SEAMEO-Japan ESD Award for their exemplary achievements in education and sustainable development (ESD). The award is conferred by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT) in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education. With the theme “Addressing Plastic Problems for Transforming Communities,” the 2020 award recognized the efforts of schools in Southeast Asia to implement programs that transformed the community with impactful evidence in reducing the plastic… Read more

True to its commitment of leading the development of agriculture professionals through scholarships and graduate study programs, an agreement intended to collaborate on areas of education, research and development, the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study in Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT) in a virtual ceremony held via Zoom on 2 February 2021. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Renee A. Lamella, DEBESMSCAT President, signed the MOU with Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, and… Read more

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), organized the 3rd Regional Project Steering Committee (RPSC) Meeting 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, or ATMI-ASEAN, on 27-28 January 2021 via Zoom. The ATMI-ASEAN Project is being implemented by IFPRI as lead, and SEARCA as partner. The project is already on its fifth year and is anticipating an extension year to complete the project deliverables that were stalled… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted its 22nd SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar titled SOLVE Food Insecurity through Efficient and Innovative Seed Systems on 27 January 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live. The webinar presented an opportunity for seed practitioners and aspiring seed growers to gain insights on the ins and outs of the seed industry in the region, and the importance of having a sustainable seed system to tackle food insecurity. Webinar speakers included Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia; Dr. Mary Ann… Read more

The integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education that banks on the identity and culture of Southeast Asia summarizes the discussion of Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), at the 2nd Integrated STEM Leadership Summit in Asia held online on 21-22 January 2021. The Summit on “Reimagining Integrated STEM Education: Amplifying Agility and Transformational Collaboration for a Post-Pandemic Asia” was jointly organized by the Secretariat of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and SEAMEO Regional Center for STEM Education (STEM-ED) with the STEM Leadership… Read more

A forum jointly organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV) will offer perspectives on financial systems in the Philippines and financial technology (FinTech) applications in agriculture from major financial and national government institutions. The “Forum on Unlocking the Potential of Financial Technology and Innovations in Advancing Agricultural Development in the Philippines,” to be held online on 29 January 2021, will gather representatives from financial institutions, government agencies, agricultural industry players, farmers’ associations and cooperatives, nongovernmental organizations, academe, and think tanks. “FinTech aligns with SEARCA’s core… Read more

The possibility to cooperate on a faculty development program for Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) was broached during the visit of CBSUA and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) officials to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 26 January 2021. Located in Camarines Sur, Philippines, CBSUA is mandated to “provide the necessary instructional and research leadership in agricultural, environmental and technological development in the Bicol Region.” The CBSUA delegation was composed of Dr. Alberto N. Naperi, President; Dr. Ana E. Miraña, Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Ms. Eloisa… Read more

Dr. Glenn B. GregorioDirector and CEOSoutheast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)  It is important to take note that among the major economic sectors of the country, it is only the agriculture sector that has managed to achieve a positive growth since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall growth performance of the agriculture sector in the Q4 of 2020 has been greatly affected by back-to-back typhoons. We projected that the growth rates of value of production in agriculture for the Q4 of 2020 (at constant 2018 prices) have posted a positive growth rate… Read more