SEARCA News

The faces of Southeast Asian farmers who should arguably be counted among our heroes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are given the spotlight in the recently concluded annual photo contest hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). This year’s theme, “Faces of ATTAIN,” was part of launching and promoting the Center’s 11th Five-Year Plan spanning 2020-2025 and focused on Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN), which includes “Food and Nutrition Security” as one of its seven priority areas.  This year’s winners are three photographers from Myanmar, two from the Philippines, and one… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) conducted its Special Graduate Seminar on 15 January 2021 under the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) platform. The graduate seminar is held once every semester and highlights outstanding research by SEARCA scholars from their graduate thesis. Hosting the seminar is the Center’s way to support the scholars’ academic milestones and to recognize their capacity to produce quality research that has great impact in agriculture and rural development. Mr. Bayu Rizky Pratama shared his Master’s thesis titled “Analysis of the Factors Determining Farmers Adoption and Strategies for the Development of Single Origin… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Provincial Government (PG) of Quezon signed virtually on 18 January 2021 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Letter of Agreement (LOA) to develop a project on the coconut industry growth areas in the province of Quezon. Sharing a common goal of contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of farmers and farming families through agricultural innovations, both parties agreed to scale SEARCA’s agricultural and rural development (ARD) model in the province employing action research strategies. Identified collaborations will mainly focus on product… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines - Together with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted its 21st SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar titled Food and Nutrition Insecurity through Biofortification on 13 January 2021 via Zoom and Facebook Live. The webinar aimed to improve public understanding and acceptance of biofortification and its potential benefits in contributing to food and nutrition security and in improving the quality of life of many in the Philippines and… Read more

Teams of young innovators from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU) bested nine other teams at the Luzon Demo Day of the Innovation Olympics 2.0 held online on 19 December 2020. The two teams comprise the Luzon finalists in the competition. The second edition of the Innovation Olympics was launched in October 2020 to conduct a nationwide search for innovative solutions in precision agriculture for small-scale vegetable farming that are developed by young Filipinos. Innovation Olympics 2.0 is a collaboration of East-West Seed with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – A delegation from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) led by its Director, Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, presented to Los Baños Mayor Antonio L. Kalaw the Center's programs and activities in the municipality during a courtesy call on 7 January 2021 at the mayor's office. Dr. Gregorio said even during the leadership of the late Mayor Cesar P. Perez, "We have been closely coordinating with the farmer's associations and cooperatives here in Los Baños especially in Bayog." He thanked the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist led by Ms. Cheryll… Read more

Reinforcing SEARCA's commitment to become a leading enabler and champion of excellence in agricultural and rural development (ARD), the Center sent young professionals and current scholars from across Southeast Asia to the 3rd Asian Short Course on Agri-biotech, Biosafety Regulation, and Communication (ASCA) held through online platforms from 23 to 26 November 2020. The four-day short course was organized by International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) together with SEARCA, the Malaysia Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC), the US Soybean Export Council, and the US Grains Council. It was designed to enable participants to better understand the following key… Read more

Dr. Glenn B. GregorioDirector and CEOSoutheast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Point 1: OVERALL GROWTH PROJECTIONS FOR THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR IN Q1 2021. For the first quarter of 2021, we are projecting that the overall growth rate of the volume of production in agriculture is -1.21%. This contraction could be expected as the agriculture sector bounces back after a series of typhoons and floods on top of the disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Fishery is expected to have positive growth at 3.05%, but such is not the case for crops (-1.17%)… Read more

The year 2020 is surely an unexpectedly challenging year. Agricultural production has been disrupted by a number of catastrophes that slowed down the pace by which the sector plays as an engine for economic development in the Southeast Asian region. While the COVID-19 pandemic crippled most of the key economic sectors in the Philippines, the agriculture sector was able to maintain a positive growth in year 2020. It must be acknowledged that there were earlier production growth targets that may not have been achieved. But being able to maintain positive growth is an enduring story of resilience at a time… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH-Climate-Smart Land Use Project concluded the GIZ-SEARCA ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme (ACLP) with a virtual closing and awarding of certificates to 27 participants from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Held on 10 December 2020, the closing ceremony marked the end of the two and a half months (1 October to 11 December 2020) online leadership programme which discussed the role of land management for food security and climate change in the… Read more