SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines - The ASEAN Climate Leadership Program (ACLP) commences with its first module on 6 October 2020 via online mode. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and  the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the Climate-Smart Land Use (CSLU) Project in ASEAN financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)  jointly organized this online leadership program. With the theme “The Role of Land Management for Food Security and Climate Change,”  the ACLP aims to strengthen (informal) key leadership skills in initiating and facilitating change processes… Read more

Institutional and thought leaders will convene in a Stakeholders Forum organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to strategize together for a transformative agricultural and rural development (ARD) in Southeast Asia in the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. To be held virtually on 28 October 2020, the forum will discuss the status of ARD in Southeast Asia by showcasing and highlighting strategic lessons from institutional experiences, both in the science and practice of ARD in the region, in the past five years. Dr. Paul Teng of Nanyang Technological University… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) unveiled on 14 October 2020 its Emerging Innovation for Growth Program powered by the SEARCA innovEIGhts model of open collaboration for academe-industry-government partnerships. During the virtual launch event livestreamed by Facebook and Zoom, SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said “the current situation has given us more opportunity to highlight the importance of agriculture. Moreover, technology and innovation, especially digitalization in agriculture, is more than ever crucial in the time of COVID-19.” He noted the challenging task of ushering our farmers from obsolete ways of farming, limited… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is unveiling its new program Emerging Innovation for Growth, supported by the “SEARCA innovEIGhts” model of open collaboration with academe-industry-government partnerships. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Director, in his invitation letter to potential institutional collaborators, said that the Emerging Innovation for Growth Program, powered by SEARCA innovEIGhts Model, will be launched through the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) platform on 14 October 2020 in a public event titled “Launching ATTAIN AGRi 4.0.” “The Emerging Innovation for Growth is our flagship program in… Read more

Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), is one of the recipients of the College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS) Distinguished Alumni Award (Distinguished Alumnus for Rice Chemistry and Food Science Research) conferred by the University of the Philippines Los Baños Alumni Association (UPLBAA) on 10 October 2020 during the 102nd Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming: Sustaining UPLB Alumni Alliance. The recognition is bestowed on outstanding alumni of the UPLB-CAFS who exemplify honor and excellence for the contribution of their own field to the scholarship of agriculture… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Aster growers in Los Baños, Laguna will benefit from a new community gardens project launched by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 7 October 2020. SEARCA will establish community gardens in Barangay Bayog, Los Baños, where most of the town’s aster farms are located, to enable the flower farmers  to grow good-quality food for their consumption and as an alternative source of income now that there is little demand for aster because of the COVID-19 pandemic. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio explained that during the stricter nationwide… Read more

The Governing Board (GB) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened for the first time in a virtual meeting on 28 September 2020. The GB is the highest policymaking body of SEARCA composed of representatives from the 11 member countries of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). The GB defines the general policy guidelines for the Center in matters of staff and scholar recruitment, funding and business procedures, use of the Center’s facilities, and the establishment of priorities for graduate education, training, and research. The 68th SEARCA GB Meeting was… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with APPGeese, Inc., a start-up company based in Pasig, Philippines, to develop a pilot digital agriculture platform in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, Philippines. Signatories to the one-year agreement were Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director and Mr. Raymund D. Austria, Executive Founder of APPGeese, Inc. The signing was witnessed by SEARCA Deputy Director Mr. Joselito G. Florendo and Mr. Antonio Rulloda, Executive Director of APPGeese, Inc. Others in attendance were Mr. Sidney Alonzo and Mr. Rafael Tabunar of APGeese… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), conducted a virtual Policy Forum on 26 August 2020 via Zoom platform to present its major recommendations on strategies for effective implementation of the Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) Program of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). The forum participants were the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) Executive Committee members as well as representatives from different DA regional research offices. DA-BAR commissioned SEARCA to conduct the project titled “Building Up from the Gains: Lessons from and Improvement… Read more

Dr. William D. Dar, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippines, visited SEARCA on 18 September 2020. He was accompanied by his colleagues at the DA, namely: Assistant Secretary Noel O. Reyes and Dr. Fermin Adriano. They were received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director; Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, Deputy Director for Administration; Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma; Program Head for Education and Collective Learning; Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Program Head for Research and Thought Leadership; Dr. Rico C. Ancog, Operations Consultant for Emerging Innovation for Growth; and Dr. Romeo V. Labios, Operations Consultant for Partnerships. They discussed… Read more