SEARCA News

Mobility restrictions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic pushes 14.68 million more families to poverty in Southeast Asia, as drops in farm labor by 1.4 percent and agricultural production by 17 million tons impact a USD 3.76 billion decline in gross domestic product, a study says. Published in the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD), "Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agricultural Production in Southeast Asia: Toward Transformative Change in Agricultural Food Systems" recommends systematic transformation through agricultural systems approach to ensure resilient, sustainable, and productive foods systems to counter food security shocks in the region. "Seeing food… Read more

Smallholder farms and agriculture-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand to become more competitive and to connect with national and international markets when they form agricultural clusters, according to a regional think tank. According to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), more than 80% of food produced and consumed in the developing world come from smallholder farms dominating Southeast Asia. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio explained that at less than five hectares each, these smallholder farms are constrained by their remote and dispersed locations making access to modern technology, services, and information… Read more

“For the longest time, our food production systems have been the main drivers of biodiversity loss,” surmised Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “once lost, biodiversity for food and agriculture – i.e., all the species that support our food systems and sustain the people who provide/grow our food – cannot be recovered.” Dr. Gregorio will thus speak on​ how crucial agricultural transformation through agricultural innovation ​is for food systems ​to achieve a balance between biodiversity conservation and socio-economic… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA and Sejong University (SU) in Seoul, South Korea recently established a joint scholarship program for MS/PhD degree by research. This program aims to enhance the capacities of Southeast Asian scientists and researchers in developing new agricultural solutions and frontier research in the fields of Agricultural Biotechnology, Aquaculture, Food Science, and International Development through quality graduate studies. Sejong University (SU) traces its roots to 1940 as the Kyung Sung Humanities Institute and then as a full university in 1978. Today, SU is a renowned world class university which uses problem-based learning approach in its curriculum while… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna – SEARCA recognized six outstanding experts in the academe from 16 endorsed applications by different universities in Southeast Asia for the Regional Professorial Chair Grant. This award is given to those who Accelerate Transformation through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) in Southeast Asia which was based on the Center’s 11th Five-Year Plan. All of the awardees have contributed greatly to agricultural innovation through their research and inventions. Among them, three came from Universiti Putra Malaysia, one from Kasetsart University in Thailand, and two from the Philippines, Mariano Marcos State University and Visayas State University respectively. For the FY 2019-2020… Read more

True to its commitment of being a leading enabler and champion of excellence in agriculture and rural development (ARD), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will launch its new initiative called SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE), a webinar series highlighting concrete actions that realize the Center's vision of ARD in Southeast Asia. In the maiden release of SOLVE on 28 April 2020 at 10:00, SEARCA will be drumbeating the pressing food security concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hon. William T. Dar, Secretary, Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, will elaborate on… Read more

In response to the ongoing salinity and drought concerns in Vietnam's Mekong River Delta (MRD), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has recently released a policy paper that analyzes the economic importance of the rice production sector, the extent of salinity and drought in MRD including how it can be exacerbated by climate change-related hazards, and specific policy interventions that must be in placed both at the national and farm levels. In the paper, SEARCA has noted the importance of rice production in the MRD as the sector has been, and will… Read more

Los Baños, LAGUNA – SEARCA is now accepting online applications for the AY 2021-2022 Full MS/PhD Scholarship. Since AY 1968-1969, a total of 1,737 Full MS/PhD scholarships have already been granted by SEARCA to nationals of SEAMEO member countries, namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. This scholarship program aims to enhance human resource capacity in agriculture and create agents of change and thought leaders that will transform the landscape of agricultural and rural development in the region. As SEARCA enters its 11th Five Year Plan (FYP), the scholarship… Read more

Los Baños, LAGUNA – SEARCA scholars based at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) conducted fund raising activities and a donation drive facilitated by the SEARCA Scholars Association (SSA) to help those greatly affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). The ECQ which started on 17 March and will last until 30 April 2020 saw UPLB students stranded in their dormitories with dwindling resources. The scholars donated part of their monthly stipend to Task Force CURE, University Housing Office (UHO) and Oplan Kawingan of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) in UPLB. These organizations have been providing food… Read more

The report of the Forum on Organic and Inorganic Farming, which contains the forum’s full proceedings, is now available for free download at the SEARCA website (https://www.searca.org/pubs/proceeding-workshop-reports?pid=460). The forum was organized by the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines, Inc. (CAMP), in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). The forum was held on 14 October 2019 at SEARCA. The report highlights the… Read more