SEARCA News

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

The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) member universities improved their ranking in the 2020 QS World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject on Agriculture and Forestry. University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Gottingen, Kasetsart University (KU), Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) all placed in the top 100 with UBC taking the 14th rank and University of Gottingen placing in 21st worldwide. National Taiwan University (NTU) ranked in the 101-150th place while Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and University of the Philippines (UP) placed in the 151-200th. Universitas Brawijaya (UB)… Read more

Los Banos, Laguna – National Taiwan University (NTU) and SEARCA collaborated for the offering of a joint scholarship for the Master Program in Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (ATGS). The Global ATGS is offered by the International College of NTU for its students to gain deeper understanding on smart farming technology, genome science research, and breeding science and technology. The NTU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program for Global ATGS aims to cultivate agricultural professional talents, encourage academic excellence, and promote the research and development of agriculture within Southeast Asia. The program also provides an opportunity for internship and field visits in… Read more

The 2020 Elsevier Research Intelligence on Evidence-Based Policymaking in Indonesia named three members of the UC as top publishers of scientific articles on oil palm research. Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) ranked 1st with 69 articles published, followed by University of Goettingen which ranked 2nd with 42 articles and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 3rd with 24 articles. The three universities conducted wide range of research on oil palm covering topics in sustainability, biodiversity, socioeconomics, and the environment. For both IPB and UPM, the oil palm industry is vital in their country's economy and plays a huge part of their export… Read more

Engr. Ruel M. Mojica, SEARCA Alumnus, was awarded the Manila Water Foundation (MWF) Prize for Engineering Excellence for his invention: Bravura, a microcontroller-based roasting machine to increase the financial viability of low-income coffee farmers and cooperatives. MWF is the sole recognizing body in the country that pays tribute to engineers who have made a difference in the lives of the Filipino through their inventions that tackle development issues in the environment, water, sanitation, and sustainability. The Bravura Coffee Roasting Machine is the cheapest known vertical coffee roasting machine which was constructed in partnership with a local manufacturer. The machine is… Read more