SEARCA News

Enabling farmers to make informed decisions on products of modern biotechnology, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through its Biotechnology Information Center organized a Farmers’ Forum on Biotechnology on December 19, 2019 at SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna.   SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio expressed his desire to engage with the participants and he encouraged them to think critically and be open to information about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). “Don’t be afraid of modern biotechnology. This activity is meant to clarify misconceptions about GMOs so we should take this opportunity to learn more about it,”… Read more

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte formally presented the Rank and Order of National Scientist to Dr. Emil Q. Javier, former SEARCA Director and advocate of agricultural modernization in a ceremony held on January 7 at Malacañang Palace. Last August, the president released Proclamation 781 which recognizes Dr. Javier’s outstanding work in the field of agriculture and his contributions to the progress of science and technology in the Philippines and the world. It also highlighted Dr. Javier’s commitment to address the needs of the poor through modern science, as well as the active role he is playing in informing the public about how science can be used to improve access… Read more

His Excellency U Lwin Oo, Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the Philippines, visited SEARCA on 19 December 2019. He was received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration. Ambassador Lwin Oo has been very recently appointed to the Philippines, having presented his credentials to President Rodrigo R. Duterte just last December 4. Dr. Gregorio briefed him about SEARCA and its programs, many of which are regional in scope and include projects and activities covering Myanmar. In particular, Myanmar has been actively engaged with SEARCA’s Graduate… Read more

HO CHI MINH, Vietnam – Nine grantees and research team members from five research projects under the Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT) Program gathered in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam on 9-10 December 2019 for a technical workshop towards addressing the challenges of research to contribute to inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development (ISARD). The technical workshop ensues from the external review conducted in 2018, which recommended the conduct of this activity among grantees to ensure that appropriate methodologies are used, challenges in the conduct of the research are addressed early enough, and results generated meet the standards… Read more

MALANG, Indonesia – Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) Student Travel Grant for Conference awardee, Mr. Mohamad Shazeli Che Zain from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), attended an International Conference on Regenerative Medicine at Santika Premiere Hotel, Malang, Indonesia on 22-23 November 2019. The conference was co-organized by UPM and Universitas Brawijaya, both members of the UC. The theme of the conference was "New Challenges toward Regenerative Medicine" which included lectures and keynote speeches by experts from the United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The event highlighted developments in the field of medicine and… Read more

The Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) launches a new look on its 15th year of publication, symbolic of the pivotal turn in its publisher's goal to contribute in addressing regional and global challenges, elevating agricultural families' quality of life through sustainable and resilient livelihoods and access to modern networks and markets. The new AJAD look highlights the iconic "tree" emblem of its publisher, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), which shows a molave tree with an interlace of grain stalks and panicles wreathed under its roots. In the same way, AJAD… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA scholars Mr. Tran Manh Hai (Vietnam) and Mr. Saiphou Lormaisim (Lao PDR) presented the results of their respective research studies during the SEARCA Graduate Seminar Series (GSS) on 06 December 2019. Both SEARCA scholars conducted research on the livestock sector which is an important part of their respective countries' GDP. Mr. Tran Manh Hai is a lecturer at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) since 2009 teaching rural development, development economics, and development theories for undergraduate students. He received his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree in Agricultural Economics at Hanoi National Economics University, Vietnam. Through… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security Concerns", or ATMI-ASEAN, organized the Regional Workshop cum Roundtable Discussion on ASEAN Economic Integration on 28-29 November 2019 at Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam. ATMI-ASEAN is being implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) as lead, and SEARCA as partner. ATMI-ASEAN Project objectives are aimed at supporting the ASEAN and its member states through designing policies and programs that are expected… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA scholar Hoang Le Huong (Vietnam) received the Best in Grammar and Academic Writing special award during the closing ceremony of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Language Instruction Towards Excellence (LITE) Program on Intensive English Course for International Graduate Students for first semester AY 2019-2020. With her were seven other SEARCA scholars who took the intensive lessons to develop their competency in the English language in terms of speech, reading and vocabulary, grammar, and academic writing. They were the 43rd batch to finish the course on 02… Read more

In order to provide consumers updated science-based information on the benefits and the unblemished safety record of biotech products, the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture-Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA-BIC) in organizing a forum on the development and adoption of biotech crops for food and feed in the Philippines. During the forum, around 50 participants coming from different food manufacturing companies, technology developers, and members of the academe had the opportunity to interact with the country's leading technology developers to… Read more