SEARCA News

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Fifteen Halal researchers, academicians, and officers from government regulatory bodies across six Southeast Asian countries participated in the four-day regional event here dubbed Understanding the Fundamentals of Halal towards Food Security in the ASEAN Region.  The workshop was held at the Everly Putrajaya Hotel on 8-11 April 2019. It was a collaboration between the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), together with the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) and the Food Security Center (FSC) of the University… Read more

ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines – A baseline study on plant nursery operators and calamansi processors was conducted by the project team composed of staff from UPLB, together with partners from Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT), and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) of Oriental Mindoro on 1-6 April 2019 in the municipalities of Victoria, Pola, and Roxas for the project Upgrading the Calamansi Value Chain towards Improving the Calamansi Industry of Oriental Mindoro.  Of the eight plant nursery operators interviewed, only three were accredited by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). The retail price of the calamansi… Read more

SINGAPORE – SEARCA led the Regional Workshops on Knowledge Management (KM) and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Systems (MEALS) on 12-13 March 2019 at Hotel Chancellor in Singapore. The regional workshops were conducted under the project supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) titled Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Asia and Pacific Islands Region through Strengthened Agricultural Advisory Services (SAAS).  The back-to-back workshops had 18 participants from Agricultural Extension in South Asia (AESA), Asia-Pacific Islands Rural Advisory Services Network (APIRAS), Bangladesh Agricultural Extension Network (BAEN), Philippine Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Central Asia… Read more

ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines – More than a hundred participants composed of farmers, local government officials and representatives from the private sector and academe from the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union attended the Biotechnology 101 and Joint Department Circular (JDC) No. 1, Series of 2016 Public Briefing held at Plaza del Norte, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte on March 28, 2019.  Scientists and experts from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines gave presentations on the science of biotechnology, food and environmental safety of genetically modified (GM) crops, different biotech… Read more

MANILA, Philippines – Forty-three delegates from 10 Asian countries composed of farmer-leaders, scientists and the academia, media, as well as representatives from government and private institutions gathered for the week-long 13th Pan-Asia Farmers' Exchange Program held last 1-5 April 2019 in Manila, Philippines.  Discussions focused on communicating biotech in the Philippines, the country's biosafety regulations for biotech crops, insect resistance management program, the current status of agri-biotech in each country, and plant breeding innovations. The group also went to a commercial Bt Corn farm in the province of Tarlac and paid a visit to the International Rice Research Institute as… Read more

BALI, Indonesia - The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) participated in the 8th Ad-Hoc Steering Committee on Climate Change and Food Security (AHSC CCFS) of the ASEAN, held in Bali, Indonesia on 28-29 March 2019. Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Head of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (FAF) Division, ASEAN Sectoral Development Directorate, ASEAN Secretariat, chaired the meeting.  The meeting was set to inform the steering committee of key climate change-related decisions from the Special 39th Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-39th AMAF) and from the 40th AMAF. It… Read more

Ms. Sekar Wulan Prasetyaningtyas, a SEARCA scholar pursuing PhD in Agribusiness at the Institut Pertanian Bogor in Indonesia presented her paper entitled, The Application of Soft System Methodology in Designing the Sustainability Strategy for Organic Farming in Indonesia at the Sydney International Business Research Conference (SIBRC) 2019 held on 23–25 March 2019 in Sydney, Australia. … Read more

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar – The Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation (MOALI-DOP) hosted the 2nd Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting for the Myanmar component of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project, Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN) on 29 March 2019 here. … Read more

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines is implementing a project under a grant from the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry (AWG-SF) Strategic Response Fund (ASRF) titled, A Study on the Existing Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms in the Philippines Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM). This project was endorsed to the ASRF to examine the relationship among local government institutions, communities, and CBFM programs on benefit-sharing mechanisms, particularly on how CBFM-People's Organizations (CBFM-POs) manage the distribution of benefits as influenced by community characteristics and social structures, among others. It… Read more

NAGOYA, Japan – Ronilo de Castro, swine research manager at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), successfully completed his doctorate program in Nagoya University (NU) under the Transnational PhD program for leading professionals in Asian countries. The graduation ceremony was held on 25 March 2019 at the Toyoda Auditorium of Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan and was attended by 1,500 masters and doctorate students. The ceremony was graced by NU President Seiichi Matsuo and Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, president of NU alumni association who delivered an inspirational message. Dr… Read more