SEARCA News

Steadfast in its commitment to provide an enabling environment for the acceleration of modern biotechnology, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) Manila, and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Inc. engaged Filipino legislators and legislative staff at the House of Representatives for the forum on Breeding Innovations for Increasing Productivity and Climate Resilience in Crops and Livestock on 8 August 2023. In her opening message, SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs, Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam acknowledged the dedication… Read more

Educators and officers from 11 schools and the division office of the Philippine Department of Education-Rizal have completed the Training on School Edible Landscaping for Entrepreneurship (SEL4E) held via Zoom and onsite at Los Baños, Laguna and Pililla, Rizal in the Philippines on 7–11 August 2023. The SEL4E training aimed to build the capacities of the 36 participants as channels of knowledge and values formation in schools and their communities. Led by SEARCA's Training for Development Unit under the Education and Collective Learning Department, the training conducted online sessions that cover the concepts and intersections of school gardens in nutrition… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES – The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Centers will convene at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) headquarters for the 2nd SEAMEO Knowledge Management (KM) Learning and Sharing Forum on 22–23 August 2023. The KM Forum will have over 30 participants composed of Center directors, deputy directors, and knowledge workers in communication, partnership, program, public relations, and information technology, as well as administrative officers from 17 SEAMEO Centers. Co-hosted by the SEAMEO Secretariat (SEAMES) and SEARCA, this learning event is taking off from SEAMES' initiative on… Read more

Ms. Nikole Kazemi, founder of the Kalipayan Farm; Chairperson Len Maraan Reyes and board members Ms. Florinda Martal and Ms. Arceli Del Mundo, all of Alfonso Women's Council; and Ms. Deinielle Ramos, an intern at the Kalipayan Farm, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 11 August 2023 to explore possible partnership on their joint initiative Tanim Farm program. Also with them was Dr. Andrew Gasmen of the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Science-Agricultural Systems Institute, also a prospective partner. Kalipayan Farm is a social enterprise… Read more

Dr. Bo Zhou, agriculture officer and lead technical officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), paid a visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 11 August 2023 to revisit past partnerships and explore new areas of collaboration. He was accompanied by Dr. Romeo Labios, agronomist and farming systems specialist, FAO RAP. During the meeting, Dr. Zhou was given a bird's eye view of SEARCA's programs and activities toward achieving its 11th Five-Year plan. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, conveyed… Read more

Dr. Yann-rong Lin, deputy director general for partnerships of the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 8 August 2023 to discuss a proposed joint scholarship project. WorldVeg, formerly known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, is an international nonprofit institute committed to alleviating poverty and malnutrition by increasing the production and consumption of nutritious and health-promoting vegetables. The meeting started with a brief overview of the Center's mandate and its 11th Five-Year Plan. Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education and Collective… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the East-West Seed Philippines (EWPH) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the project titled YABONG or Young Agripreneurs Building Opportunities, Nurturing Growth Bootcamp held on 9 August 2023 at the East-West Seed Hortanova Research Center in Lipa City, Batangas. The YABONG Bootcamp aims to help young farmers succeed in vegetable farming by building their capacity in production and entrepreneurship. It also intends to showcase stories of young agripreneurs to inspire more youth to engage in planting vegetables. SEARCA and EWPH both demonstrate their commitment… Read more

Continuing its commitment to accelerating transformation through agricultural innovations, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is organizing a forum on Breeding Innovations for Increasing Productivity and Climate Resilience in Crops and Livestock on 15 August 2023 (Tuesday), 2:00 p.m., at the SEARCA Drilon Hall in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The event is under the SEARCA Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) and will also be livestreamed via SEARCA's Facebook page. The forum aims to create an interactive platform of engagement with key stakeholders to discuss the latest updates, emerging issues, and concerns for… Read more

The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) successfully concluded its annual UC Summer School, which took place from 24 July to 4 August 2023, at Kasetsart University (KU) Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus. This marked the 7th installment of the learning event, KU collaborated with the TALENT Programme on Sustainable Land Management of the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). Now on its two-year partnership with CIRAD, this year's program was preceded by Universitas Brawijaya in Malang, Indonesia, as the host institution. Under the theme of "Sustainability of Agricultural Systems in… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) held a hybrid Testimonial Ceremony on 3 August 2023 to honor and celebrate the graduation of the Center's 28 Full MSc and PhD scholars and 6 PhD Research scholars. Out of the 28 full scholars, 11 were co-funded by SEARCA's partners, namely the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD; National Taiwan University; Agropolis Fondation in France; and Tokyo NODAI and Nagoya University, both in Japan. The event was a joyous gathering attended in-person by eight graduating scholars together with their families while the rest of the honorees… Read more