SEARCA News

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines — On its 12th year, the awaited annual regional SEARCA Photo Contest has officially opened for submissions from photo enthusiasts across Southeast Asia, starting on 7 September 2018. For 2018, SEARCA looks at its contributing role in the light of its efforts to bring to fore, and unify into a regional cooperation, many efforts that respond to the inevitable growing concern on climate uncertainties and water scarcity in the Southeast Asian region. SEARCA's 12th Photo Contest theme "Managing Climate Uncertainties and Scarce Water Resources," aims to put a spotlight into an already familiar challenge in agriculture… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through the Graduate Education and Institutional Development Department (GEIDD) conducted an orientation-meeting last 16 August 2018 at the International Studies Center (ISC), Kasetsart University (KU) for the new and ongoing SEARCA scholars who are currently studying at KU. The orientation-meeting provided the scholars with essential information to help them with their mobility and stay at KU easy and smooth, and to guide them with the process and administration policies throughout the duration of their study program. … Read more

MANILA, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joins the 4th High Officials Meeting (HOM) on Southeast Asia-Technical and Vocational Education and Training (SEA-TVET) on 4-5 September 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center to present the progress of its project "Towards the Development of Competency Standards of Agricultural Workers in the ASEAN Region." … Read more

VICTORIA, ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines. The Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI), in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Baños – Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center (UPLB-PHTRC) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), established experimental sites and conducted field trials to validate the effects of off-season production technologies suitable to the growing conditions of calamansi in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro on 24-26 August 2018. This research undertaking is integrally a part of the project proposal on upgrading the commodity's value-chain under the National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP) of the Department of… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Mr. Christian Strowa, Head of the Asia Pacific Section, and Ms. Heike Schӓdlich, Team Leader for South and Southeast Asia, both from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) office in Bonn, visited SEARCA on 24 August 2018, to discuss the regulations and monitoring procedures of the new DAAD In-Region/In-Country Scholarship Programme. Twenty-one Southeast Asian nationals were awarded scholarships under this new scheme through SEARCA to pursue their graduate studies starting academic year 2018-2019. … Read more

MONTPELLIER, France – SEARCA has supported the participation of Dr. Rico Ancog in the France Excellence Summer on OneHealth Approach to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance held in the headquarters of the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) in Montpellier, France, last July 2018. Dr. Ancog is an assistant professor at the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and UPLB’s focal person for CIRAD’s GREASE Research Network for emerging risks in Southeast Asia. … Read more

Fourteen participants from Myanmar, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines participated in the Short Course on Planetary Health Approach in Addressing Food Safety Considerations and Environmental Challenges held at the SEARCA Headquarters from 13-17 August 2018. … Read more

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The success of the School-plus-home Gardens Project, a collaborative action research project among SEARCA, the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the Department of Education (DepEd)-Division of Laguna, had the opportunity to be shared to participants during the 2018 Asia-Pacific Societies for Agricultural and Food Ethics (APSafe) Conference in collaboration with the European Societies for Agricultural and Food Ethics (EurSafe) held at the National Taiwan University, Taipei from 10 to 12 May 2018. The paper, Linking School Gardening and Feeding: Experience from the School-Plus-Home Gardens Project (S+HGP) in the Philippines, was presented by Dr. Blesilda… Read more

QUEZON CITY, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA), organized the 1st National Project Steering Committee (NPSC) Meeting of the Philippine 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 3 August 2018 here. The meeting served as a venue for the newly-formed committee to learn more about the project, and discuss national-level activities, primarily the conduct of the policy study on processed pork meat… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has successfully conducted the Best Practices in Agricultural Advisory Services (AAS) in Asia and the Pacific Islands: A Regional Learning Event and Experience Sharing held on 30-31 July 2018 at Centara Watergate Hotel here. The learning event is one of the major project milestones of the IFAD-funded project being implemented by SEARCA titled "Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Asia and the Pacific Islands Region through Strengthened Agricultural Advisory Services (SAAS)."… Read more