SEARCA News

Recognizing the need to empower schoolgirls and farming families through quality education, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to conduct a one-day learning activity for the Balete Family Farm School (BFFS), Inc. on 31 March 2023. BFFS is the only all-female farm school in Asia. The school is engaged in various livelihood projects to help finance its scholarship program for poor but deserving young girls to get a high school education with an orientation on agricultural entrepreneurship. In celebration of the International Women’s Month, SEARCA and BFFS will provide an avenue… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) joins ecotourism champions and practitioners in co-hosting the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM) from 29 March to 2 April 2023 in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. IETM is an annual event designed to bring delegates and exhibitors together to showcase products and services with a strong ecotourism component, green technology, and sustainable green practices. Being the first green travel mart and selling fair in the world, this event is presented by the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN), a regional initiative of the Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) based in Costa Rica… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna. The national innovation agency of the United Kingdom (Innovate UK), along with 10 other companies, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) broached areas for collaboration on agricultural innovation and renewable energy. The exploration for areas of partnerships was done when representatives from Innovate UK, along with 10 companies from the UK, visited on 17 March 2023 and exchanged their respective thrusts and activities. Dr. Nur Azura Adam, SEARCA deputy director for programs, presented the National Agriculture and Fishery Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) 2021–30, a directional strategy of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA). SEARCA was… Read more

LAGUNA, Philippines.  Recognizing the need for a sustainable program to foster strong partnership among various stakeholders and develop policies that will sustain school and community gardens’ initiatives (also known as School-Plus-Home Garden Program (S+HGP), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will organize a weeklong study visit and benchmarking activity for the key stakeholders of Busuanga Island, Palawan from 27 to 31 March 2023. The study visit and benchmarking activity aims to provide technical assistance to key partners from the Department of Education - Division of Palawan (DepEd Palawan), and LGUs from Busuanga and… Read more

Diversifying learners' skillsets increasingly becomes the status quo as we maneuver in a fast-paced environment. With that, the need to provide motivation, mentorship, and guidance were tackled by Dr. Glenn Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), at the Fireside Chat with Alumni titled "Transcending to greater heights toward scientific progress in a VUCA society" on 20 March 2023 held via Zoom. In her opening message, Dr. Vachel Gay Paller, director, University of the Philippines Los Baños-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB), emphasized that IBS has engaged alumni as part of its… Read more

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation (MOALI) of Myanmar recently launched its national pulses roadmap on14 March 2023 at the Thingaha Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw. The Roadmap for Scaling Up Myanmar Pulses Value Chain (2021–25) was developed under the recently completed 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). The project was co-implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). His Excellency U Min Naung, MOALI union… Read more

Mr. Dhruv Patel, chief executive officer and founder of UK-based Nisai Group of Companies visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 1 March 2023. He was received by Dr. Nur Azura Adam, SEARCA deputy director for programs; Ms. Corinta Guerta, technical advisor to the director; Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head, Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD); Dr. Nova Ramos, head, ECLD-Training for Development Unit (T4DU); Mr. Jaymark Warren Dia, head, Management Information Systems Unit (MISU); Ms. Sharon Malaiba, head, Partnerships Unit (PU); and ECLD-T4DU and PU staff. During the meeting… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed Japanese students from Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan, and Kobe University, Hyogo, Japan, to tour the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) facilities. Seven Nagasaki University students visited SEARCA on 1 March 2023 accompanied by Dr. Yoko Ida, Economics professor at Nagasaki University, and Asst. Prof. Juan Paulino Trespalacio, Jr. of the University of the Philippines Los Baños -Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship(UPLB-DAME). The activity was part of their Global Social Responsibility (GSR) Short-Term Study Program, a partnership between Nagasaki… Read more

SEARCA, in partnership with the Regional SEARCA Alumni Association (RSAA), organized the Scholars' Conference 2023 on "Advancing Agricultural Research for Improved Food Security." Twenty-eight scholars presented their research across six parallel sessions from March 14-15, 2023, via the SOLVE Platform. The two-day conference is the Center’s way to support their academic achievements and recognize their capacity to produce quality research that has a great impact on agriculture and rural development. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Asdi Agustar of Andalas University, Indonesia, and RSAA President, gave the opening messages. Dr. Gregorio welcomed all the attendees and… Read more

Prof. Dr. Renato G. Reyes, the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), delivered his Professorial Chair Lecture on Recent advances in the domestication and mykopharming of wild edible mushrooms in the Philippines for the bio-functional food industry on 6 March 2023 at the R and E Amphitheater of CLSU. Prof. Dr. Renato G. Reyes, known as the man of science in mushroom farming in the Philippines, continuously developed innovative technologies for mushrooms to be sustainable and relevant. He highlighted in his presentation the conceptualization of the zero rice waste technology, which encourages the farmers to use… Read more