SEARCA in the News

THE University of Asia and the Pacific's (UA&P) Center for Food and Agri Business, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will convene the Food and Agribusiness Forum at PLDT Hall, Pasig City, on Friday, Jan. 30. Titled "Harnessing Economies of Scale: Consolidation Pathways for Philippine Food and Agribusiness," the event will bring together agribusiness executives, policymakers, farmer group leaders, researchers and development agencies to chart a collective response to the country's deepening farm-size fragmentation. SEARCA Director Mercedita Sombilla said the forum's core purpose is to raise awareness of consolidation's strategic value, showcase… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Two papers published in the December 2025 issue (Volume 22, Issue No. 2) of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) sheds light on the challenges faced by agencies with mandates on agriculture on delivering solutions to rice farmers, and the need for them to adopt measures to deal with climate change. AJAD is a publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). SEARCA Director Mercedita Agcaoili Sombilla said the issue also highlights how farmers, cooperatives, researchers, and policymakers are responding to structural changes in agriculture and rural… Read more

Việt Nam đã đạt thành công ‘chưa từng có’, theo một nghiên cứu mới được công bố trên tạp chí Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) của Trung tâm Nghiên cứu và Học tập Sau đại học về Nông nghiệp khu vực Đông Nam Á (SEARCA) có trụ sở tại tỉnh Laguna, Philippines cho thấy. Nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng trong khi lợi ích từ ACFTA phân bổ không đồng đều giữa các nước ASEAN, Việt Nam nổi lên với mức tăng trưởng thương mại nông nghiệp vượt trội, được mô tả là “chưa từng có”, cả trong nội khối ASEAN… Read more

Trong khi tổng kim ngạch thương mại giữa ASEAN và Trung Quốc đã tăng gấp 4 lần kể từ khi hiệp định ACFTA có hiệu lực vào năm 2004, thì thương mại hàng nông sản đã tăng gần 5 lần. Tờ Manila Times (Philippines) ngày 15/1 đưa tin, một nghiên cứu mới được công bố trên tạp chí Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) của Trung tâm Nghiên cứu và Học tập Sau đại học về Nông nghiệp khu vực Đông Nam Á (SEARCA) có trụ sở tại tỉnh Laguna, Philippines, cho thấy Hiệp định thương mại tự do ASEAN-Trung Quốc… Read more

Seven new studies published in the December 2025 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD)—a publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)—shed light on emerging trends that are reshaping agriculture across Asia. The papers tackle long-standing but rapidly evolving themes such as digitalization, gender inclusion, climate change adaptation, and data systems that are increasingly influencing agricultural policy and practice in the region. The issue underscores how farmers, cooperatives, researchers, and policymakers are responding to structural changes in agriculture and rural communities, and offers evidence-based recommendations for more inclusive and… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — A new study published in the Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) reveals that the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has brought significant growth to regional trade, but its benefits for agriculture are unevenly distributed across Southeast Asian countries. The study titled "Trade Creation or Diversion? Assessing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement's Uneven Impact on ASEAN Agricultural Trade" stated that while total trade between member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China has increased four-fold since the ACFTA-Agreement on Trade… Read more

LOS BANOS, Laguna — A new issue of the Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) series from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) says the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has significantly expanded regional commerce, but the agreement's benefits for agricultural trade have been uneven across Southeast Asian countries. In the ADN titled "Trade Creation or Diversion? Assessing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement's Uneven Impact on ASEAN Agricultural Trade," SEARCA said the analysis shows overall trade growth since the deal's goods provisions took effect, while warning that some member states have experienced trade diversion… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines — Seven new studies published in the December 2025 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD)—a publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)—shed light on emerging trends that are reshaping agriculture across Asia. The papers tackle long-standing but rapidly evolving themes such as digitalization, gender inclusion, climate change adaptation, and data systems that are increasingly influencing agricultural policy and practice in the region. The issue underscores how farmers, cooperatives, researchers, and policymakers are responding to structural changes in agriculture and rural communities, and offers evidence-based… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A new issue of the Agriculture and Development Notes (ADN) series published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) reveals that while the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) has substantially expanded regional trade, its benefits for agriculture are uneven across Southeast Asian countries. Titled "Trade Creation or Diversion? Assessing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement's Uneven Impact on ASEAN Agricultural Trade," the ADN is co-authored by Mr. Paul Neilmer Feliciano, a program manager and economist at the Ateneo Policy Center, and Mr. Manuel Leonard Albis, an assistant professor at the University of… Read more

Smallholder farmers in the Mekong region have long relied on middlemen, faced volatile prices, and lacked timely technical advice. The Mekong Farm app is changing this by connecting farmers with buyers, value chain actors, peers, and agroecology experts, turning smartphones into tools for market access, learning, and better decision-making. Greenovator leads the enhancement of the Mekong Farm app, funded by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS). Piloted in Can Tho, Vietnam, and later expanded to Battambang, Cambodia, the project concluded in August 2025. Headed by… Read more