SEARCA in the News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has approved its five-year roadmap for agriculture higher education in the Philippines. In a statement on Thursday, the organization said the roadmap, developed in partnership with the Visayas State University and engagement of selected higher education institutions (HEIs) and private-sector organizations, was endorsed during the CHED Committee En Banc meeting earlier this month. SEARCA said the roadmap is expected to elevate agricultural education. It seeks to strengthen the sector's contribution to national development as it lays out a forward-looking… Read more

BANGKOK — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has officially launched the Southeast Asia Agricultural Outlook Series (SEA Agri Outlook Series), a flagship initiative designed to provide data-driven, policy-relevant insights into the region's agricultural transformation. The Inception Workshop for the series was held on 26–27 January 2026, bringing together country experts from 11 Southeast Asian nations to establish a unified framework for comprehensive agricultural analysis across the region. A Comprehensive Analytical Framework Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, SEARCA Center Director, welcomed participants and outlined the ambitious scope of the publication. The SEA Agri Outlook Series… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — A nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has validated that the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund–Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) is driving significant improvements in productivity, profitability, and climate resilience among Filipino rice farmers. The study, titled "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019–2024," was presented on 27 January 2026 during the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute's (DA-ATI) annual performance review in Quezon City. It assessed the program's impact following the enactment of Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law. Over 300,000 farmers… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has formally approved a comprehensive five-year roadmap aimed at transforming agricultural higher education in the Philippines, marking a major policy breakthrough in efforts to modernize the sector and develop a future-ready agri-food workforce. The Five-Year Roadmap for Agriculture Higher Education in the Philippines was endorsed during the CHED Committee En Banc meeting on 2 February 2026, following a multi-year development process led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with Visayas State University (VSU). A cohesive framework for reform The roadmap… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has approved the Five-Year Roadmap for Agriculture Higher Education in the Philippines, a landmark framework developed by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with Visayas State University (VSU). The roadmap, endorsed during the CHED Committee En Banc meeting on 2 February 2026, represents a significant milestone in the country's efforts to elevate agricultural education and strengthen the sector's contribution to national development. The roadmap lays out a forward-looking vision to modernize academic programs, enhance institutional leadership, and align agricultural higher… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — A comprehensive and nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has validated the positive impact of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) on rice farmers. The program, implemented by the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), has significantly improved rice farm productivity and profitability, benefiting over 300,000 farmers, trainers, and extension intermediaries across 57 priority rice-producing provinces. SEARCA presented the findings of the project titled "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019-2024" during the Keeping on Track: ATI's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has confirmed that the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund–Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) is delivering substantial improvements in rice farm productivity, profitability, and resilience across the country. The findings were presented during the "Keeping on Track: ATI's FY 2025 Annual Performance Review and FY 2026 Commitment Signing" held on 27 January 2026 at The Hive Hotel and Convention Place. The study, "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019–2024," led… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) organized the Inception Workshop of the Southeast Asia Agricultural Outlook Series (SEA Agri Outlook Series) on 26–27 January 2026. The workshop aimed to provide a venue for SEARCA and country experts from 11 Southeast Asian countries to discuss and agree on the country studies' overall focus, methods of analysis, data sources, and report contents. Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, SEARCA Center Director, welcomed the participants and presented an overview of the SEA Agri Outlook Series, a flagship publication that provides policy-relevant insights through a mixed-methods analytical… Read more

A bright spot in an otherwise lackluster 2025 for the Philippine economy is the news that the entire agricultural sector grew at 3.1 percent—the highest in eight years—for the whole year, having surprised everyone by growing at seven percent in the second quarter, led by poultry and crops. This is an encouraging sign that the BBM government is delivering on its promise of assigning the highest priority to food security. A growth of 3.1 percent may seem unimpressive, but we must consider how this “Achilles’ heel” of the Philippine economy had been performing for the last two decades, growing at… Read more

(Last of Three Parts) In 1974, Henry Kissinger, who was then the Secretary of State of the United States, famously asserted that by 1984, no child, woman, or man would ever have to go to bed hungry. Regrettably, that commitment remains significantly unfulfilled. During the 1996 World Food Summit, political leaders from 186 nations vowed to reduce the number of hungry individuals in the world by half by the year 2015 – equating to a decrease of 20 million each year. However, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, "far from diminishing, the number of hungry people globally is… Read more