SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna (PIA) — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is utilizing its research and academic network across Southeast Asia to better understand the effects of climate change, provide valuable inputs for policy development, and assist regional governments in attaining food security. Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, Center Director of SEARCA, said the organization has already developed innovations and technologies aimed at helping the agricultural sector in the region. She cited the interconnected challenges threatening Southeast Asia, including climate change, which threatens agricultural productivity and livelihoods, and the degradation of natural resources that continue… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is strengthening scientific research and regional cooperation to help Southeast Asian countries address climate change, improve agricultural productivity, and achieve food security. SEARCA Center Director Dr. Mercedita Sombilla said the organization is developing technologies and research-based solutions to help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns, declining natural resources, and other threats to agricultural production. Through its network of scholars, universities, and research institutions across the 11 ASEAN member states, SEARCA aims to provide governments with scientific findings that can guide agricultural policies and… Read more

DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan receives the prestigious 2026 OSSA Award for Research, decades after his own graduate studies under a SEARCA scholarship. Balisacan highlights that agricultural transformation must be paired with investments in rural education, health, connectivity, and social protection to uplift families across Southeast Asia. Marking 60 years of SEARCA and 10 years of the OSSA Awards, the ceremony also recognized leaders from Thailand and Cambodia for excellence in public service and teaching. Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan has been awarded the 2026 Outstanding SEARCA Scholarship Alumni (OSSA) Award for Research. The… Read more

A NEW policy review published in the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) calls for a shift in how Southeast Asia approaches food security — from maximizing domestic production toward building regional resilience. AJAD is an international refereed journal focused on agriculture and development in Asia, published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). “ASEAN’s strategic food security objective should be resilience, not maximal self-sufficiency,” the paper said. The article, titled “ASEAN Food Security in an Era of Polycrisis: From Production-Centered Policy to Regional Resilience,” is authored by Paul Teng of the… Read more

It was a full-circle moment for Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, who received the 2026 Outstanding SEARCA Scholarship Alumni (OSSA) Award for Research more than four decades after earning a scholarship from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). “A scholarship can change one person’s path, as it helped change mine. Through the work of its scholars and alumni, that opportunity can reach a classroom, a research team, a public agency, and eventually a rural community. This is how a personal achievement can become a contribution to development,”… Read more

The conversation on climate-smart agriculture in Southeast Asia is shifting from what needs to be done to how it will be paid for and scaled. That shift was at the center of a two-day hybrid workshop in Jakarta on Oct. 1 to Oct. 2, where 45 researchers, policymakers and development partners gathered to move ASEAN's agenda from priority-setting to investment-ready actions. The focus was on two systems that sustain food security and rural incomes across the region — rice and livestock — and also account for a significant share of agricultural emissions. The workshop, “From Priorities to Investment: Advancing Fundable… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is updating its agricultural biotechnology training module to help local government officials make informed decisions and communicate science-based information to their constituents. The revision was undertaken during a writing workshop on Sept. 24-25 at the SEARCA Residence Hall in Los Baños, Laguna. The workshop brought together subject specialists, the project management team and a technical reviewer to refine the existing material. The activity is part of the Strengthening the Enabling Environment for the Development and Uptake of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology (SEED) Project, implemented by SEARCA and funded… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA is updating its training module on agricultural biotechnology to give local public servants a more science-based and accessible resource for decision-making and public engagement. The revision was carried out through a writeshop held on Sept. 24-25, 2026 at the SEARCA Residence Hall in Los Baños, Laguna, which gathered subject specialists, the project management team, and a lead technical reviewer to review and enhance the existing material. The activity falls under the Strengthening the Enabling Environment for the Development and Uptake of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology or SEED Project… Read more

I have spent much of my professional career in meeting rooms, having serious conversations that sometimes seem to move at a pace slower than I would have liked. It’s tiring work, if we’re all to be honest about it, but it’s this kind of work that leads to the two words that we all want to hear: actionable outcomes. I understand the impatience. When a lot is at stake, another dialogue can sound like delay. But after years of shepherding and attending countless meetings, I have learned that the right meeting is not a substitute for action, but it is… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—Leading biotechnology, public health, and science communication specialists had a two-day writeshop to equip local government leaders and public servants with science-based tools for agricultural innovation at the SEARCA Residence Hall on September 24 and 25. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) convened the writeshop that focused on upgrading and expanding a comprehensive training module designed to help local government units (LGUs) navigate, implement, and communicate modern agricultural biotechnology initiatives. The initiative was spearheaded under the Strengthening the Enabling Environment for the Development and Uptake of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology (SEED) project… Read more