SEARCA in the News

CONTRARY to conventional thinking, climate and biodiversity are not separate worlds but are two sides of the same coin. Events in one affect the other. For example, similar harmful activities like overfishing and pollution drive both biodiversity loss and climate change. To come up with integrated solutions, a new generation of professionals who can bridge the biodiversity-climate nexus must arise. Dindo Campilan, International Union for Conservation of Nature regional director for Asia and hub director for Oceania, emphasized these points in a seminar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on Nov… Read more

The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), led by Executive Director Donald James D. Gawe, CESO III, and officials of the University of the Philippines Los Baños–Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (UPLB-SEARCA) recently met online to explore potential areas of collaboration on school-based and community-oriented garden initiatives anchored on volunteerism. During the meeting, Dr. Girlie T. Tatlonghari, Program Head for Research and Thought Leadership of SEARCA, presented the School + Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement and Enterprise (SHGBEE) initiative. Complementary to the Department of Education's Gulayan sa Paaralan, SHGBEE promotes edible landscaping as… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) started to train educators in sustainable urban farming in a program aimed at empowering the educators to implement hands-on and environmentally sound urban farming systems within schools and communities. Under an initiative titled "In-Country Training on Urban Farming for Sustainable Cultivation to Support Biodiversity Conservation, Education, and Food Security in the Philippines," Department of Education (DepEd) educators are equipped with practical skills and ecological knowledge for greener communities. The training is also co-organized by… Read more

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has recognized the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as one of the top contributors to its Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) database in 2025. PIDS is the government's primary socioeconomic policy think tank, and the SERP-P database is an online resource containing studies and materials from PIDS and other academic and research institutions. Bernice Anne De Torres of SEARCA's Research and Thought Leadership Department, and Stoix Nebin Pascua of SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department-Training for Development Unit received the recognition on behalf of… Read more

UNDERSCORING the vital role of the science-policy-practice interface (SPPI) in achieving resilient and sustainable food systems, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is advocating for a bold, systematic shift in Southeast Asia's agrifood sector. SEARCA Director Mercedita Sombilla said the center is campaigning for the SPPI as a bridge connecting research, governance and community action.Emphasizing the importance of stronger multi-stakeholder colla­boration and dynamic knowledge exchange, she introduced the triple nexus approach — linking food, environment and nutrition — as a framework for cross-sectoral coordination that leads to healthier diets and resilient ecosystems. Sombilla… Read more

THE Laguna, Philippines-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has opened applications for the 2026 edition of the Executive Program for Leaders in Asian Agriculture and Development (LAAD): Focus on Southeast Asia. The program, which incorporates both online and in-person (Singapore) sessions, is designed to strengthen leadership and innovation capacities among professionals operating within the rapidly changing agrifood landscape of the region. Tailored for leaders working in government agencies, private agrifood enterprises, academia, civil society, and development organizations, LAAD's curriculum offers comprehensive modules on contemporary agrifood system issues as well as strategic leadership, innovation… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna -- Underscoring that agricultural productivity is the missing foundation in the Philippines' long-delayed structural transformation, a former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) described the country's economy as stable, 'but not yet prosperous.' Former Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua of NEDA, now known as the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev), pointed out that true national prosperity can only be achieved by launching an agricultural transformation similar to those undertaken by other successful Asian economies. "True national prosperity can only be achieved by launching an agricultural transformation similar to those undertaken by other successful Asian economies," Chua… Read more

In a province slowly being overtaken by industrialization and urbanization, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) still believes feeding the people should remain a top priority. And in an effort to promote agriculture in Laguna province, SEARCA has tapped on schoolteachers who in turn - or so the institute hopes - will pass on their skills and knowledge to a new generation. Through the "In-Country Training on Urban Farming for Sustainable Cultivation to Support Biodiversity Conservation, Education, and Food Security in the Philippines," program, SEARCA seeks to empower educators to establish science-based, environmentally… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said it is pioneering initiatives in smart agriculture, carbon neutrality, One Health, and biotechnology. Center Director Mercedita Sombilla said SEARCA's 12th Five-Year Development Plan: Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia) "positions the center at the forefront of accelerating the transformation of regional agriculture from subsistence farming to modern, high-productivity enterprises by integrating science, policy, and practice." Sombilla showcased key programs under SEARCA, including the National Taiwan University-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program, which supports postgraduate studies in Global… Read more

IN the heart of Savannakhet, Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), a quiet agricultural revolution is taking root. A pioneering project is empowering local farmers to transform everyday farm waste into affordable, organic hydroponic nutrients, breaking barriers and boosting sustainability in the process. Backed by the Laguna, Philippines-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through the Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions or GRAINS grant, this initiative is a game-changer for a region where hydroponic farming was once dependent on costly imported solutions. Hydroponics, with its promise of water savings, higher yields, and faster… Read more