SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture is inviting Filipinos to submit entries to its 20th SEARCA Photo Contest, themed “Food for All, Food for the Future,” before the Sept. 30, 2026, deadline. The competition opened July 16 and is open to Southeast Asian nationals, except SEARCA staff and their immediate family members. This year’s contest asks photographers to look at food long before it reaches the plate. It seeks images of the people and systems that grow, handle, protect, move, sell, prepare and share food, showing what keeps those systems… Read more

Southeast Asia’s food systems are being reshaped by climate risks, new technology and changing supply chains, creating a need to document how communities are adapting from farms and fishing grounds to markets and cities.The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is tapping photographers across the region for that visual record through the 20th SEARCA Photo Contest, themed “Food for All, Food for the Future.” Why it matters The initiative looks beyond traditional images of farms and agricultural landscapes to capture the people, infrastructure and systems that determine whether food remains safe, nutritious and accessible… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Twenty-six graduate scholars from six Southeast Asian countries have undergone training aimed to bring academic research beyond journal publication and into policy and broader use. The scholars — from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam — participated in the customized training, “Beyond the Journal Article: Scientific Writing for Policy and Wider Scholarly Engagement,” held recently at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Organized under SEARCA’s Graduate-on-Time (GOT) program in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Development Communication (CDC), the course provided… Read more

The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), through its Faculty of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FFANR), successfully co-organized the ASEAN Plant-Based Foods: Research and Policy Forum on 3-4 September 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. The event was held in collaboration with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Food Innopolis, and the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO), Thailand. The two-day forum brought together more than 140 researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and food-system stakeholders from across ASEAN and beyond to exchange knowledge, explore emerging opportunities, and strengthen regional collaboration on plant-based foods. Held… Read more

From rice paddies, coconut farms, fishing grounds, and upland plots to school and community gardens, public markets, cold storage, delivery routes, and urban farms, the Philippine food story is written by millions of hands before a meal reaches the table. LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has opened the milestone 20th SEARCA Photo Contest under the theme “Food for All, Food for the Future.” The competition runs until 30 September 2026 and is open to all Southeast Asian nationals, including Filipinos. This year’s contest asks photographers to look at… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—Strengthening climate resilience and improving smallholder farm profitability require stronger support for high-value crops—including ube, or purple yam—diversified production systems, and science-based crop improvement, were emphasized during the recent Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Agriculture and Development Seminar Series. The seminar, themed “Resilient and Profitable Crops under Climate Change: What Works for Smallholder Farmers?” highlighted practical ways to help farmers respond to stronger typhoons, prolonged droughts, floods, El Niño, pest outbreaks, and rising production uncertainty. Director Joseph Manicad of the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) of the Philippine Department of… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Science and technology applications in supply chain transparency took center stage at a recent seminar organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Held on Aug. 17, 2026, as part of SEARCA's Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS), the session featured Robert Meeder, strategic director and co-founder of The Institute for Future Creations, who spoke on “From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Transparency, Digital Product Passports, and the Future of Responsible Trade.” The discussion focused on the European Union’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) system, whose registry was launched in July… Read more

Agriculture is often seen by many young people as a poor man’s job, a dirty job, or a profession with little promise for the future. When students are encouraged to enroll in agriculture-related courses, many would immediately decline, not always because they do not value food production, but because they have already formed a negative image of farming before they even experience it. In many rural communities, this perception is understandable. Young people see the struggles of farmers around them: the labor of preparing land, planting, managing pests, harvesting, and bringing produce to market, often for very little return. For… Read more

SE​AR​CA ​(​Southeast ​Asian Regional ​Center for ​Graduate Study and ​Research in ​Agriculture​)​ ​បាន​ប្រកាស​ផ្តល់​អាហារូបករណ៍​ពេញ​ថ្លៃ​សម្រាប់​ថ្នាក់​អនុ​បណ្ឌិត ​និង​ថ្នាក់​បណ្ឌិត​ ​ក្នុង​ឆ្នាំ​សិក្សា​២០២៧​-​២០​២៨ ​នេះ ​ដល់​បេក្ខជន​ដែល​មាន​សមត្ថភាព​ខ្ពស់​ ​មកពី​បណ្តា​ប្រទេស​ជា​សមាជិក​ S​EAMEO ក្នុង​នោះ​បួក​រួមទាំង​កម្ពុជា​ផងដែរ​។ ​កម្ម​វិធី​នេះ​ផ្តល់​ឱកាស​ដល់​អ្នក​ទទួល​អាហារូបករណ៍​ក្នុង​ការ​បន្ត​ការ​សិក្សា​កម្រិត​ខ្ពស់​លើ​វិស័យ​អាទិភាព ​ដែល​ស្រប​តាម​ទិសដៅ​ការងារ​របស់​ SEAR​CA ​ក្នុង​គោលបំណង​ជំរុញន​វានុវត្តន៍ ​និង​ការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ​ប្រកបដោយ​ចីរភាព​នៅក្នុង​តំបន់​។ ​លក្ខខណ្ឌ​ជ្រើសរើស​​-​បើក​ចំហ​សម្រាប់​ប្រជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​នៃ​បណ្តា​ប្រទេស​ជា​សមាជិក​ S​EA​MEO ​ដែល​ជា​បុគ្គលិក​ប្រចាំ​ការ​របស់​ស្ថាប័ន​សិក្សា​ ​ឬ​ស្ថាប័ន​ស្រាវជ្រាវ​ ​ឬ​ស្ថាប័ន​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​។-​បេក្ខជន​ត្រូវ​មាន​អាយុ​មិន​លើស​ពី​ ៤០ ​ឆ្នាំ ​សម្រាប់​ថ្នាក់​អនុ​បណ្ឌិត ​និង​ ៤៥ ​ឆ្នាំ​ ​សម្រាប់​ថ្នាក់​បណ្ឌិត​ ​នៅពេល​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​។-​ជំនាញ​ដែល​បេក្ខជន​ជ្រើសរើស​សិក្សា​ ត្រូវ​មាន​ភាព​ពាក់ព័ន្ធ​នឹង​ការ​លើកកម្ពស់​ ការ​អភិវឌ្ឍ​វិស័យ​កសិកម្ម ​និង​ជនបទ​។​ ​អត្ថប្រយោជន៍​អាហារូបករណ៍​ ​អាហារូបករណ៍​ផ្តល់​ជូន​៖​​-​ថ្លៃ​សិក្សា​ ​និង​ថ្លៃ​សេវា​សិក្សា​ផ្សេង​ៗ​​-​ប្រាក់​ឧបត្ថម្ភ​ការ​ធ្វើដំណើរ ​(​រួម​មាន​សំបុត្រ​យន្តហោះ​ទៅ​-​មកពី​ប្រទេស​កំណើត​ទៅកាន់​ទីកន្លែង​សិក្សា​ ​និង​ថ្លៃ​ធ្វើដំណើរ​ក្នុង​តំបន់​)​​-​ជំនួយ​សម្រាប់​ការ​រៀបចំ​និក្ខេបបទ​/​សារ​ណា​បញ្ចប់​ការ​សិក្សា​​-​ប្រាក់​ឧបត្ថម្ភ​សម្រាប់​សៀវភៅ​ ​និង​សម្ភារៈ​សិក្សា​​-​ធានារ៉ាប់រង​សុខភាព​​-​ប្រាក់​ឧបត្ថម្ភ​សម្រាប់​អាហារ​ ការ​ស្នាក់​នៅ​ ​និង​ចំណាយ​ផ្សេង​ៗ​ សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ​សិក្សា​ ​គឺ​បេក្ខជន​អាច​ជ្រើសរើស​សិក្សា​នៅ​សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ​ខាង​ក្រោម​ ​ដែល​ស្ថិត​នៅ​ក្នុង​តំបន់​អាស៊ី​អាគ្នេយ៍​រួមមាន​៖ ​-​Institut Pertanian Bogor ​(​IPB​)​ ​ឥណ្ឌូណេស៊ី​-​Universitas ​Gadjah ​Mada ​(​UGM​)​ ​ឥណ្ឌូណេស៊ី​-​Universitas ​Brawijaya ​(​UB​)​ ​ឥណ្ឌូណេស៊ី​-​Kasetsart ​University ​(​KU​)​ ​ថៃ​​-​Universiti ​Putra ​Malaysia ​(​UPM​)​ ​ម៉ាឡេស៊ី-​University of the Philippines ​Los ​Baños ​(​UPLB​)​ ​ហ្វីលីពីន ​ដោយឡែក​ចំពោះ​សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ​ផ្សេងទៀត​ដែល​ជា​ទីតាំង​សិក្សា​របស់​ SEAR​CA ​ប៉ុន្តែ​មិន​មាន​រាយ​ឈ្មោះ​ខាង​លើ​ ​ត្រូវ​បាន​កំណត់​សម្រាប់​កម្មវិធី​អាហារូបករណ៍​រួម​របស់​ S​EAR​CA ​ប៉ុណ្ណោះ ​ដូចជា​ ​National ​Taiwan ​University​,​ Sejong ​University ​និង​ Tokyo ​University of ​Agriculture ​(​Tokyo​-​NODAI​)​។ ​នីតិវិធី​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​ ​ឯកសារ​ដែល​ត្រូវ​ដាក់​ស្នើ​ ​ត្រូវ​រៀបចំ​ជា ​ភាសា​អង់គ្លេស… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA — Dalawampu’t pitong incoming scholars ng Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) mula sa Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pilipinas, at Timor-Leste ang nakatapos sa limang linggong synchronous consultation program na naglalayong palakasin ang kanilang kumpiyansa sa akademiko, panlipunan, propesyonal, at intercultural communication. Isinagawa ang online sessions tuwing Biyernes mula Hulyo 3 hanggang 31, 2026 sa pamamagitan ng Zoom, bilang dagdag sa 2026 YES! Your English Sidekick Micro-credential (YES! MC)—isang self-paced online program para sa mga incoming scholar na hindi native English speakers. Sa programa, nagsanay ang mga iskolar sa mga sitwasyong… Read more