SEARCA in the News

THE HEAL-PH mobile application developed by Team M1R4G3 from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños won the top prize in the Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet app development competition. Designed to cultivate healthy eating habits, the HEAL-PH app uses innovative features to assist students in making informed dietary choices. By using image recognition technology, the app accurately identifies food items and assigns health points, empowering the users to evaluate their selections. The exceptional capabilities of HEAL-PH secured for the team a prize of P500,000, which will be used to further develop the app into a downloadable version to… Read more

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Open University renewed its partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture through signing a series of agreements last month. UPOU said the signing aims to sustain the "nurturing relationship between the two institutions especially in the conduct of collaborative research projects, implementation of non-formal online courses, and the interlinking of institutional cooperation." The University of the Philippines Open University Foundation, Inc. will help strengthen the bond between UPOU and SEARCA in realizing their shared goals, it added. UPOU Chancellor Dr. Melinda Bandalaria emphasized the longstanding collaboration between UPOU… Read more

The HEAL-PH mobile application, developed by Team M1R4G3 from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), emerged as the champion in the Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet (FLExPHD) app development competition. The event was co-organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). FLExPHD was a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the food system and promoting the adoption of a science-based, values-driven, plant-based diet known as the… Read more

BANGKOK: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) project recently launched by Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock) is expected to benefit 30,000 Thai farmers. "RAIN is a five-year project funded by the USDA and implemented by Winrock International to validate and scale climate-smart innovations (CSIs) across several agricultural value chains," commented Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand Gwendolyn Cardno on June 21. She added that RAIN aims to improve productivity and markets through extension services and financial support. To cooperate on RAIN, Winrock signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the… Read more

CREATED by a team from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), HEAL-PH mobile application bagged the top prize at the "Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet" (FLExPHD) app development competition. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said UPLB's Team M1R4G3, with six members, developed HEAL-PH to help students develop healthy eating habits patterned after the planetary health diet (PHD). Val Randolf Madrid, Team M1R4G3 representative, explained that the HEAL-PH app can recognize food from images and score health points to help eaters evaluate their choices. "It was really fun. As… Read more

TO work on promoting agricultural innovation and climate-smart technologies, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) inked ties with Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock) to collaborate on the Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN). According to SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, the RAIN, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was launched at Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on June 21, 2023. Also representing SEARCA at the launch were Sharon Malaiba, unit head for partnerships; Beatrisa Martinez, executive coordinator, Office of the Director; and Leah Lyn Domingo, public… Read more

The Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) has released its June 2023 issue, featuring insightful articles and research papers shedding light on key agricultural and development issues in Asia, with a spotlight on the valuable heritage of the contested West Philippine Sea. AJAD is an international refereed journal published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the latest edition covers diverse topics such as domestic investments in agriculture, innovative growth models, and the preservation of heritage in the West Philippine Sea. Additionally, the journal includes three… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: An international journal published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) featured a study on valuing heritage in the disputed West Philippine Sea and other new Southeast Asian studies in its June 2023 issue. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) also presented fresh perspectives on Thailand's and Indonesia's domestic investments in agriculture, Singapore's successful "leapfrogging" model of growth, including three other articles on various Asian countries and two book reviews. AJAD publishes articles resulting from empirical, policy-oriented, or institutional development studies, as well… Read more

To strengthen research collaborations, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) presented its initiatives and programs on education and training in agriculture at the Philippines-New Zealand Program Launch here. The program launch was held at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) chancellor on June 20, 2023. SEARCA joined the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center and the UPLB. During the event, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell discussed his country's present and potential engagement for global research with the Philippines. Also covered during… Read more

It is common knowledge that the agricultural value chain in the Philippines needs to be leveled up given the high post-harvest losses across a big number of crops grown locally. Such was affirmed in an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released in June 2022 titled "Analysis of Fruit and Vegetable Value Chains in the Philippines." The partner for the ADB report was the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, an institution with in-depth knowledge on various issues affecting Philippine agriculture. Although the report covered tomato, onions and mango, it can give us an overview of… Read more