SEARCA in the News

The Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), the country's premiere, biggest, and most dynamic professional group of media and communication educators and practitioners, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 23-25, 2025 with the theme #PACE50: Empowering Voices in Emergent and Divergent Spaces. The three-day event, which is hosted by UP Los Banos, co-presented by SEARCA, and sponsored by PagIBIG Fund will feature the Communication and Media Studies Conference (CMSC) where academic papers of faculty and students will be presented and the PACE of the Future Student Camp (PFSC), which will showcase the best outputs of communication students from its… Read more

The Straw Traktor is a rice farming machine that helps farmers boost rice production by up to 65 percent a year while cutting methane emissions in half. Read more: https://www.agtechnavigator.com/Article/2025/10/21/straw-innovations-aims-to-unlock-value-from-rice-straw-with-new-rice-farming-machine/… Read more

The Philippines' first Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub was officially launched in Pila, Laguna on Oct. 7, bringing together national leaders, local officials, international partners, and farmers to showcase groundbreaking solutions that transform rice straw from waste into valuable products. The event was attended by the Economic and Climate Counsellor Lloyd Cameron of the British Embassy Manila, Regional Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-A Fidel L. Libao, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture for the Province of Laguna, Hon. Karla Adajar-Lajara, representatives from other DA agencies, institutional partners, farmer leaders, and local government officials from the province… Read more

THE Blue Environmental Sustainability Gap (Blue ESGap) framework, which is being piloted in the Philippines and Indonesia, is a novel tool that guides the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources. It uses specialized indicators "to monitor biodiversity loss, pollution, overfishing and climate pressures, tying these ecological factors to the economic and social systems that depend on healthy oceans," said Agence Française de Développement environmental economist Oskar Lecuyer. Lecuyer made this presentation during the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture's Agriculture and Development Seminar Series on Sept. 12. He also noted the urgency to move… Read more

PILA, Laguna (PIA) – Laguna's rice farmers will now have a new source of income – and new opportunities for renewable energy – thanks to a Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub (RSBH) that repurposes agricultural waste. Unveiled in Pila town, the "dayami" (rice straw) hub aims to demonstrate innovative technologies that convert rice straw into usable bioenergy products. It promotes sustainable agricultural practices and supports the government's effort to reduce carbon emissions from the open burning of rice straw, a practice that has long affected air quality and contributed to greenhouse gases. For Pila Municipal Agriculture and Fishery Council Chairperson Ma… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is calling on photographers, students, hobbyists, agripreneurs, and storytellers across Southeast Asia to join the 19th SEARCA Photo Contest. This year's theme, "Beyond the Harvest: People and Processes in the Agriculture Value Chain," invites images that reveal the often-unseen steps that bring food from farms and seas to our tables. SEARCA Center Director Dr. Mercedita Sombilla said, "The contest looks for powerful, human-centered stories showing life after harvest—how crops are cleaned and sorted, how food is processed and packaged, how goods travel by road and water to… Read more

Hinahanap ng Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) ang mga litratista, mag-aaral, mga 'hobbyist', agripreneur, at kuwentista sa buong Timog-Silangang Asya upang sumali sa ika-19 na SEARCA Photo Contest. Ang tema ngayong taon, "Beyond the Harvest: People and Processes in the Agriculture Value Chain" o "Higit sa Ani: Mga Tao at Proseso sa Hanay ng Agrikultura," ay anyaya para kuhanan ng larawan ang mga karaniwang hindi nakikitang hakbang kung paano napupunta ang pagkain mula sa mga bukid at dagat patungo sa ating mga hapag-kainan. Ayon kay Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, SEARCA Center Director, "Hinahanap ng… Read more

As climate change and food insecurity continue to challenge the nation's agricultural productivity, Filipino scientists are turning to biotechnology (BT) as a key solution for sustainable farming and nutrition. At a media forum on "Biotechnology R&D and Regulatory Landscape in the Philippines" held on October 14, experts from leading scientific institutions reported significant advances in gene-edited and genetically engineered crops— innovations poised to reshape the country's food systems. The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Inc. (ISAAA) noted a growing global and local acceptance of gene-edited crops, driven by more science-based regulations. These crops — engineered for higher… Read more

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At a time when biotechnology remains one of the most debated frontiers in Philippine agriculture, Filipino scientists and agricultural experts are calling for a simple yet often overlooked principle in policymaking: listen to the farmers. Dr. Clarisse Gonzalvo, a biotechnology researcher from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), noted that after more than two decades of genetically modified (GM) corn cultivation in the country, one truth has become clear — many smallholder farmers have embraced the technology not because of policy pressure or subsidies, but because of their own experience in the fields. "When in doubt, listen," Gonzalvo… Read more