SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines — A nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has validated that the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund–Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) is driving significant improvements in productivity, profitability, and climate resilience among Filipino rice farmers. The study, titled "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019–2024," was presented on 27 January 2026 during the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute's (DA-ATI) annual performance review in Quezon City. It assessed the program's impact following the enactment of Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Law. Over 300,000 farmers… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has formally approved a comprehensive five-year roadmap aimed at transforming agricultural higher education in the Philippines, marking a major policy breakthrough in efforts to modernize the sector and develop a future-ready agri-food workforce. The Five-Year Roadmap for Agriculture Higher Education in the Philippines was endorsed during the CHED Committee En Banc meeting on 2 February 2026, following a multi-year development process led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with Visayas State University (VSU). A cohesive framework for reform The roadmap… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has approved the Five-Year Roadmap for Agriculture Higher Education in the Philippines, a landmark framework developed by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with Visayas State University (VSU). The roadmap, endorsed during the CHED Committee En Banc meeting on 2 February 2026, represents a significant milestone in the country's efforts to elevate agricultural education and strengthen the sector's contribution to national development. The roadmap lays out a forward-looking vision to modernize academic programs, enhance institutional leadership, and align agricultural higher… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — A comprehensive and nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has validated the positive impact of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) on rice farmers. The program, implemented by the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), has significantly improved rice farm productivity and profitability, benefiting over 300,000 farmers, trainers, and extension intermediaries across 57 priority rice-producing provinces. SEARCA presented the findings of the project titled "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019-2024" during the Keeping on Track: ATI's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—A nationwide endline evaluation led by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has confirmed that the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund–Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) is delivering substantial improvements in rice farm productivity, profitability, and resilience across the country. The findings were presented during the "Keeping on Track: ATI's FY 2025 Annual Performance Review and FY 2026 Commitment Signing" held on 27 January 2026 at The Hive Hotel and Convention Place. The study, "Reaping the Benefits: Evaluation of RCEF-RESP 2019–2024," led… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) organized the Inception Workshop of the Southeast Asia Agricultural Outlook Series (SEA Agri Outlook Series) on 26–27 January 2026. The workshop aimed to provide a venue for SEARCA and country experts from 11 Southeast Asian countries to discuss and agree on the country studies' overall focus, methods of analysis, data sources, and report contents. Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, SEARCA Center Director, welcomed the participants and presented an overview of the SEA Agri Outlook Series, a flagship publication that provides policy-relevant insights through a mixed-methods analytical… Read more

A bright spot in an otherwise lackluster 2025 for the Philippine economy is the news that the entire agricultural sector grew at 3.1 percent—the highest in eight years—for the whole year, having surprised everyone by growing at seven percent in the second quarter, led by poultry and crops. This is an encouraging sign that the BBM government is delivering on its promise of assigning the highest priority to food security. A growth of 3.1 percent may seem unimpressive, but we must consider how this “Achilles’ heel” of the Philippine economy had been performing for the last two decades, growing at… Read more

(Last of Three Parts) In 1974, Henry Kissinger, who was then the Secretary of State of the United States, famously asserted that by 1984, no child, woman, or man would ever have to go to bed hungry. Regrettably, that commitment remains significantly unfulfilled. During the 1996 World Food Summit, political leaders from 186 nations vowed to reduce the number of hungry individuals in the world by half by the year 2015 – equating to a decrease of 20 million each year. However, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, "far from diminishing, the number of hungry people globally is… Read more

(Second of Three Parts) Fish, like rice, is the staple food of Filipinos. As a matter of fact, fish provides more than half of the protein requirement of almost all Filipinos. Give man a fish, so goes a very popular Chinese saying, and he will eat fish for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will fish for his lifetime. However, if we don't watch out, this adage may soon become obsolete. Similar to other essential resources, the fisheries in the Philippines are on the brink of collapse, suffering from the relentless "plunder of the commons." The term… Read more

(First of Three Parts) Famine, characterized by a widespread lack of food resulting in severe and prolonged hunger among a large segment of the population, has occurred in the past, even during biblical times. The Holy Bible, in Genesis 55-57, recorded it: "So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, 'Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.' When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold them to the… Read more