SEARCA in the News

TO enhance English proficiency for incoming scholars, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has commenced its new fiscal year by offering customized training for the Academic Year 2023–2024. According to SEARCA, a group of 11 scholars hailing from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam actively participated in the Basic English Course. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the Basic English Course is an annual offering by SEARCA designed to enhance the scholars' English proficiency and foster their comfort in using the language in preparation for their academic studies. The course, which… Read more

THIRTY-ONE participants representing 19 members of the State Universities and Colleges-Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (SUC-ACAP) have undergone training in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on cage-free egg production. The training was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) with the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Faculty of Animal Science offering the International Training on Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub (ITCFIWH). Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said the weeklong training from July 9 to 15, 2023 was aimed at equipping attendees with knowledge on best practices for cage-free egg production, ensuring safety and nutritional… Read more

The Philippine Association of Agriculturists (PAA), Inc., the sole Accredited Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) for Agriculture in the Philippines, is set to host its 10th National Congress and 2023 Philippine Agriculturists' Summit. The event, scheduled from July 25 to 27, will take place at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City, Davao del Sur. According to Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the event is expected to bring together a diverse range of experts, policymakers, and practitioners from various agricultural disciplines. He noted that the congress aims to… Read more

Peserta Bab 33 yang mewakili 19 anggota Universitas Negeri dan Kolese – Konsorsium Sekolah Tinggi Pertanian Filipina (SUC-ACAP) menjalani pelatihan di Yogyakarta, Indonesia tentang produksi telur tanpa kandang. Pelatihan ini diselenggarakan oleh Pusat Regional Asia Tenggara untuk Studi Pascasarjana dan Penelitian Pertanian (SEARCA) dengan Fakultas Peternakan Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) menyediakan pelatihan International Cage-Free Care and Innovation Center (ITCFIWH). Glenn Gregorio, Direktur SEARCA, mengatakan pelatihan selama seminggu dari 9-15 Juli 2023 dimaksudkan untuk memberikan pengetahuan kepada peserta tentang praktik terbaik untuk produksi telur tanpa kandang, memastikan keamanan dan kualitas nutrisi, dan mempromosikan praktik pertanian berkelanjutan untuk lingkungan. pertanian yang bertanggung… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: Some 40 Taiwanese and Filipino students visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on July 10, 2023 to enhance their understanding of the center's influential research and work on climate change, rural development and food security. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the visit by these students from the Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp, along with two Taiwanese professors, was an enriching cultural and academic exchange. The visit was arranged by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies under its Project Learning… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has renewed institutional ties setting to co-organize a pioneering tri-conference this year. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said it was an event marked by renewed commitment and increased cooperation when the center and UPOU signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on June 29, 2023 at the UPOU Campus in Los Baños, Laguna. Leading the ceremonial signing were Gregorio and Dr. Melinda Bandalaria, UPOU chancellor. They were joined by various delegates from both… Read more

TUGUEGARAO CITY: A delegation from the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 2 (DA-RFO2) here conducted a benchmarking at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to refine their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes. According to Bernadette Galoso, DA-RFO2 M&E project evaluation officer, the interest of the Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) Agriculture office in SEARCA's monitoring and evaluation system stems from a desire to replicate similar methodologies in their context. Galoso expressed the commitment of their M&E office to tracing the impacts of their implemented and funded projects, aligning with the overall mandate of the… 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

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