SEARCA in the News

Manila mayor and presidential aspirant Isko Moreno committed to provide funding for agricultural research institutions to safeguard the country’s food security.  “Kung papalarin tayo, we will continue to invest to (sic) the number one threat to national security, which is food security. The best way to do it, buhayin muli, palakasin muli ang akademya sa agrikultura,” Moreno said in a statement. Under his leadership, he said his administration will also invest in professors and teachers in this field at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB). UPLB has made efforts in plant breeding and bioengineering as part of… Read more

MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Wednesday vowed that if elected president, his administration will invest in strengthening the country’s academic and research institutions in agriculture as part of his programs to ensure Philippine food security. “I hope that someday, somehow, may awa ang Diyos, kung papalarin tayo, we will continue to invest to the number one threat to national security, which is food security. The best way to do it, buhayin muli, palakasin muli ang akademya sa agrikultura,” the Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer said in an interview in Los Baños, Laguna. “Kaya makaka-asa ang ating mga guro na mamumuhunan… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is conducting an Online Training Course on Research Designs and Methods for Higher Education Institutions (Research4HEIs) in the Philippines tapping University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) faculty. The center said the online training course is in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Higher Education Institution (CHEd) to provide faculty members and researchers of HEIs with more advanced skills in developing well-planned research designs and methods to generate evidence effectively and efficiently. The Research4HEIs was organized and coordinated by SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department-Training for Development… Read more

An agro-enterprise project, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has beefed up "value chain" opportunities for Filipino farmers in 21 poverty-stricken provinces, linking them to markets, credit, training and technology. In a webinar, hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca), the Department of Trade and Industry reported that a project called "Rapid" had been helping raise income for small farmers and unemployed rural women. Rapid stood for Rural Agro Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth. The concept of Rapid was to first organize farmers into bigger groups as… Read more

Filipino images on home farming and sustainable food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic took home the top honors in the 15th edition of the annual photo contest by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The Philippines’ lensmen swept most of the awards in the competition which drew 376 amateur and professional photographers from 11 countries sending in a total of 1,513 entries. Filipinos won the first and second major prizes in the competition, as well as the special awards for SEARCA Director’s Choice, People’s Choice, and Best Youth Photographer. The rest of the… Read more

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers, won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Filipinos won the first and second prizes, People’s Choice and SEARCA Director’s Choice awards, and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone). The other winning photos were by photographers from Vietnam and Myanmar. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien Aldaba won the first… Read more

CEBU, Philippines —  An agro-enterprise project supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has beefed up “value chain” opportunities for Filipino farmers in 21 poverty-stricken provinces, linking them to markets, credit, training, and technology. In a webinar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that a project called “RAPID” or Rural Agro Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth has been helping raise income for small farmers and unemployed rural women. The concept of RAPID is first to organize farmers into bigger… Read more

Seventeen state universities and colleges (SUCs) are participating in the online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs) conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) from 1 February to 14 March 2021. One SUC in the original 18 targeted HEIs was unable to join because it is in an area badly hit by Typhoon Odette, said Dr. Nova A. Ramos, who heads the SEARCA Training for Development Unit (T4DU). She said the participants are from Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture & Technology… Read more

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the  Covid-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers,  won the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) 2021 photo contest. Themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems,” the contest saw Filipinos winning the first and second prizes, People’s Choice and SEARCA Director’s Choice awards and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone), a SEARCA news release said. The other winning photos were by photographers from Vietnam and Myanmar. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has announced the winners of its annual photo contest.Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers, won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Filipinos won the first and second prizes, People's Choice and SEARCA Director's Choice awards, and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone). The other… Read more