SEARCA in the News

Rice serves as the essential sustenance for the Philippines, nourishing more than 115 million Filipinos and supporting countless smallholder farmers. But planting rice is never fun, so goes a line from a familiar folk song. Still, a lot of Filipino farmers continued to grow rice. Statistics indicate that there are 2.9 million Filipinos involved in rice farming and related activities within the country. Rice cultivation occurs over approximately 4.8 million hectares, of which 3.28 million hectares are irrigated, while the remaining 1.51 million hectares consist of non-irrigated areas, including rainfed and upland regions, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The… Read more

As North India continues to grapple with winter smog, mainly attributed to stubble burning, a breakthrough in rice farming technology offers a potential solution. Straw Traktor, a machine developed by London-headquartered agritech company Straw Innovations, turns leftover paddy straw into biochar and renewable energy, improves soil health, and even opens the possibility of a third rice harvest each year. The company plans to bring the technology to India next year through a partnership with Innovate UK, UKAid and Earthshot Prize winner, Takachar, a Delhi-based clean-tech start-up. The announcement comes at a time when India, the world's second-largest rice producer, is… Read more

A COLLABORATIVE initiative by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Villgro Philippines has empowered three gender-inclusive agri-enterprises across Southeast Asia to scale up climate-resilient business models and unlock critical investment opportunities. Called the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Enhancement (SAFE) Acceleration Program, the initiative was launched earlier this year offering mentorship, market validation and investment readiness support for early-stage agricultural enterprises. Participants underwent diagnostic panels, interactive learning labs, masterclasses, and peer exchanges, which culminate in 36 hours of personalized mentoring from 16 experts and trainers for more than a four-month journey. Spotlighting… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Nagoya University (NU) officially signed a memorandum of agreement on 13 October 2025 to establish the Nagoya University-SEARCA Joint Transnational PhD Scholarship for Philippine Nationals. The formal signing reaffirmed the two institutions' enduring partnership, which traces its roots back to 1986. Tailored for working professionals in engineering, agriculture, international development, and environmental studies, the transnational PhD scholarship program enables participants to earn their doctorates without leaving their current employment or home countries. The innovative initiative blends face-to-face supervision with online engagement and… Read more

THE Philippines generates annually least 13 million tons of dayami (rice straw), a valuable biomass resource that can be converted into soil amendments, food or feed inputs and bioenergy. To translate this potential into socioeconomic opportunities while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the pioneering Dayami Hub concept was introduced by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) during the Agrifuture Conference and Exhibition 2025 on Sept. 23-24. Lichelle Dara Carlos, SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department program specialist, presented the Dayami Hub as a national strategy to address rice straw burning, mitigate GHG emissions… Read more

TO drive innovation and regulatory responsiveness in agricultural biotechnology, a high-level forum was organized on Bridging Biotechnology Innovation and Regulations: Orientation on Microbial-based Product Development and Commercialization in the Academic Setting at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in Los Baños, Laguna. The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Biotech) co-organized the said event on Sept. 18, 2025, which brought together 58 agri-biotech stakeholders from academic institutions, government regulatory bodies, and the private sector. They discussed practical solutions for streamlining the approval and registration of… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) marked a defining milestone as it hosted the 73rd Governing Board Meeting (GBM) on 29–30 September 2025 at its headquarters at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus. A highlight of the meeting was the formal endorsement and adoption of SEARCA's updated 12th Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP) for FY 2025/2026 to FY 2029/2030. The plan, themed Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia), represents a strategic shift towards acceleration in regional agricultural development, positioning SEARCA as a… Read more

A NEW study highlights the importance of strengthening nutrition literacy and agricultural life skills in the education of Filipino youth. "Our youth today will be the future experts and leaders... and will have an important role in ensuring that the quality of food from our agriculture sector is able to impact nutrition," said nutritionist-dietician Ma. Cristina Sison, the co-author of the study titled "Youth Engagement in Transforming the Food System to Address Malnutrition in the Philippines." "Unless more young people pursue careers or vocations in agriculture, the food system's human resources may be at risk," she added. The study also… Read more

The University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines in Claveria, Misamis Oriental (USTP Claveria) continues to strengthen its commitment to agricultural education and rural development as its Sumilao Extension Class received a donation of academic resources from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on October 13, 2025. The initiative supports USTP Claveria's ongoing efforts to advance learning and innovation in agriculture across Bukidnon. Established in 1966 under the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), SEARCA is a non-profit regional center dedicated to promoting agricultural education, research, and rural development in Southeast… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Nagoya University (NU) forged an agreement on Oct. 13, 2025 to launch the NU-SEARCA Joint Transnational PhD Scholarship for Philippine Nationals. At the signing, NU was represented by Yamauchi Akira, director of the Asian Satellite Campuses Institute (ASCI) and Asia Collaborative Development Department (ACDD), Global Multi-Campus Institute, while SEARCA was represented by Director Mercedita Sombilla. Reviving ties established in 1986, the partnership empowers Filipino working professionals to pursue doctoral studies in critical fields like engineering, agriculture, international development, and environmental studies —… Read more