SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Oct 23 (PIA) --Institutional and thought leaders will convene in a Stakeholders Forum organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to strategize together for a transformative agricultural and rural development (ARD) in Southeast Asia in the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. To be held virtually on 28 October 2020, the forum will discuss the status of ARD in Southeast Asia by showcasing and highlighting strategic lessons from institutional experiences, both in the science and practice of ARD in the region, in the past five years. Dr… Read more

TO help Filipino farmers discard their obsolete ways, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has unveiled a new program, called Emerging Innovation for Growth (EIG). According to SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio, EIG is powered by SEARCA's "innovEIGhts" model of fostering collaboration among the academe, industry and government. EIG is the flagship program in SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan that is focused on "Accelerating Transformation through Agricultural Innovation," or ATTAIN. "The challenging task of [weaning away] our farmers from obsolete ways of farming that is limited to a production perspective toward an agribusiness mindset in… Read more

An Emerging Innovation for Growth (EIG) Program powered by the "SEARCA innovEIGhts" model of open collaboration for academe-industry-government partnerships was launched on October 14. At the virtual launch held virtually via Facebook and Zoom, Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio of Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said: "The current situation has given us more opportunity to highlight the importance of agriculture. Moreover, technology and innovation, especially digitalization in agriculture, is more than ever crucial in the time of COVID-19." He noted the challenging task of ushering the farmers from obsolete ways of farming, limited to… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Oct 13 (PIA) --The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have jointly organized an online "Higher Education Institutions' Training-Workshop on Research Project Development for Agriculture 4.0" to be held on October 12-13, 2020. A total of 88 faculty members from 37 colleges and universities across the country and key staff of CHED and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) will participate in the training-workshop. The training will be conducted via the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) platform, which… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and startup company APPGeese Inc. have partnered to develop a pilot digital agriculture platform in Laguna and Quezon. The project will be undertaken by SEARCA through its Emerging Innovation for Growth Program. Rico Ancog, SEARCA EIG program lead, said the institution wants to build a culture of open collaboration and harness emerging innovations for growth and resilience of farming communities and agriculture systems. SEARCA will identify the pilot sites and introduce the project to the communities and local government in the areas selected. It will also recommend… Read more

Masbate Rep. Elisa "Olga" Kho has cited the importance of animal biotechnology in improving the health and welfare of animals and in ensuring the country's food security. The chairperson of the Committee on Rural Development said the use of animal biotechnology should be promoted in the country, as it would help equip the Philippines deal with different diseases afflicting animals, including the African Swine Fever (ASF) and Avian Flu. "Animal biotechnology is very important to prevent diseases among our animals and to make them resilient especially those we are slaughtering for our consumption, using this technology make them fat and… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have organized a training-workshop for higher education institutions (HEIs) on research and project development for Agriculture 4.0. The training-workshop will be held from October 12 to 13. A total of 88 faculty members from 37 colleges and universities across the country, along with key staff of CHED and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), will participate in the training-workshop. The training will be conducted via the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement platform, which will be… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to lead the development of national road maps for key agri-based value chains where smallholders play a prominent role in five countries, including the Philippines. Under the five-year project "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns [ATMI-ASEAN]," SEARCA will take the lead in crafting the national road map for the pork-based processed products value chain in the Philippines. The priority commodities in the other ASEAN member states (AMS) covered by the ATMI-ASEAN project are maize for… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and APPGeese, Inc., a start-up company based in Pasig, have partnered to develop a pilot digital agriculture platform in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. APPGeese Executive Founder Raymund D. Austria said "I thought about the COVID-19 pandemic which made me realize that the food sector is really vulnerable. We looked for partners through social media and found SEARCA." The project is being undertaking by SEARCA through its Emerging Innovation for Growth (EIG) Program, which is powered by an "InnovEIGhts" model of open collaboration that will be… Read more

Regarded as a lesser-known indigenous fruit, especially in the Visayas, the batuan was found to have potential uses in many food products. The fruit is common and widely distributed in primary forests at low and medium altitudes throughout Luzon and the Visayas, particularly in Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces. This is according to a monograph series published by the Philippines-based Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) that gave information on batuan products and technologies. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the series was made under the "Financial Viability and Profitability Analysis of Agricultural Technologies and Enterprises"… Read more