SEARCA in the News

MANILA, Philippines — Many Filipinos are practicing backyard gardening and now have a better appreciation and increased interest in growing their own food during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), Sen. Cynthia Villar said yesterday. “I am glad that more people are now seeing the benefits of planting vegetables in their own backyard. And I hope the growing interest will continue even after the quarantine is lifted,” said Villar, a proponent of vegetable gardening or backyard farming. Netizens are posting pictures on social media like Facebook and Twitter their gardening during ECQ, she noted. Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on… Read more

A downturn in agricultural production was worsened by farmers’ limited access to farm inputs and markets to sell produce due to mobility restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. With this, the government needs to “rethink” interventions in the sector as the virus lockdown has further cut the number of farmers and their income, resulting in depressed demand for goods, food insecurity and declining Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This was learned from Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), who said the sectors’ problems would further reduce agriculture… Read more

As COVID-19 exposed the sorry state of the country’s agriculture sector, a lot of Filipinos will feel the need to grow their own food within their houses. This is called urban agriculture wherein people resort to home gardening for their steady supply of staple vegetables. Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn B. Gregorio said during a webinar that despite the odds due to the global pandemic, the COVID-19 lockdown has opened opportunities for urban agriculture. “It is unfortunate that COVID-19 has not only raised food price but also threatened nutritional security for… Read more

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net: DA expands online serviceshttps://business.inquirer.net/296289/da-expands-online-services… Read more

MANILA, Philippines — The government continues to adopt technology to combat the possible threat of food security amid the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Agriculture will partner with ride-hailing app Grab and other enterprises with an online-driven platform to speed up movement of food and agricultural products from provinces to consumers. Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the DA is beefing up its technology-steering Kadiwa Online and Kadiwa Express. The Kadiwa Express will use cloud and other information systems in tracking goods, including radio frequency identification, that can monitor where goods are located, while in transit or… Read more

he Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will partner with Grab Philippines and other enterprises with online-driven platforms to speed up movement of food and agricultural products from provinces to consumers. DA secretary William Dar made the announcement during webinar on Tuesday, April 28, hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca). The delivery of goods will become available to consumers online through the expanded “Kadiwa Express” initiative, Dar said. The Kadiwa Express will use cloud and other tracking tools — possibly including RFID — that can monitor where goods are located while… Read more

The Philippines has enough food supply to last until yearend, but measures are being studied in anticipation of changes in the export of goods once the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is contained. As the country ushers in the “new normal,” experts are looking at urban agriculture to solve an impending food security problem in the post-lockdown era as the health crisis continues. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said urban agriculture approaches like containerized and modular farming strategies are ways to channel concrete solutions to food security. SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio said the… Read more

The “new normal” resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak would need wider participation in agriculture among urban residents as an alternative food security solution. To promote further the idea of having urban residents put up their own gardens, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will be discussing urban agriculture during its first digital brainstorm webinar via Zoom, according to an emailed press release. During the launching of SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar, the center will tackle food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the “new normal,” the… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is launching a new webinar series to address food security concerns amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Searca director, said the Searca Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (Solve) would be launched on Tuesday and would highlight concrete actions in agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia. Solve is Searca’s effort to break boundaries, both physical and conceptual, to strategically disseminate just-in-time solutions. “On its inaugural run, Solve will tackle pressing food security concerns during the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and push the discussion toward… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) strongly recommends the massive promotion of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) among rice farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta (MRD) and coastal areas during the country’s current salinity and drought crisis. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said SEARCA is pushing for the adoption of GAP in its newly published policy paper on the economic importance of the rice production sector in Vietnam, the extent of salinity and drought in the MRD, and how these are exacerbated by climate change-related hazards. In the paper, SEARCA has noted the importance of rice production… Read more