SEARCA in the News

JAKARTA—Throughout Southeast Asia, new laws introduced to support social forestry and a large-scale transfer of control over forests to nearby residents have had a profound impact. Transformative activities supported since 2011 by Asean-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change helped lay the foundations for political, and institutional, change through technical support and activities in Asean member-states. The partnership was established to support Asean member-states, and facilitate regional-level coordination and knowledge-sharing on social forestry, in addition to people-oriented forestry, as a means to address climate change and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also ensured the participation of… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia have co-published a compendium of climate-resilient agricultural technologies and approaches in the Philippines. Titled "Compendium of Climate-Resilient Agriculture Technologies and Approaches in the Philippines," it is in response to the need to provide science-based and actionable knowledge on climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices in different agroecological systems in the country. Available in hardcover and paperback, the compendium is authored by Dr. Romeo V. Labios, Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, Dr. Jocelyn D… Read more

A Youth, Agriculture and the Environment Session will be held at the 3rd Philippine Environment Summit to be held from February 26 to 28 in Cagayan de Oro City. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will host the session. The summit is co-organized by Green Convergence and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Under the theme, “Paradigm [re]Shift: Heeding Nature,” the three-day event will present programs and projects that advance the country’s socioeconomic development while protecting the environment. In the youth session on February 27, SEARCA will feature five young professionals who… Read more

Educational institutions should get ready for challenges posed by Agriculture 4.0, or the farming and fishery sector getting technologized by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe). The challenges and how to deal with them were discussed in a symposium themed “Education for Inclusive Growth of Society 5.0” organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (Seameo) and University of Tsukuba (UoT) at its Tokyo Campus in Japan on February 13-14. Glenn Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) director, talked about challenges and curricular imperatives in developing next-generation leaders of the agriculture sector in… Read more

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said that agriculture sector’s transformation is highly dependent on innovators that will propose new technology that could drive production and workflow. This was tackled during the SEAMEO-University of Tsukuba Symposium VIII recently held in Tokyo. Jointly organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and University of Tsukuba at its Tokyo campus, the symposium was themed “Education for Inclusive Growth of Society 5.0.” SEARCA is one of the oldest regional centers of SEAMEO, which was founded in 1965 to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture… Read more

Baguio City—The government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture has rallied government leaders and extension workers to transform farmers into agripreneurs during the recently held 33rd Anniversary celebration of the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute-Cordillera Administrative Region. Anchored on the theme "Vibrant Agriculture and Fishery Extension Towards Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita," Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, during the celebration, emphasized that SEARCA is working with partners such as the Agricultural Training Institute to make a difference in agriculture in Southeast Asia and the Philippines in particular. "We don't just need a hero… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has published a compendium in response to the need to provide science-based and actionable knowledge on climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices in different agro-ecological systems in the country. Titled Compendium of Climate-Resilient Agriculture Technologies and Approaches in the Philippines, the compendium is available in hardcover and paperback. A copy may also be downloaded for free from the SEARCA website. "The compendium does not only present a menu of solutions but more importantly, it proposes that the business-as-usual attitude is no longer an option if we want to… Read more

MANOLO FORTICH, Bukidnon – Northern Bukidnon State College has recently named Dr. Catherine Roween C. Almaden as its new president. Northern Bukidnon State College offers undergraduate courses, serving the human resource development needs of the Province of Bukidnon and Region X. It has been less than a year since its conversion from Northern Bukidnon Community College into a state college in April 2019. Dr. Almaden earned her PhD in development studies from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) with support from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as a SEARCA PhD… Read more

Four Filipinos won five of the six top prizes in the 13th Photo Contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) with the theme "Cultivating Southeast Asia's Youth Agripreneurs." The winners are Mariano Sayno, first prize; Phan Thi Khanh of Vietnam, second prize; Jose Ramos, third prize; and Christopher Andres, People's Choice Award. Jaime Singlador bagged the SEARCA Director's Choice and the Philippine Department of Education Secretary's Choice, both new special prize categories. Sayno's photo shows a mother-and-son tandem in the town of Laguna, which is known for its duck-raising cottage industry. The… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has renewed its partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to further address challenges in the country's rice industry. Under their three-year agreement signed on Jan. 20, 2020, SEARCA and PhilRice will collaborate on joint research, capacity building activities, and knowledge and information exchange, among other activities. SEARCA had been collaborating with PhilRice, conducting research on improving agricultural insurance to enhance resilience to climate change; estimating the demand elasticities of rice in the Philippines; nature, sources and causes of Philippine agriculture's productivity growth; assessing the Gulayan… Read more