SEARCA in the News

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

Los Baños, Laguna—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture has completed the Philippine Carabao Center-funded project titled "Building Capacity and Strengthening Partnership for Carabao Development Program" conducted from April 2015 to December 2019. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, turned over the final report to Dr. Arnel N. del Barrio, PCC Executive Director, during his visit to PCC. With him was a team from SEARCA that included SEARCA Deputy Director Joselito G. Florendo. The project had three components: knowledge management, capacity building, and enterprise development, which supported PCC in upscaling its implementation of the CDP… Read more

"We don't just need a hero now, what we need are partners." That is according to Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn B. Gregorio, who said that support is needed from all the stakeholders in order to help farmers become entrepreneurs. Gregorio said this as he delivered the keynote address at the 33rd Anniversary celebration of the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-ATI-CAR). In his keynote address titled "Climate Change and the 4th IR Readiness through Extension and Innovation on Farming Technologies," Gregorio emphasized that SEARCA is working with partners… Read more

BAGUIO CITY: An intergovernment treaty organization focusing on agriculture research has partnered with the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-ATI-CAR) in implementing the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project for small farmers. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), said they were working with partners such as ATI to make a difference in agriculture in Southeast Asia and the Philippines in particular. Gregorio was here during the 33rd anniversary celebration of the DA-ATI-CAR on January 30. The celebration's theme was "Vibrant Agriculture and Fishery Extension Toward… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) has completed a Philippine Carabao Center (PCC)-funded project that assisted 17 cooperative-beneficiaries under its enterprise development component. The project, titled “Building Capacity and Strengthening Partnership for Carabao Development Program (CDP),” was conducted from April 2015 to December 2019. Of the 17 cooperatives, 13 were in Luzon and four in the Visayas. They were givenequipment, tools, supplies and vehicles needed for their carabao-based enterprises. Glenn Gregorio, Searca director, turned over the final report to Arnel del Barrio, PCC executive director, during his recent visit to the carabao center… Read more

Greenpeace is now aggressively escalating its attacks on Golden Rice just weeks after the Philippine government determined it is safe for human and animal consumption. Its Philippines’ chapter is calling on the government to revoke its December decision that puts approval on a fast track. The environmental activist group is now arguing that the government erred in not following the ‘precautionary principle’, a controversial regulatory concept that considers all the potential hazards of a decision or policy but often ignores whether any real-world risks are involved, and rarely includes cost-benefit analysis. It’s a notion widely deployed by activist groups in… Read more