SEARCA in the News

CALAMBA, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a refresher training on sustainable home gardening techniques for staff members of Bahay ni Maria, a home for abandoned elderly persons and children with special needs in Calamba, Laguna. Led by Anna Gale Vallez, Program Specialist at SEARCA's Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), the activity capacitated 15 young staff members and Sr. Marie Sosoban of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima in practical and sustainable approaches to household-level food production. The session covered organic farming, bio-intensive gardening, establishing a… Read more

AS I write this column, there are hopes that a peace agreement between the United States and Iran will hold as the global food system took a lot of beating from higher fertilizer and transport costs due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. And if peace prevails in the Middle East, the nations and regions whose food production systems absorb shocks should waste no time in making their agriculture sectors more resilient and sustainable. This includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that, thankfully, already has the ASEAN Food Security Alliance (AFSA) created in 2024 through the… Read more

The Consortium for Agricultural Policy Research Initiatives (CAPRI) held its onboarding workshop on 27-28 April 2026 at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), bringing together representatives from national research institutions, development partners, and regional organizations, including the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), to strengthen collaboration on agricultural policy research across Southeast Asia. SEARCA Center Director Dr. Mercedita Sombilla emphasized the need for evidence-based policymaking to address interconnected agricultural challenges, including labor outmigration, an aging farming population, climate risks, and underinvestment in technology and infrastructure. She described these issues as "systemic, complex, and mutually… Read more

ALABANG — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) helped organize a conference on how to measure whether science and technology projects are working. The 2nd Science and Technology Impact Assessment Conference (IACon) 2026 was held May 25-26, 2026, at the Acacia Hotel here. It was led by the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Public Affairs and Development, together with the Department of Science and Technology through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research… Read more

For 60 years, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture or SEARCA has been transforming the agricultural landscape in the region towards greater productivity. As it moves onward to the next five years, it seeks "to reimagine agriculture as a driver of prosperity, equity, and environmental stewardship across the Southeast Asian region". Yesterday, with a select group of media invitees, SEARCA Executive Director Mercedita Sombilla bares its 12th Five-Year Development Plan or FYDP anchoring on the theme SUSTAIN or Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation, directed towards its own version of 4Ps as outcomes… Read more

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for its sustained support in advancing quality education through agriculture-based learning programs. DepEd's acknowledgment affirms SEARCA's position as a trusted partner in linking classrooms to farms and ensuring that education reforms also translate into opportunities for Filipino learners in the agriculture sector. The collaboration between SEARCA and DepEd covers several initiatives that use school and home gardens as living laboratories. The School-Plus-Home Gardens Project (S+HGP) provides students with hands-on experience in growing food while learning about nutrition and sustainable practices… Read more

Bagama't madalas ituring ng iba ang University of the Philippines Diliman bilang "main campus," sa ilalim ng Republic Act 9500, ang UP ay isang pambansang sistema ng magkakapantay na constituent universities. Bawat campus ay may sariling mandato at espesyalisasyon, kaya walang iisang "main," kundi iisang UP na nasa iba't ibang rehiyon. "Ah, sa UP ka... UPD?" Kapag binanggit ng isang mag-aaral na sila ay taga-UP, kadalasang sumusunod ang tanong: taga-Diliman ba? Sa paglipas ng panahon, nabuo ang hindi opisyal na outgroup hierarchy. Kapag hindi taga-Diliman, madalas ang tugon ay "ah, okay." Ang malala, kadalasang ibinababa ang pagtingin sa iba pang… Read more

Women's participation is critical for sustainable agri-food systems. However, in many countries within the Indo-Pacific region, women are still denied equal access to education, participation, fair wages and mentorship. This challenge led ACIAR to establish the Meryl Williams Fellowship in 2020. It is a program designed to support women agricultural researchers across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen their leadership and management skills. Fellows undertake workshops, collaborative projects and tailored placements to build networks and develop their professional leadership skills. More than 110 fellows from across our region have completed the program since it began. Many have advanced their careers as researchers… Read more

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Farmers, officials, scientists and advocates gathered to review the province's ban on genetically modified (GM) crops and what lifting it could mean for corn growers. The recent discussion, organized by the Provincial Agriculture Office of Oriental Mindoro, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, and the Department of Agriculture (DA) Biotechnology Program Office, centered on policy, science and the realities of the field. Oriental Mindoro has enforced Provincial Ordinance 03-2024, the Environment Code and Ordinance 002-2007, barring the entry and propagation of GM organisms. Lily Mae Lim of the Provincial Government… Read more

BANGKOK — As Southeast Asia's agricultural sector confronts climate uncertainty, labor shortages and mounting pressure to improve productivity, a new generation of developers is looking to artificial intelligence (AI) for answers. That trend was on full display at the Agritechnica Asia Hackathon, held during the Agrinnovate Southeast Asia Summit 2026, where 47 participants from seven countries spent a day building AI-powered solutions designed to address real-world farming challenges. The event brought together students, engineers, programmers and aspiring entrepreneurs from the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam to develop technologies that could help farmers make better decisions, improve… Read more