SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — The first woman to lead the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in its nearly 60-year history has decades of experience in agricultural policy and regional development. The appointment of Mercedita Sombilla as the new SEARCA Center Director, effective April 1, 2025, follows a distinguished career marked by thought leadership and significant contributions to agricultural economics, public policy and regional development. In her acceptance speech during the SEARCA Leadership Turnover Ceremony held on Mar. 25, 2025, Sombilla expressed her sincere appreciation for the opportunity to steer the Center and build… Read more

Rice is not just a crop—it is the backbone of economies, cultures, and food security across Asia. In Japan, a recent rice shortage has brought this reality into sharp focus. Prices have spiked, supermarket shelves are being emptied, and public concern is rising. The causes—climate-induced weather disruptions, a surge in tourism-driven demand, and speculative stockpiling. In response to the crisis, the Japanese government has begun auctioning off rice from national reserves. The situation resonates deeply with neighboring ASEAN countries, where rice plays a similarly vital role. It was in this context that policymakers, government officials, and representatives from Micro, Small… Read more

(Part 2) Digital transformation is part of what is known as the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0, which includes, among others, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, digitalization and data analytics. It must be pointed out, however, that the Philippines has failed to complete IR 1.0 (the Age of Mechanization), IR 2.0 (the Age of Electrification), and IR 3.0 (the Electronic Age). Because of serious errors in economic policy making of the Government over the last 50 years, the first industrial revolution (which first happened in England in 1790-1830) was never completed in the Philippine economy because in the… Read more

ネイチャーベースのカーボンクレジット創出販売事業を展開するGreen Carbon株式会社（代表取締役：大北潤、以下：Green Carbon（読み；グリーンカーボン））は、東南アジア地域における持続可能な農業の推進及び農業由来のカーボンクレジット創出に向けて、東南アジア教育大臣機構（SEAMEO）傘下の東南アジア地域農学高等教育研究センター（以下SEARCA※１）とMOU（以下、本MOU）を締結したことをお知らせします。 本MOUに基づき、と自然由来のカーボンクレジットのプロジェクト開発における協力を推進していくと共に、土壌炭素貯留を促進するカーボンファーミング※2に注力し、カーボンクレジット創出を目指します。… Read more

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net:BIZ BUZZ: DA execs take on new roleshttps://plus.inquirer.net/business/biz-buzz-da-execs-take-on-new-roles… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is pleased to announce the launch of three regional training programs and one international conference in 2025. These initiatives aim to empower faculty and staff from higher education institutions, extension agencies, government and private sector institutions, and civil society organizations (CSOs) across Southeast Asia. The programs and conference focus on enhancing leadership, innovation, and development within the agriculture sector. Here are the upcoming events: 1. Leadership Development Program for Higher Education Institutions in Southeast Asia (LDP-HEIs in SEA) Theme: "Designing and Leading Your University to the Desired… Read more

MANILA, Philippines — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has appointed Mercedita Sombilla, a former agriculture undersecretary, as its 12th director and its first female head in nearly 60 years. Sombilla's three-year term as director of one of the leading non-profit organizations in agriculture in the region started on April 1. SEARCA noted that Sombilla's appointment comes after her distinguished public service career. Sombilla served as an undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture during the initial years of the current administration. Sombilla has been a long-standing policy advocate at the National Economic and… Read more

THE Los Baños, Laguna-based Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) held a leadership transition on March 24, marking the end of Glenn Gregorio's tenure as center director from 2019 to 2025. Leah Lyn Domingo, SEARCA Partnership Unit public relations specialist, said SEARCA hosted a leadership turnover ceremony to officially mark the transition of leadership from Gregorio to Mercedita Agcaoili-Sombilla as the new center director, whose term of office began on April 1. Sombilla, formerly an undersecretary at the National Economic and Development Authority, becomes the first woman to serve as the head… Read more

(Part 1) The Philippine agriculture sector accounts for about 10% of total GDP but employs some 22% of the Philippine labor force, already exposing the low productivity of those working in farming. It is not a surprise that some 70% of those who fall below the poverty line (16% of the total population and about 22% of total households) are in the farming, fisheries and forestry sector. If we expand the definition from just farming to the entire value chain called agribusiness (which includes post-harvest, storage, logistics, food processing and retailing), the contribution to GDP can rise to 30%. The… Read more

Organized by the Los Baños Science Community Foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI), the 16th Los Baños SyenSaya Science Festival showcased events, competitions, and exhibits that featured member-agencies' science, technology, and innovation (STI) programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) and services last March 11-13, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-CALABARZON participated in the festival, at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna. DOST-CALABARZON's programs, projects, and services Anchored to the DOST's National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW), the festival adopted the theme "Teknolohiya at Inobasyon: Kabalikat sa Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Kinabukasan." One of its highlights was the Wonderama… Read more