SEARCA in the News

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

AS part of the Bagong Pilipinas vision, the Department of Education (DepEd) is strengthening the role of micro-credentials in empowering young Filipinos, particularly those in farm schools and rural communities. Sec. Sonny Angara highlighted this initiative during a recent visit to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization – Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO SEARCA) in Los Baños, Laguna. Following a partnership with SEAMEO SEARCA, Sec. Angara underscored the need for direct support for farm school learners, technical assistance for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and School-Plus-Home Gardens, and innovations in food security… Read more

Le 16e Festival des Sciences SyenSaya de Los Baños, organisé par la Los Baños Science Community foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI), a mis en lumière les programmes, projets et activités (PPA) et services scientifiques, technologiques et d’innovation (STI) des agences membres du 11 au 13 mars. Le Département de la Science et de la Technologie (DOST)-CALABARZON a participé au festival, à l’Université des Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna. Programmes, projets et services du DOST-CALABARZON Ancré à la Semaine nationale de la science, de la technologie et de l’innovation (NSTW) du DOST, le festival a adopté le thème « Teknolohiya at Inobasyon… Read more

Dr. Mercedita A. Sombilla, a renowned economist with decades of experience in agricultural policy and regional development, has been appointed the new Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) effective 1 April 2025. This appointment also makes her the first woman to lead SEARCA in its nearly 60-year history. Her appointment follows a distinguished career marked by thought leadership and significant contributions to agricultural economics, public policy, and regional development. As Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Agriculture and a long-standing policy advocate at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), where… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently trained 26 professionals from higher education and research institutions for the second edition of the SEARCA Agri-Innovator Program (AIP) on human-centric innovative solutions in the agricultural sector. The event, compose of participants from 17 institutions across Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, was held online, followed by face-to-face sessions at the SEARCA headquarters on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna. A nonformal and short-term training program aligned with the center's 11th Five-Year Plan, the SEARCA AIP ought to challenge… Read more

Kailangan magtulungan ng siyensya, polisiya, at lipunan upang mapaunlad ang seguridad sa pagkain. Ito ang naging sentro ng talakayang pinangunahan ng Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) na ginanap noong ika-24 ng Marso 2025, sa SEARCA Drilon Hall. Pinamagatang "Food Systems Transformation: Imperative of Strengthened Interface between Science, Policy, and Society," ito ay bahagi ng kanilang Agriculture and Development Seminar Series. Binigyang diin ng tagapagsalita na si Dr. Shenggen Fan, Chair propesor at dekano ng Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy (AGFEP) ng China Agricultural University (CAU), ang kahalagahan ng praktikal na aplikasyon… Read more

THE University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) held the Food and Agribusiness Forum–Digital Transformation in Philippine Food and Agribusiness: Innovations for the Future on March 14 at the UA&P Campus in Pasig City. SEARCA Center Director Glenn Gregorio said that to achieve more efficient and broadly beneficial agriculture, "we must strategically deploy novel technologies." "This forum fosters collaboration among key players to accelerate the adoption of technology-driven solutions in food and agribusiness," Gregorio said. Speakers from prominent Philippine food and agribusiness firms gathered to share… Read more