Due to the threats of Typhoon Pepito (international name: Man-yi) to Luzon, Philippines, in the coming days, we regret to postpone the AJAD 20th Anniversary Ceremony slated for 18 November 2024. We will announce when a new date for the event has been set.
The Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD), an internationally peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), celebrates two decades of contributing to the knowledge base of Asian agriculture and development through a paper seminar, featuring the presentation and discussion of two published articles in the AJAD 20th Anniversary Issue released in October.
The anniversary revolves around the theme, "AJAD's First Twenty Years: Evolving Knowledge and Practice in Asian Agriculture and Rural Development." Dubbed AJAD@20, the celebratory program and paper seminar is slated for 18 November 2024, 1:30 p.m., at the SEARCA Umali Auditorium in Los Baños, Laguna and livestreamed via Zoom and Facebook.
A throng of pillars in agricultural and rural development at the national, regional, and international spheres will grace the anniversary in-person and online. SEARCA Center Director Glenn Gregorio will welcome guests at the event, including three of his predecessors at the helm of SEARCA, top academicians, a national scientist, scientific authors, and leaders and experts from the Los Baños science community. Dr. Arsenio Balisacan, Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and a former SEARCA Director, will provide a historical perspective on AJAD, being its founding father. The AJAD editor, Dr. Cielito Habito, himself a former Philippine top economist as Director General of NEDA and Socio-economic Planning Secretary, will inaugurate the AJAD Vol. 21 20th Anniversary Issue.
The special 20th anniversary issue, with the theme "Asian Agriculture and Development in a Dynamic and Volatile Landscape of Demands, Peoples, and Risks," features eight papers by prominent international experts. Two of these papers will be presented in a hybrid format during the anniversary program, via the online platform SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement.
Dr. Peter Timmer, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Development Studies, Emeritus of the Harvard University, USA, will present his retrospective essay, "How I Learned to Stabilize Rice Prices and Why." Reactors will further substantiate the discussion, which will ensue after the presentation. The discussants are Dr. Bruce Tolentino, SEARCA Senior Fellow and Former Monetary Board Member of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; and Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, Vice President of the The Rice Trader.
Dr. Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay, Executive Director, University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, will present another paper published in the AJAD anniversary issue titled, "An Impact-Based Flood Forecasting System for Citizen Empowerment."