SEARCA News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) have teamed up to hold the Food and Agribusiness Forum – Digital Transformation in Philippine Food and Agribusiness: Innovations for the Future on 14 March 2025 at the UA&P Campus in Pasig City, Philippines. The organizers have gathered prominent Philippine food and agribusiness speakers to share real-world strategies to boost farm productivity, streamline operations, and improve access to markets, financing, and government support. Distinguished Filipino economist and educator Dr. Bernardo Villegas, Co-Founder and Professor of UA&P, will deliver… Read more

Underscoring human-centric innovative solutions in the agri-food sector, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) trained 26 professionals from higher education and research institutions for the second iteration of the SEARCA Agri-Innovator Program (AIP). It was held online on 10–14 February 2025, followed by face-to-face sessions on 25–27 February at the SEARCA headquarters. The SEARCA AIP, a nonformal and short-term training program aligned with the Center's 11th Five-Year Plan, welcomed participants from 17 participating institutions across Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The program sought to challenge ideation and execution methodologies of… Read more

"Agriculture and biodiversity conservation are often framed as conflicting pursuits—as if we must sacrifice one for the other. But the real challenge is not about choosing between them. It's about finding ways to make agriculture a partner in conservation," emphasized Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Center Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), during his keynote address at the Webinar on Challenges, Opportunities, and Innovation Strategies in Managing Protected Forests for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability held on 7 March 2025. The webinar was organized and hosted by the Central Mindanao University (CMU), an affiliate… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Leads Agricultural Products Corporation (LEADS Agri) have been exploring ways to collaborate on climate-adaptive farming. Their intent to cooperate on projects focused on climate-resilient agriculture and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Philippines and neighboring countries was formalized in a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on 28 February 2025 with SEARCA Center Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio and LEADS Agri President and Chief Executive Officer Jose Maria Fernando Malveda as signatories. LEADS Agri is a 100 percent Filipino-owned company that intends to contribute its expertise… Read more

Ten international students from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Economics, along with faculty members led by Prof. Dr. Shuji Hisano, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 28 February 2025 as part of their field research in the Philippines. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the Center's youth-focused initiatives. Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Unit Head for Partnerships, introduced the Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI) program—the Center's banner youth engagement initiative. She highlighted some of #Y4AGRI's non-academic and nonconventional approaches to make agriculture enticing to the youth and develop… Read more

In a rapidly changing climate, ensuring sustainable food systems is more urgent than ever. On 19-20 February 2025, the ASEAN Climate Leadership Program III (ACLP III) Module 2 provided an overview of the key principles, criteria, guidelines, and protocols for climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The module also highlighted the importance of CSA in achieving food systems and nutrition resilience in the context of climate change. Experts stressed the urgency of scaling CSA, bridging climate-nutrition policy gaps, and fostering multistakeholder collaboration. To mainstream CSA in ASEAN, stakeholders must tackle financial, technological, and policy barriers while strengthening networks, public-private partnerships, and leadership to… Read more

San Mateo, Isabela—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with Leads Agricultural Products Corporation (Leads), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the municipal government of San Mateo in Isabela province conducted the first stakeholder engagement session for the project Transforming Rice Farming through Low-Carbon Solutions on 19 February 2025. The over 70 participants consisted of actors and stakeholders across the rice value chain in Isabela. They are primarily from an irrigators' association, rice farmer groups/associations, rice traders/brokers/distributors, rice millers, the academe, and from the Municipal Agricultural Office. The workshop provided an in-depth… Read more

SEARCA hosted its Special Graduate Seminar on Postharvest Management for a Sustainable Agrifood Supply Chain on 20 February 2025 at the Drilon Hall and online via the SOLVE Platform. Organized in partnership with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics - College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños (DAAE-CEM UPLB), the event presented the highlights of the research publications of two SEARCA alumni. Mr. Reymond Denver Buenaseda and Mr. Arjay A. Gerance, both 2024 graduates and recipients of the DAAD-SEARCA Scholarship for MS in Applied Economics for Agriculture and Environment Program at Kasetsart University, Thailand, discussed… Read more

The ERASMUS+-funded program on Postgraduate Micro-credentials in Food Security and Climate Change (PMC FSCC) held its first international conference on 10–12 February 2025, at Amari, Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand. Themed "The Role of Micro-credentials and Research in Advancing Capacity Building for Mitigating Climate Change and Ensuring Food Security," the conference featured 29 research presentations on micro-credentials and research in food security and climate change resilience. Kasetsart University (KU), as the PMC FSCC project leader, spearheaded the event in collaboration with Work Package 5 (WP5) on Communication and Dissemination managed by Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB University), Central Luzon State University (CLSU)… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) Los Baños and the local government of Los Baños, has officially launched Project GENUINO or the Gulayan Empowerment for Nutritional Uplifting Involving Network Optimization. This initiative aims to strengthen the institutionalization of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) across 22 elementary and secondary schools in Los Baños town, ensuring its long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The project also seeks to enhance stakeholder and partner engagement to foster greater collaboration and support for school gardening initiatives. Project… Read more