SEARCA News

Next to rice, corn is the most important crop in the Philippines. About 14 million Filipinos prefer white corn as their main staple, while yellow corn accounts for about 50 percent of livestock mixed feeds. According to the Department of Agriculture, some 600,000 farm households depend on corn as a major source of livelihood. Corn is also processed into high value products, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, corn oil, gluten, and snack foods… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – Indeed, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and Ms. Trang Tran Hoai showed just what that means when she bagged the best paper award at the International Conference on “Trends in Multi-disciplinary Business and Economic Research,” on 27-28 March 2014. Ms. Hoai, a SEARCA scholar is studying at the Kasetsart University (KU) for a Master’s degree in agricultural economics. She presented a paper titled “Adoption of Aromatic Rice in Mekong Delta, Vietnam,” which is part of her master’s thesis at KU… Read more

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and SEARCA-led Technical Assistance (TA) Team conducted an orientation with the nine partner local government units (LGUs) on the Climate Resilience and Green Growth in Critical Watershed project funded by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) through the Asian Development Bank (ADB)… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Twenty middle-managers and senior leaders from higher education institutions, local government units, ministries of agriculture, and private and nongovernmental organizations coming from nine Southeast Asian countries participated in the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture's (SEARCA) Executive Forum titled "Leaders in ASEAN Agriculture and Development: Levelling up Leaders in Public and Private Agriculture" on 16–20 June 2014 at SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna. The participants came from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam… Read more

Mr. David Dutton, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Australia to the Philippines, visited SEARCA on 25 June 2014 to know more about SEARCA’s programs and activities, especially those supported by the Australian Government. He was accompanied by Ms. Cecilia O. Honrado, Philippine Manager of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand - The ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agriculture and Research Development (ATWGARD) once again took up the Promotion of Climate Resilience in Rice and Other Crops in its 2nd Special Workshop, which was held on 17 June 2014 at Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand… Read more

BOGOR, Indonesia – Twenty-five representatives of ministries of agriculture and of health, agriculture universities, and the private sector from six Southeast Asian countries have convened in Bogor, Indonesia on 2-6 June 2014 to discuss food safety principles and ways forward in the seminar-workshop titled ASEAN 2015: Strengthening the Regional Food Safety System… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a workshop meeting for the 2nd Edition of the Southeast Asian Agriculture and Development Primer (SAADP) Series on 10-11 June 2014 at the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City, Philippines. With the theme “Policy Reforms and Institutional Innovations in Agriculture: Experiences, Impacts, and Lessons,” 14 lead authors and co-authors of the 11-volume Primer Series, who come from universities, ministries, non-government organizations, and development agencies across Southeast Asia, participated… Read more

MANILA, Philippines – The Technical Assistance (TA) on Climate Resilience and Green Growth in Critical Watersheds kicked off with a meeting between the team of consultants, representatives from the Climate Change Commission (CCC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Embassy of Japan… Read more

The ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN) Strategic Response Fund, also known as the ASFN Flexible Funding Mechanism, was launched during the 8th ASFN Annual Meeting held on 27-28 May 2014 at the Sabah Forestry Department Office in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The Launching Ceremony also marked Phase II of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC). The occasion was graced by Dr. Juergen Blaser, Representative of the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Madam Wan Hasmah Wan Mohammad, ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry (ASOF) Leader of Malaysia and the Current Chair Country… Read more