SEARCA News

SEARCA, in partnership with the Regional SEARCA Alumni Association (RSAA), organized the Scholars' Conference 2023 on "Advancing Agricultural Research for Improved Food Security." Twenty-eight scholars presented their research across six parallel sessions from March 14-15, 2023, via the SOLVE Platform. The two-day conference is the Center’s way to support their academic achievements and recognize their capacity to produce quality research that has a great impact on agriculture and rural development. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Prof. Dr. Ir. Asdi Agustar of Andalas University, Indonesia, and RSAA President, gave the opening messages. Dr. Gregorio welcomed all the attendees and… Read more

Prof. Dr. Renato G. Reyes, the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Central Luzon State University (CLSU), delivered his Professorial Chair Lecture on Recent advances in the domestication and mykopharming of wild edible mushrooms in the Philippines for the bio-functional food industry on 6 March 2023 at the R and E Amphitheater of CLSU. Prof. Dr. Renato G. Reyes, known as the man of science in mushroom farming in the Philippines, continuously developed innovative technologies for mushrooms to be sustainable and relevant. He highlighted in his presentation the conceptualization of the zero rice waste technology, which encourages the farmers to use… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), led by Sharon Malaiba, head, Partnerships Unit, visited Balete Family Farm School on 14 March 2023. Ms. Malaiba was joined by Leah Lyn Domingo, Specialist, public relations specialist, Partnerships Unit and Lichelle Dara Carlos, specialist, Emerging Innovation for Growth Department. The SEARCA delegation was greeted by Ms. Ma. Karen de Chavez, director and Ms. Fides Maranan, principal, Balete Family Farm School (BFFS).  Located in Balete, Batangas, BFFS is the only all-female family farm school in Asia that offers junior high school programs.  The SEARCA delegation toured the… Read more

The project team of SEARCA’s School-Plus-Home Gardens Project (S+HGP) paid a courtesy visit to Dir. Nenneth Alama, director of the Department of Education's (DepEd) Bureau of Learner Support Services at DepEd Central Office on 28 February 2023.  During the meeting, Ms. Anna Gale Vallez, program specialist of  Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), presented the current programs and activities of SEARCA’s S+HGP in the Philippines. Dubbed as Participatory Action Research on School and Community-Based Food and Nutrition Program for Literacy, Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development Project in 2016, the S+HGP was a participatory action research project of SEARCA, the University… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), conducted the Back-to-Back Training Workshops on Roadmap Development and Marketing Strategies on 27 February to 3 March 2023 at the SEARCA headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. The five-day training workshops are part of the project titled, Development of the Coconut Industry Roadmap and Capacitating Stakeholders of Quezon Province. The project is a collaboration among SEARCA, the provincial government of Quezon (PG Quezon), and the Philippine Coconut Authority Region IV (PCA). The training workshops aimed to capacitate selected representatives from… Read more

Dr. Hermogenes Paguia, Vice President for Research, Extension and Training Services of the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), along with Dr. Ma. Florinda Rubiano, Research Development Office Director, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 28 February 2023.  They were received by Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Director; Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit; and Ms. Beatrisa Martinez, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Director.  The meeting mainly focused on how SEARCA can help BPSU review its agriculture curriculum to align with the standards of a globalized agricultural education. The Center is also keen on setting up a thesis boot camp to… Read more

Dr. Stanford Blade, P.Ag., Dean, Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences, and Mr. Jinjia Xu, Regional Manager for Asia, Office of Global Engagement, both of the University of Alberta, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 28 February 2023. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Director, welcomed and briefed the visitors on SEARCA’s strategic directions from 2020 to 2025, focused on Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN). After the audiovisual presentation, Dr. Blade expressed his keen interest in the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA and inquired about the Center's scholarship management… Read more

AgriPortal Advocates Philippines, Inc. (AgriPortal) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 17 January 2023. Under the five-year accord, SEARCA and AgriPortal have complementary objectives and a mutual desire to collaborate in a number of areas of common interest such as education, training, and research. Signatories are Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Junifen Gauuan, Chairman of the AgriPortal Board of Trustees. The signing ceremony was held at SEARCA and witnessed by key officials and staff members of SEARCA and AgriPortal. AgriPortal is a… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) concluded its one-day agri-innovation learning activities for Dagatan Family Farm School (DFFS) students on 15 February 2023 at the Drilon Hall. The first batch of students composed of Grades 8, 10, and 12 pupils visited SEARCA on 1 February 2023, while the second batch comprised Grades 7, 9, and 11. A total of 54 student-participants engaged in SEARCA’s learning activities. SEARCA, through its Partnerships Unit and Emerging Innovation for Growth Department, organized the activity to increase knowledge on modern farm technologies and practices among family farm school… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED), conducted an in-person Training-workshop on Developing Fundable Research Project Proposals for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (FundableProp4HEIs) from 20 to 24 February 2023 at the SEARCA Umali Auditorium in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. With 24 participants gathered from 14 public universities that are members of the State Universities and Colleges-Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines, Inc. (SUC-ACAP), the training-workshop aimed to reinforce their existing knowledge and practices on project proposal writing. The participants were… Read more