SEARCA News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomes Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, a distinguished educator and administrator at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), as its new Deputy Director for Programs effective 1 January 2023. Her appointment is for a three-year term. “I am very happy that we now have Dr. Nur as our Deputy Director for Programs since the post had been vacant since 2006. I am doubly pleased that with Dr. Nur we have not only the first Malaysian but also the first lady to become Deputy Director for Programs,”… Read more

The National Taiwan University (NTU), a member of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 6 January 2023. The NTU-College of Bioresources and Agriculture (CBA) contingent was led by its Dean, Prof. Dr. Huu-Sheng Lur, while the NTU-International College (IC) contingent was led by its Dean and Director of Master of Science in Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (Global ATGS), Dr. Shu-Jen Wang. Dr. Je-Ruei Liu, Associate Dean and Professor, NTU-Institute of Biotechnology, presented the Bachelor Program… Read more

Ms. Anna Katharina Rusche, Head of Section, Scholarship Programmes Asia and the Pacific, and Ms. Natalie Bursinski, Section Officer for Asia ST34-Asia Pacific, both of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 29 November 2022. During their visit, the DAAD delegation met with the SEARCA's Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) to discuss DAAD’s call for proposal for the next intake of the In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme for 2024-2025. DAAD, a German institution in Europe and considered one of the largest funding organizations for international exchange, contributes to… Read more

The latest papers published in the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) discuss grim possibilities of a world food crisis—brought about by the war in Ukraine, climate shocks experienced by major food granaries, and of course, COVID—and a variety of country-specific hurdles in agriculture and development in Asia. Equally important with these debacles are tested responses offered by the authors, which could hopefully replicate positive outcomes. C. Peter Timmer, a leading authority on agriculture and rural development and Harvard University emeritus, provides his viewpoint on the potential world food crisis "worse than any since World War II." In his… Read more

The 4th University Consortium (UC) Faculty Forum successfully concluded and gathered more than 40 UC officials, faculty members, and guests at the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Held on 5-6 December 2022 with the theme Future Proofing Agriculture, the Forum aimed to gather scholars to discuss strategies to ensure agricultural productivity in a future world that is full of uncertainties and confronted with environmental and social problems. The 4th UC Faculty Forum was the first major event hosted and organized by Central Luzon State University (CLSU) for the UC. A total of 37 papers were presented in four… Read more

BANGKOK, Thailand – Twenty-one administrators, and senior and junior faculty members representing 14 Philippine State Universities and Colleges joined a cross-visit to Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand on 5-9 December 2022. They drew insights, learned from, and gathered some of the best practices in terms of governance, quality management system, research and development, and extension as well as strengthening academe-industry-government cooperation and interaction in KU during their visit. Recognizing that higher education is critical for sustained economic and social growth, the Thailand cross-visit participants observed how KU, the first agricultural university in Thailand, strengthened its education policy, teaching, and learning… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA organized the 4th GSID Conversations on 16 December 2022 (Friday), 10:00 AM (GMT +8:00), for scholars to talk about mental health problems and its prevention. The webinar was exclusively offered for scholars as part of SEARCA’s non-monetary scholarship benefits and on top of the annual customized training programs on English proficiency, writing thesis proposals, conducting data analysis, or other academic or technical concerns. Through the GSID Conversations, SEARCA wants to explore other areas that may interest the scholars or benefit them in their professional and academic development as they are poised… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) welcomed faculty members from Sejong University on 25 November 2022 to benchmark the Center’s programs and activities and to learn more about SEARCA and Philippine agriculture and medicinal plants. They were received by Dr. Nova A. Ramos, Head, Education and Collective Learning Department-Training for Development Unit (ECLD-T4DU); Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit (PU); Ms. Beatrisa L. Martinez, Executive Coordinator, Office of the Director; and key support staff. SEARCA partnered with Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea, for the capacity building of Southeast Asian scientists and… Read more

Former Philippine Senator and Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 23 November 2022. During the visit, he was apprised of the Center’s programs and activities promoting agricultural and rural development in the Southeast Asian region. He was also toured around the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING). Ms. Sharon A. Malaiba, Head, Partnerships Unit, presented SEARCA’s strategic plan of Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN) through an audiovisual presentation. Ms. Malaiba emphasized that the… Read more

Dr. Wilfredo A. Dumale, Jr., President of the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), along with Atty. Regine Karla G. Tabas, Executive Assistant to the University President, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 9 December 2022. They were received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, with whom they had a meeting after being given a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) by key Center staff. During the visit, Dr. Dumale expressed interest in the SEARCA-established Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education… Read more