SEARCA News

Transformative agricultural innovation systems require leaders and institutions that are responsive to the changing landscape of Southeast Asian agriculture. To provide innovative solutions to the rising challenges in agriculture and the environment, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), launched a pioneering program on Transformational Agricultural Innovation Systems for the New Future (TrAInS) on 16 November  2022. With 30 participants from various Southeast Asian higher education institutions, government ministries and agencies, non-government and farmers’ organizations, and private and civil society organizations who are… Read more

Sharing the commitment to achieving food and nutrition security while promoting sustainable agriculture, and restoring biodiversity or ‘BioAgversity,’ the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with the Regalo ng Kilit Foundation, Inc. convened the First International Conference on School plus Home Garden cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE1) on 8-12 November 2022 at Coron, Palawan, Philippines. With the theme “Restoring Biodiversity, Regenerating Agriculture, and Building Businesses,” SHGBEE1 provided a platform for sharing of experiences and best practices related to school and home gardens and its contributions to biodiversity enhancement and enterprise development in the… Read more

In the spirit of genuine compassion for Filipino families affected by the recent Typhoon Paeng and imbued with a commitment to public and community engagement, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in partnership with Dalcielo and Eyelectric, Inc. launched SEARCATulungan on 14 November 2022 at Barangay Mayondon, one of the Center’s neighboring communities located in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The SEARCATulungan program is a community relations initiative that aims to be a platform for extending a hand for victims of natural calamities and those in need. In this flagship event, SEARCA called for… Read more

To document and assess the current status of implementation and operation of the Program on Accelerating Farm School Establishments (PAFSE), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a series of key informant interviews in selected farm schools across the country. The PAFSE is a program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to encourage the establishment of farm field schools to increase farm productivity and train farmers to become agro-entrepreneurs through the provision of scholarships.   Among the sites visited are Region IV-A CALABARZON, Region V – Bicol Region, Region VII… Read more

“We need to encourage young people to go into agriculture and be involved in the agri-food system. Young people are very critical for the economic growth of today and the future,” said Prof. Dr. Khin Mar Cho, International Agriculture, Food Systems, and Nutrition Specialist at Cornell University, during her visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 21 November 2022.  She was received by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director; Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration; Ms. Corinta C. Guerta, Technical Advisor to the Director; Dr. Nova A… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is partnering with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Inc., and other partners in organizing a Forum on Philippine Biotech Regulations. This activity offers a platform to present and discuss current, recently approved biotech-related policies in the country. It generally aims to contribute to increasing knowledge on the policies that protect the interests of consumers, promote their general welfare, and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry, including the protection against hazards to health and safety… Read more

Building a culture of agricultural innovation for sustainable impact through new ways of working and thinking, participatory governance, adoption of ideas, strategies, and innovating sources of funding and financing recapitulates the presentation of Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, the Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and a Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), in the forum titled “2022 Future Science Leaders’ Forum” on 11 November 2022 held in Manila, Philippines. In his presentation, Dr. Gregorio emphasized the innovations for transformational change and how to reinforce a transformed agricultural… Read more

Agricultural economists, scholars, professors, and students have convened in the hyflex Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) on 10 November 2022, held at the Drilon Hall and aired via Zoom and Facebook live. The seminar was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-College of Economics and Management (CEM). Assoc. Prof. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, expounded in his opening message, “This event marks a new chapter for SEARCA’s Agriculture and Development Seminar Series or ADSS, as we bring back face-to-face… Read more

The Fifth Asian Short Course on Agribiotech, Biosafety Regulation and Communication (ASCA5) participants comprised scientists, lawyers, policymakers, and regulators visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 7 November 2022 to tour around the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) facilities which showcases various agricultural innovations, products, and solutions. ASCA is a capacity-building initiative of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a non-for-profit international organization that shares the benefits of new bioscience technologies to key stakeholders, particularly resource-poor farmers in developing countries, through… Read more

A book on Philippine economic development has been released in honor of Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. Titled “Pro-poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia,” the book was presented to Dr. Balisacan on 8 November 2022 and officially launched at the Philippine Economic Society (PES) 60th Annual Meeting and Conference on 9 November 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. A co-publication of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, the 750-page book is a Festschrift—that is, a collection of writings published in honor of an eminent… Read more