SEARCA News

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Photographers from Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam bagged the top three prizes and special awards in the 2021 edition of the annual competition. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien Aldaba won the first prize. The winning picture is a vignette illustrating how the COVID-19 pandemic opened people’s minds to… Read more

The Training-Workshop on Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs and Data Analysis held its last lecture and coaching session on 25 January 2022. The College of Development Communication of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB-CDC) facilitated the training as part of the customized training for scholars organized by SEARCA through the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD). Asst. Prof. Rosa Pilipinas F. Francisco, Training Coordinator from UPLB-CDC, provided the training synthesis at the end of the final session and highlighted that the training was a journey with the scholars starting at different locations or stages of their research. The… Read more

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project, Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN), and the IFAD Philippines Gender Network (IPGN) hosted a regional forum on “Mainstreaming Gender Equality towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Post-COVID 19 Regional Recovery” on 21 January 2022 via Zoom. The forum served as a venue for local and international experts’ sharing and discourse on gender mainstreaming in Southeast Asia and to come up with recommendations on how existing initiatives can be scaled up and adopted to complement and support the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF). Dr. Glenn… Read more

As part of the ongoing scaling-up strategies to sustain and expand on the lessons learned and best practices of the School-plus-Home Gardens Project (S+HGP), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN), in partnership with the Kansas State University (KSU) and the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), conducted the 4th session of the e-training titled, Trainers’ Training for Integrating the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) in ATPs and Mini-ATPs in Cambodia, on 12 January 2022, via the platform… Read more

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project, Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN), in partnership with the IFAD Philippines Gender Network (IPGN), will co-organize a regional forum on “Mainstreaming Gender Equality towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Post-COVID 19 Regional Recovery” on 21 January 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT +08:00) via Zoom platform. The forum generally aims to provide a venue to share and discuss gender mainstreaming initiatives in the region and come up with recommendations for scaling and adoption to complement and support the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN), in partnership with the Kansas State University (KSU) and the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), held the 3rd session of the Trainers’ Training for Integrating the School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE) in ATPs and Mini-ATPs in Cambodia on 5 January 2022 via the platform Zoom. The event’s main objective is to boost the capacity of teachers and local government offices by developing a core team with the added information, skills… Read more

SEARCA, through the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), announced its Call for Applications for the Regional Professorial Chair Grant for Academic Year 2022-2023. The grant recognizes outstanding Southeast Asian experts in the academe whose achievements have made great impact or contributions towards Accelerating Transformation Through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN), as applied towards SEARCA’s seven priority areas on Agri-Business Models for Increased Productivity and Income; Sustainable Farming Systems and Natural Resource Management; Food and Nutrition Security; Transformational Leadership for Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD); Gender and Youth Engagement in ARD; Enhanced ARD towards Climate Resilience; and EcoHealth/One Health Applications to ARD… Read more

SEARCA, through the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), organized the Online Training on Scientific Writing and Presentation and the Online Training-Workshop on Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs and Data Analysis from 10-25 January 2022 as part of the Customized Training for SEARCA scholars and grantees. The training aims to build the capacity of future agriculture leaders and professionals and enhance 21st-century skills. The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Development Communication (CDC) will serve as Training Coordinators for the programs. Eleven participants registered for the Training-Workshop on Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs and Data Analysis. This… Read more

In celebration of the 17th National Biotechnology Week, SEARCA teamed up with the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO) for the “Biotechnology for Green Recovery” webinar held on 22-24 November 2021. With thematic sessions focused on agriculture, bioeconomy, and scientific infrastructure, the webinar series aimed to incite critical discussions towards the creation of a policy environment that will further promote the development of bio-based industries. The first thematic session titled “Biotechnology in Achieving a Resilient and Progressive food System,” was led by plenary speaker, former DA Undersecretary for Policy and Planning, Dr. Segfredo R. Serrano. From a policy standpoint… Read more

Six scientific papers that constitute the December 2021 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) recommend various policy interventions that support rural communities vulnerable to climate change impacts, threatened ecosystems, food insecurity, and malnutrition.    Dr. Jikun Huang and his co-authors, in their paper “Rural Adaptation to Climate Change: New Findings and Existing Knowledge”, state that policy support should increase the resilience of farming systems and the adaptive capacities of farmers across Asia. These policies must be developed in the context of structural land-use changes that have occurred because of urbanization and the diversion of water supplies… Read more