SEARCA News

Over 250 amateur and professional youth out of 376 photographers across Southeast Asia participated in the recently concluded photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). There are a total of 1,513 entries from the photos submitted in 11 countries. Among the winners of the 2021 edition, five youngsters emerged victorious in capturing scenes of the contest theme, “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems amidst COVID-19.” Aung Myat Thu (Myanmar) and Emely J. Escala (Philippines) bagged the Best Youth Photographer Award (Camera) and the Best Youth Photographer Award… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) continues the implementation of the Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) project funded by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). After the successful implementation of the 2nd Leadership Development Program for HEIs in the Philippines last year, SEARCA is now set to run the online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs) beginning 1 February until 14 March 2022 via the SEARCA Online Learning and… Read more

“Let us not discount the dynamic roles that women are taking as we navigate the evolving landscape of food security, nutrition and environment protection,” said Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), at the Women Strong Network ASEAN Kick Off: Models of Women in AgriBusiness held online on 24 January 2022. The launching of the Women Strong Network was jointly organized by the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WomenBizPH), Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), IPB University, Indonesia, and SEARCA. WomenBizPH… Read more

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