SEARCA News

Recognizing the importance of listening and including farmers in the process of transforming agri-food systems, the Southeast Asian Regional Center on Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and CropLife Asia (CLA) hosted “Transforming Pathways: Working with Farmers in the Agri-food Systems”. This independent dialogue in connection with the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) was held last 14 June via Zoom. “There is a need to transform agricultural systems for long-term sustainability. In this process, farmers, the people who produce our food, must have an active role. This begins with transforming farmers into “transfarmers”. This is a new breed… Read more

Mr. Gaspar L. de Chavez, Carpenter, General Services Unit of SEARCA, is one of the recipients of the 2020/2021 Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Service Awards (SSA) held in a virtual award ceremony on 8 June 2021. The SEAMEO Service Award is given “to staff members of the SEAMEO Units who demonstrate exceptionally high level of achievement in work performance, innovation, and creativity, professionalism, and commitment that contribute to the success of the Organization's mission and goals.” Dr. Ethel Agnes P. Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat (SEAMES) Director, opened the awarding ceremony by emphasizing the importance of the SEAMEO Service… Read more

Transformation in food systems entails rethinking food security and sowing seeds of curiosity. These were the main actions reinforced by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and Academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), in the first installment of the Climate Change Webinar Series organized by NAST Task Force on Climate Change and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation, Inc. on 21 May 2021.  Acd. Aura G. Matias, Full Professor and Former Dean of the UP Diliman College of Engineering, representing… Read more

. Young professionals, agripreneurs, public servants, and students who are leading projects and advocating for Philippine agriculture have convened in the 1st SEARCA Virtual Youth Camp on 19 June 2021 via Zoom. The camp enabled youth perspectives on challenges and solutions in the agri-food system amidst and post-pandemic. There were 21 youth representatives from the academe, business, civil society, and government sectors who shared their insights on navigating the agri-food system and engaging the youth on it. Gracing the virtual event for a “Campfire” session were two UN Food Systems Champions, SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, and AGREA President and Philippine Department of… Read more

A ceremonial turnover of the techno-demo-learning farm for calamansi research in the Mindoro State University (MinSU) was held on 21 June 2021.This was followed by an online seminar on Good Agricultural and Manufacturing Practices in Calamansi hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) via Zoom and SEARCA's Facebook page. The techno-demo-learning farm was established in MinSU through the SEARCA-implemented project “Upgrading the Calamansi Value Chain towards Improving the Calamansi Industry of Oriental Mindoro” with funding support from the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). The demonstration farm is one of… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines – The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the Sweden-based International Foundation for Science (IFS), commenced its Mentorship Program for Advanced Grants Mentoring Workshop on 15 June 2021. The activity ran until 21 June through the Microsoft Teams platform. The workshop aimed to improve the quality and effectiveness of research on agriculture and food systems by enhancing the capacity of early-career scientists. Twenty-four young researchers from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam, were selected to participate in the workshop. These researchers are grant applicants who passed… Read more

Studies on policy and institutional structures, contextualized assessment tools, and stakeholders’ preferences around sustainable agriculture and food security concerns are the major themes of the June 2021 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). The paper on Thailand’s organic agriculture cites the potential of cooperatives in influencing the switch to low-carbon and low-pesticide agriculture. With a review of state policies, the author urges the government for more coherent support through synchronous work with cooperatives and non-government organizations, the main drivers of organic agriculture in Thailand. A comprehensive set of evaluation indicators to assess climate smart agriculture in… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) formalized its agreement with the Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its Asia Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand to cooperate on training programs, scholarships, and development projects. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Dindo M. Campilan, IUCN Regional Director for Asia and Oceania Hub Director, signed a five-year memorandum of understanding between the two international organizations in a virtual ceremony held on 28 May 2021. Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, and Dr. Scott Perkin, IUCN-Natural Resources Group (NRG)… Read more

[2 April 2022 Update] The synthesis of all UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues, including the one hosted by SEARCA, is now available here. As food systems around the world continue to recover from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted a Food Systems Dialogue "Breaking Silos: Transforming Agricultural Education and Research toward Sustainable Food Systems in Southeast Asia" to inform the first-ever United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which will take place in New York in September 2021. The milestone summit is drawing on the input of… Read more

SEARCA, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN) of the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) entered into an agreement for the project “Development of Innovative and Sustainable Aquafeed Using Local Agro-Residual Resources.” Officials from SEARCA, USM, CE SAIN-RUA, Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab - Kansas State University, World Fish Center, and Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish - Mississippi State University, attended a virtual MOA signing on 10 June 2021 to formalize the partnership. Dr. Manuel R. Reyes, Research Professor at Kansas State University and Coordinator for Cambodia of the… Read more