SEARCA News

For the first time, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has entered into a formal agreement with the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) to cooperate on programs, projects, and activities in education, training, and research. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Fadjry Djufry, IAARD Director-General, signed a five-year memorandum of understanding between their institutions in a virtual ceremony held on 15 April 2021. Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, and Dr. Ir. Haris Syahbuddin, Executive Secretary of IAARD Secretariat, also signed the agreement as witnesses… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through its Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD) conducted the first online Training-Workshop on National Roadmap Development on 7-9 April 2021. The training-workshop for the initial batch of participants is part of the national technical assistance component on road mapping under 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, or ATMI-ASEAN. The three-day training-workshop was facilitated by Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, a Senior Research Fellow of Philippine Institute for Development Studies… Read more

Forging partnerships for community resilience and self-reliance has been the fulcrum of both the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) in navigating the new normal.  With a shared ambition, the two institutions have formalized their institutional cooperation on 14 April 2021 in a virtual signing ceremony witnessed by key SEARCA and JGF officials and staff.  JGF is the social responsibility arm of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), one of the fastest-growing Asian restaurant companies in the world. JGF implements programs on agriculture, education, and disaster response with partner communities nationwide.  Dr… Read more

The Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) of SEARCA will conduct the 1st GSID Conversations on 16 April 2021, 10:30 AM (GMT +8:00) for SEARCA Scholars and Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) Grantees. Prior to the pandemic, ECLD planned to host sessions with SEARCA scholars in response to their request for learning events besides the training on writing thesis/dissertation proposals, data analysis and experimental designs, basic English course, student orientation, and teambuilding. The GSID Conversations will serve as an avenue for scholars to discuss with experts from different fields regarding complementary topics… Read more

In pursuit of becoming the champion of excellence in agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), a non-profit organization that helps empower rural communities in Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa. Signatories to the agreement were Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Ms. Emilita Monville-Oro, IIRR Acting Regional Director for Asia and concurrent Country Director for the Philippines. The signing was witnessed by Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for… Read more

Recognizing the important role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in knowledge production and generation of innovative solutions to address the challenges in agriculture and forestry, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), together with the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and the French Embassy in Manila, organized a three-part webinar series to kick-off the Online Training Workshop on Modeling for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on the Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Agent-Based Modeling Approach: Agri-Forestry Technology for Ensuring Agricultural Resilience (GAMA-AFTER). Hosted under the SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual… Read more

Despite the current limitations brought by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC) on 29 March 2021 via Zoom. Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Director, and Dr. Jameson H. Tan, BASC President, signed the MOU between their institutions with Mr. Joselito G. Florendo, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration, and Dr. Susan C. Santos, BASC Vice President for Research, Extension, Production and Development, as witnesses. BASC is the lone higher agricultural educational institution in the province of… Read more

The Protect Wildlife Activity (PWA) is a wildlife conservation initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) covering several biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines. As the program comes to close, a final performance evaluation is deemed important as the results could help inform similar natural resource conservation activities at present or in the future. The results can also contribute to the growing body of evidence on good practices and a better understanding of the enabling and hindering factors in biodiversity conservation and anti-wildlife trafficking. It is in this light that the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will conduct its first online Training-Workshop on National Roadmap Development for the initial batch of participants as part of the national technical assistance component on road mapping under 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, or ATMI-ASEAN, on 7-9 April 2021. The three-day training-workshop will be facilitated by Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, a Senior Research Fellow of Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Lead Technical Consultant of the… Read more

SEARCA, Philippines – The SEARCA Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT) Program held its Mid-Term Forum via Zoom on 12 March 2021. The five grantees from the latest cycle and their research team members participated in the event. This current batch of SFRT grantees and their teams have been implementing their respective projects under extremely challenging circumstances. The pandemic has resulted to changes in plans, methodologies, timelines, among others, and the pace with which projects are being done. Though the grantees have mostly upheld their commitment to their contractual obligations as best they could, it was deemed necessary to… Read more