SEARCA in the News

THE University of the Philippines Los Baños secured a 750,000 euro grant from Erasmus+ for the Postgraduate Micro-Credentials for Food Security and Climate Change project. UPLB is among the higher education institutions in the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources. Led by Kasetsart University, the initiative seeks to provide learner-centered short-term courses through micro-credentials and address critical issues related to food security and climate change. "Under the PMC FSCC project, these institutions aim to develop and pilot-test postgraduate micro-credentials for food security and climate change through modular learning, establish a roadmap for the implementation… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), located at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), has unveiled the current recipients of the Grants for Research toward Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS). A total of six innovators, hailing from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, have been awarded these grants, which vary from $10,000 to $15,000. Each grantee is actively involved in projects addressing farming challenges through the application of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, satellite technologies, and digital agriculture. Unveiling the Grantees and their Projects To introduce… Read more

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna (PIA) — A digital platform launched by the Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and AppGeese Inc., a Philippine socio-technoprise company, continues to make headway in assisting farmers in Liliw, Laguna access broader markets. For much of our country's history, Filipino farmers like the crop growers of Liliw Upland Farmers Marketing Cooperative (LUFAMCO), tend to operate as individuals. Despite belonging to a cooperative, farmers sold their produce individually and restricted their market within their town's vicinity or to neighboring communities. In 2020, the LUFAMCO members, with the help of… Read more

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net:Veggie growers bloom in the digital markethttps://business.inquirer.net/440971/veggie-growers-bloom-in-the-digital-market… Read more

In the scenic town of Liliw in Laguna, upland farmers are reaping the benefits of a transformative digital agriculture project initiated by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) in collaboration with AppGeese Inc., a socio-technoprise. Prior to their involvement in the SEARCA project, Liliw's upland farmers, despite being part of the Liliw Upland Farmers Marketing Cooperative (LUFAMCO), operated independently, limiting their market to the local vicinity. However, since the project's inception in 2020, the farmers have embraced a digital platform that has reshaped the way they market their diverse harvest, including vegetables like… Read more

Los Banos, Laguna- The pivotal role of the agriculture sector in Southeast Asia (SEA) in driving the socioeconomic transformation of the region is highlighted by several studies presented in the December 2023 edition of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). However, these studies also underscore the sector's exposure to risks and challenges. AJAD is an internationally refereed journal published by the Philippine government-hosted, Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). According to SEARCA Center Director Glenn Gregorio, the combined optimism of the authors "offers a glimpse of hope for the ongoing… Read more

LILIW, Laguna—A digital platform under a joint project of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and AppGeese Inc., a socio-technoprise, has changed the way Liliw upland farmers market their harvests. The farmers cultivated an array of vegetables, including cabbage, string beans, chayote, radish, and other crops suited to upland areas. Before their involvement in the collaborative SEARCA project that began in 2020, Liliw farmers operated as individual entities. Despite belonging to the Liliw Upland Farmers Marketing Cooperative (LUFAMCO), the farmers sold their produce individually and restricted their market to the local vicinity. When… Read more

INDONESIA Prima, a business support and strategic partner for accelerating farmers' entrepreneurial mindsets, and the Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) are exploring joint initiatives on empowering women in agribusiness and advancing digital agriculture. Diah Yusuf, Indonesia Prima chief executive officer and strategic expert, met with heads and staff of the SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD) and Partnerships Unit, and shared his company's commitment in supporting small agribusiness firms. She added that they are currently assisting Indonesian durian farmers to access better technology to improve their yield. "We also help… Read more

The agriculture sector in Southeast Asia (SEA) plays a pivotal role in driving the region's socioeconomic transformation, as highlighted by studies in the December 2023 edition of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). However, these studies also bring attention to the sector's exposure to risks and challenges. In a paper titled "Back in the Soup: Now What?", food security expert C. Peter Timmer explores the outlook of the global rice market. Timmer addresses concerns about a potential rice crisis due to attacks on Ukraine's food export infrastructure and the onset of a severe El Niño in Asian rice-producing… Read more

The pivotal role of the agriculture sector in Southeast Asia (SEA) in driving the socioeconomic transformation of the region is highlighted by several studies presented in the December 2023 edition of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD). However, these studies also underscore the sector's exposure to risks and challenges. AJAD is an internationally refereed journal published by the Philippine government-hosted, Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). According to SEARCA Center Director Glenn Gregorio, the combined optimism of the authors "offers a glimpse of hope for the ongoing role of the… Read more