SEARCA in the News

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

THE agriculture sector in Southeast Asia (SEA) has a pivotal role in the socioeconomic transformation of the region but faces perils and challenges, various studies published in the December 2023 issue of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) showed. AJAD is an international-refereed journal published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) based in Los Banos, Laguna. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the authors' collective optimism "provides a glimpse of hope for the continuing role of the region as a major global producer and exporter." In his paper "Back in the… Read more

WITH food security wholly dependent on agriculture, farming indeed is the world's present and future. However, with an aging farmer population and a growing lack of interest in rural communities pursuing this line of work, numerous countries in the Philippines are faced with the huge task of encouraging a new generation of farmers—especially coming from the youth—to engage in agriculture. Claire Huang, a young Taiwanese agribusiness student who recently visited Philippine farms under the 2023 Taiwan Youth Agricultural Ambassadors (TYAA) program, believes young Filipinos will play a significant role in sustaining the sector's local front in the coming years. Huang… Read more

THE Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and AppGeese Inc. have revolutionized farming in Liliw through digitalization. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said AppGeese is a sociotechnoprise pioneering digital agriculture in Laguna since 2020. He said that three years into the initiative, SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department or EIGD conducted a monitoring visit to Liliw to assess the impact of the project on local farmers and agricultural groups. He said the Liliw Upland Farmers Marketing Cooperative (LUFAMCO) became an integral part of the project under the guidance of Liliw municipal agriculture officer… Read more

WHILE information and understanding can be obtained from data, analytics provides an advantage, a reputable Filipino scientist and academician said. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), said these before the faculty and staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) that took part in a data analytics training conducted at the center's headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, from Dec. 4 to 8, 2023. Note: Full access to this article is exclusive to The Manila Times subscribers… Read more