SEARCA in the News

SOME 23 homeschoolers from the ACTS Center visited the Los Baños, Laguna-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on November 15, 2023 to learn about agri-robotics. During their visit, Richard Angelo Natata, program associate of SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), presented a Lincoln Learning Solutions video to stir the students' excitement. With the video delving into robotics in medicine, industry and agriculture, Natata further enticed the students by showing images of robots and encouraging them to guess their specific purposes. Assoc. Prof. Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration, also emphasized the… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has set the deadline for submission of entries for the 17th SEARCA Photo Contest on Nov. 30, 2023. SEARCA director Glenn Gregorio said photographers from Southeast Asia are urged to upload their entries to the contest via the SEARCA website before the submission deadline. Anchored on the theme "Regenerating Agri-Ecosystems, Lowering Global Boiling," the photo contest this year draws inspiration from the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who declared in July the advent of "global boiling" and emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis. Gregorio… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) calls on photographers in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, to participate in the 17th SEARCA photo contest, which closes on November 30. Themed "Regenerating Agri-Ecosystems, Lowering Global Boiling," the competition drew inspiration from the impactful words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who declared in July the advent of "global boiling," emphasizing the urgency of the climate crisis. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said "global boiling" serves as a metaphorical depiction of the escalating climate crisis, which resonates with SEARCA's priority focus on climate change and its… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) conducted a two-week plant-growing competition to further immerse participants in the SEARCA Youth Ambassadors Platform (SAYAP) in agriculture through hands-on experiences. The contest was the second activity under the Green Skills for SEARCA Youth program done through the organization's Partnerships Unit (PU) and with the Dagatan Family Farm School Inc. in line with the celebration of this year's International Youth Day. SAYAP is SEARCA's internal youth empowerment platform for young staff and was relaunched with a community relations and agripreneurship activity in August in Batangas. During the… Read more

The impacts of climate change are becoming more severe over the world, to the point where UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on July 21, 2023, "We are past the era of global warming and we are now experiencing global boiling." UN Secretary-General Guterres used those words to call for urgent measures to halt the trend, comparing the hotter-than-usual July to temperatures over the course of the century. According to a research released by the Annual Review of Environment and Resources (2012), the food systems generate 19–29% of the global greenhouse gas emissions through methane and nitrous oxide, putting the agricultural… Read more

MACALELON, Quezon province — Joselito Batanes, a native of Quezon province, has depended on coconut farming for more than 30 years now. Batanes tries to make ends meet by maintaining the coconut trees in someone else's farm located 2.4 kilometers away from the center of Macalelon town with the hopes of harvesting its products at the end of the year. Quezon province is among the top producers of coconut in the Philippines, accounting for 10% of total supply nationwide. Over 2,151 stakeholders consisting of smallholder farmers, dealers of copra, and traders in the province directly depend on the coconut industry… Read more

THE Philippine-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) introduced its mandate, programs and offerings to officers and members of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS)-Malaysian Chapter and the Agricultural Institute of Malaysia (AIM) who paid a courtesy visit to the center on November 11. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the delegation from the ISSAAS Malaysian Chapter and the AIM were particularly oriented on the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources grants, activities and research initiatives such as the Consortium for Agricultural Development, Research and Extension… Read more

Photographers from Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, have the chance to show off their skills in a photo competition hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Themed "Regenerating Agri-Ecosystems, Lowering Global Boiling," the competition draws inspiration from the striking words uttered by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in July when he declared the advent of "global boiling" to emphasise the urgency of the climate crisis. SEARCA Centre director Glenn Gregorio said "global boiling" serves as a metaphor for the escalating climate crisis, which also resonates with SEARCA's priority focus on mitigating climate… Read more

THE Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources or the University Consortium (UC) granted the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) with regular membership. According to the CLSU Strategic Communication Office (StratCom), the university has applied for membership with UC and was approved during UC's 36th Executive Board meeting on October 30, 2023 at the National Taiwan University in Taipei. StratCom said CLSU President Edgar Orden attended said meeting and presented the accomplishments of CLSU as an affiliate member in support of its application to elevate its engagement with UC as a regular member. "We have… Read more

THE Central Luzon State University (CLSU), in partnership with the Philippine government-hosted, Los Baños-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), marked a significant leap in its robotics capacity with a two-day training workshop on VEX Robotics. In collaboration with experts from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, the workshop was conducted at the CLSU Precision and Digital Agriculture Center (PreDiCt) on October 24, 2023. It was organized by SEARCA featuring expert trainers from Hytec Power Inc. who unveiled their latest Vex Robotics bundles. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the participants engaged in… Read more