SEARCA in the News

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: Some 40 Taiwanese and Filipino students visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on July 10, 2023 to enhance their understanding of the center's influential research and work on climate change, rural development and food security. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the visit by these students from the Youth Cultural and Learning Immersion Camp, along with two Taiwanese professors, was an enriching cultural and academic exchange. The visit was arranged by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies under its Project Learning… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has renewed institutional ties setting to co-organize a pioneering tri-conference this year. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said it was an event marked by renewed commitment and increased cooperation when the center and UPOU signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on June 29, 2023 at the UPOU Campus in Los Baños, Laguna. Leading the ceremonial signing were Gregorio and Dr. Melinda Bandalaria, UPOU chancellor. They were joined by various delegates from both… Read more

TUGUEGARAO CITY: A delegation from the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 2 (DA-RFO2) here conducted a benchmarking at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to refine their monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes. According to Bernadette Galoso, DA-RFO2 M&E project evaluation officer, the interest of the Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) Agriculture office in SEARCA's monitoring and evaluation system stems from a desire to replicate similar methodologies in their context. Galoso expressed the commitment of their M&E office to tracing the impacts of their implemented and funded projects, aligning with the overall mandate of the… Read more

The HEAL-PH mobile application, developed by Team M1R4G3 from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), emerged as the champion in the Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet (FLExPHD) app development competition. The event was co-organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). FLExPHD was a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the food system and promoting the adoption of a science-based, values-driven, plant-based diet known as the… Read more

THE HEAL-PH mobile application developed by Team M1R4G3 from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños won the top prize in the Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet app development competition. Designed to cultivate healthy eating habits, the HEAL-PH app uses innovative features to assist students in making informed dietary choices. By using image recognition technology, the app accurately identifies food items and assigns health points, empowering the users to evaluate their selections. The exceptional capabilities of HEAL-PH secured for the team a prize of P500,000, which will be used to further develop the app into a downloadable version to… Read more

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Open University renewed its partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture through signing a series of agreements last month. UPOU said the signing aims to sustain the "nurturing relationship between the two institutions especially in the conduct of collaborative research projects, implementation of non-formal online courses, and the interlinking of institutional cooperation." The University of the Philippines Open University Foundation, Inc. will help strengthen the bond between UPOU and SEARCA in realizing their shared goals, it added. UPOU Chancellor Dr. Melinda Bandalaria emphasized the longstanding collaboration between UPOU… Read more

The HEAL-PH mobile application, developed by Team M1R4G3 from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), emerged as the champion in the Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet (FLExPHD) app development competition. The event was co-organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). FLExPHD was a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the food system and promoting the adoption of a science-based, values-driven, plant-based diet known as the… Read more

BANGKOK: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) project recently launched by Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock) is expected to benefit 30,000 Thai farmers. "RAIN is a five-year project funded by the USDA and implemented by Winrock International to validate and scale climate-smart innovations (CSIs) across several agricultural value chains," commented Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand Gwendolyn Cardno on June 21. She added that RAIN aims to improve productivity and markets through extension services and financial support. To cooperate on RAIN, Winrock signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the… Read more

CREATED by a team from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), HEAL-PH mobile application bagged the top prize at the "Food is Life Exemplified: Planetary Health Diet" (FLExPHD) app development competition. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said UPLB's Team M1R4G3, with six members, developed HEAL-PH to help students develop healthy eating habits patterned after the planetary health diet (PHD). Val Randolf Madrid, Team M1R4G3 representative, explained that the HEAL-PH app can recognize food from images and score health points to help eaters evaluate their choices. "It was really fun. As… Read more

TO work on promoting agricultural innovation and climate-smart technologies, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) inked ties with Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock) to collaborate on the Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN). According to SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio, the RAIN, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was launched at Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on June 21, 2023. Also representing SEARCA at the launch were Sharon Malaiba, unit head for partnerships; Beatrisa Martinez, executive coordinator, Office of the Director; and Leah Lyn Domingo, public… Read more