SEARCA in the News

CEBU, Philippines —  An agro-enterprise project supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has beefed up “value chain” opportunities for Filipino farmers in 21 poverty-stricken provinces, linking them to markets, credit, training, and technology. In a webinar hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reported that a project called “RAPID” or Rural Agro Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth has been helping raise income for small farmers and unemployed rural women. The concept of RAPID is first to organize farmers into bigger… Read more

Seventeen state universities and colleges (SUCs) are participating in the online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs) conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) from 1 February to 14 March 2021. One SUC in the original 18 targeted HEIs was unable to join because it is in an area badly hit by Typhoon Odette, said Dr. Nova A. Ramos, who heads the SEARCA Training for Development Unit (T4DU). She said the participants are from Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture & Technology… Read more

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the  Covid-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers,  won the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) 2021 photo contest. Themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems,” the contest saw Filipinos winning the first and second prizes, People’s Choice and SEARCA Director’s Choice awards and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone), a SEARCA news release said. The other winning photos were by photographers from Vietnam and Myanmar. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has announced the winners of its annual photo contest.Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers, won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Filipinos won the first and second prizes, People's Choice and SEARCA Director's Choice awards, and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone). The other… Read more

The Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WomenBizPH); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Philippine Commission on Women (PCW); IPB University, Indonesia; and the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) banded together to organize the ASEAN kick-off of the Women Strong Network last January 24. ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The launch event was a forum on models of women in agribusiness that featured women leaders across the ASEAN region who shared their experiences in business management and how women can be key agents in agriculture, nutrition, and rural… Read more

EIGHTEEN state universities and colleges (SUCs) are joining the online Strategic Communication Planning Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills for Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines (StratCom4HEIs). The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said the online StratCom4HEIs training workshop was designed in collaboration with the College of Development Communication of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. With this, SEARCA said it continues to implement the Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI-AFAR) project. In collaboration with SEARCA's Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources… Read more

Images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, five of which by Filipino photographers, won in the 2021 photo contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) themed “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Filipinos won the first and second prizes, People’s Choice and SEARCA Director’s Choice awards, and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone). The other winning photos were by photographers from Vietnam and Myanmar. A photo depicting home gardening by Lindy Vivien Aldaba won the first prize. The… Read more

FIVE Filipino photographers won in the 2021 photo contest hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) under the theme "One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems." The Philippines claimed the first and second prizes overall, the People's Choice, the SEARCA Director's Choice, and the Best Youth Photographer Award (Mobile Phone). The other winning photos were by photographers from Vietnam and Myanmar.| Most of the winning photographs are images of farming families practicing healthy diets and engaging in nutritious food production during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lindy Vivien Aldaba whose photo… Read more

WITH the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Development Communication (UPLB-CDC) as training coordinator, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has organized online training and workshop as part of the customized training for its scholars and grantees for Academic Year 2021-2022. Led by Director Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA said the training scheduled from Jan. 10 to 25, 2022 aims to build the capacity of future agriculture leaders and professionals and enhance 21st-century skills. Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head for Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD) at SEARCA, welcomed the scholars… Read more

“Mainstreaming Gender Equality towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Post-COVID 19 Regional Recovery” will be tackled by a virtual forum on January 21, 2022 that is jointly organized by the Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns (ATMI-ASEAN) project and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Philippines Gender Network (IPGN). The IFAD-funded ATMI-ASEAN project is co-implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The project covers the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Gender… Read more