SEARCA in the News

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) has launched three new publications documenting experiences and outcomes of its sustainable agriculture and rural development initiatives. Titled Championing Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development in Southeast Asia: Searca's 10th Five-Year Plan Plus One in Retrospect, the plan is Searca's development agenda carried out from 2014 to 2020 that was anchored on Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (Isard). Searca Director Glenn Gregorio said launching the retrospect book is a "celebration of the success and legacy of Searca's 10th Five-Year Plan." Dr. Gil Saguiguit Jr.… Read more

AS part of the 55th anniversary celebration of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the University of the Philippines (UP)-based center held virtually the 2021Pista ng Pagkain at Kabataang Pinoy (Pistang PagKaPinoy) celebrating Filipino food and agriculture. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the theme of the center's 55th anniversary celebration was "Sowing Seeds of Innovation for Agricultural Transformation." Headlined by experts, advocates and youth partners, the youth festival featured lessons, stories and concepts on food and how it intersects with business, nutrition, arts, gender, culture and tourism. The speakers were Amy Besa… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has launched three new publications documenting experiences and outcomes of its sustainable agriculture and rural development initiatives. One of the new books is titled “Championing Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development in Southeast Asia: SEARCA’s 10th Five-Year Plan Plus One in Retrospect.” The plan is SEARCA’s development agenda carried out from 2014 to 2020 that was anchored on Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ISARD). “Designed to respond to the needs of the Southeast Asian region at the time, ISARD tackled social inclusion, environmental sustainability, regional… Read more

A virtual forum on what it takes to be a transformational leader will be held on November 25, 2021. Organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as part of its 55th anniversary celebration, the forum will feature SEARCA alumni from Thailand, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste. The speakers are Weerapon Thongma, President of Maejo University, Thailand; Dr. Asikin Yoeu, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia; and Mr. Natalino Babo Martins, Deputy Project Manager of Conservation International in Timor-Leste. Dr. Weerapon has nearly 35 years of experience in leadership… Read more

A fiesta celebrating Fiipino food and agriculture headlined by experts, advocates, and youth partners of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) was the essence of the recent 2021 Pista ng Pagkain at Kabataang Pinoy, or “Pistang PagKaPinoy,” held virtually. The youth festival featured lessons, stories, and concepts on food and how it intersects with business, nutrition, arts, gender, culture, and tourism. The speakers were Amy Besa, Owner of NYC-based Purple Yam; Cristina Sison, Co-Project Leader of UP Rural High School Youth in Agriculture Program; Raymund Vincent Aaron, Banana Chief of Villa Soccoro Farm; John Bryan… Read more

A fiesta celebrating Fiipino food and agriculture headlined by experts, advocates, and youth partners of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) was the essence of the recent 2021 Pista ng Pagkain at Kabataang Pinoy, or “Pistang PagKaPinoy,” held virtually. The youth festival featured lessons, stories, and concepts on food and how it intersects with business, nutrition, arts, gender, culture, and tourism. The speakers were Amy Besa, Owner of NYC-based Purple Yam; Cristina Sison, Co-Project Leader of UP Rural High School Youth in Agriculture Program; Raymund Vincent Aaron, Banana Chief of Villa Soccoro Farm… Read more

Dr. Magdalena Lenny Situmorang, the name of this woman figure may not be as famous as celebrities or officials who often adorn the small screen, even so beauty, we need to be proud you know have a female researcher like her. Lenny, as he is familiarly called, is a Lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). She specializes in microbial biotechnology, a science that is rarely mastered by women. And now, Lenny is one of the 4 four Indonesian research woman who gets awards L’ORÉAL-UNESCO FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP 2021. Judging from his academic track record, Lenny earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the… Read more

Across Southeast Asia, farmers and farming communities have for generations practised diverse forms of agroforestry to support livelihoods and essential ecosystem services. Agroforestry entails the complementary integration of agricultural and forestry components on a range of scales: in fields, on farms and across landscapes. Recognising the importance of agroforestry to environmental and human well-being, the 40th Meeting of ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry endorsed the ASEAN Guidelines for Agroforestry Development in October 2018. Since then, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) entered into a technical cooperation programme with ASEAN to increase the scale of adoption… Read more

THIRD-QUARTER GROWTH in agriculture output is expected to be flat after typhoons disrupted production, analysts said. Pampanga State Agricultural University Professor Roy S. Kempis said in a phone message that he projects growth to be negative to flat, weighted on the contraction side. “I believe that growth figures will remain flat closer to a negative number between minus 1.5 to 0.5%; about minus 1.0%,” Mr. Kempis said. The Philippine Statistics Authority is scheduled to release its third-quarter estimate for agriculture growth on Nov. 8, Monday.   The agriculture sector posted growth of 0.7% in the third quarter of 2020 and… Read more

The Covid-19 pandemic trained a spotlight on the interconnectedness of the health of people, animals and the environment—also known as One Health. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), thus, chose to focus the 2021 SEARCA Photo Contest on “One Health is Wealth: Healthy Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems.” Now on its 15th year, the SEARCA Photo Contest invites photographers from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries to submit their best shots depicting One Health applications to agricultural and rural development, particularly those featuring sustainable food systems in this time of pandemic. Images that depict One Health may include… Read more