SEARCA in the News

A United States Agency for International Development (USAid)-funded wildlife conservation initiative called the Protect Wildlife Activity (PWA) was found to have contributed greatly to reduce the threats to wildlife and biodiversity, according to a University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)-based center. This was the observation of an evaluation team under the UPLB-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)-led Final Performance Evaluation of PWA that was also commissioned by the USAid. SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said the PWA which covered several biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines said the results of the evaluation can… 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 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 (ARD), particularly those… Read more

Eight ASEAN Member States are represented in the second virtual offering of the ASEAN Climate Leadership Programme (ACLP) being conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the Deutsche Gessellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmBH-Climate-Smart Land Use in ASEAN (CSLU) Project until October 28, 2021. Ms. Zahra Mutiara, Advisor for the GIZ CSLU Project, said the project aims to support ASEAN in strengthening its coordinating role to develop and implement policies that ensure the promotion of climate change mitigation and adaptation in the land use sector. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio… Read more

The Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has teamed up with United Kingdom-based ClimateScience to empower people, especially the youth, to contribute to climate solutions. ClimateScience is a United Kingdom-based non-profit organization providing free educational content about the causes, consequences, and solutions to climate change. It aims to make learning fun, accessible, and science-backed. The volunteer-driven team has become the leading provider of accessible educational resources on solutions to climate change globally. “Agriculture takes up everything even the largest share of our usable land resources and we recognize that it can make… Read more

The following link will take you to INQUIRER.net: Agriculture smuggling: An unending torture for PH farmershttps://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1497381/agriculture-smuggling-an-unending-torture-for-ph-farmers… Read more

Gene editing is among the technologies that can be used to improve farm productivity and mitigate the effects of climate change, a biosafety expert said recently. Dr. Carl Ramage, managing director of Rautaki Solutions Inc., gave this statement at the recent webinar, “SOLVE Public Info-sufficiency on Genome-edited Crops,” where he and Dr. Saturnina Halos, president of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, presented the global and local perspectives on genome editing technologies and biosafety regulations, respectively, a news release said.  Ramage shared several examples of genome editing regulatory approaches implemented in countries, such as Argentina and the United States. He… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) called on the government to accelerate the transformation of the country's agriculture sector into a dynamic and highly productive sector, which can be done through long-term institutional and programmatic innovative interventions. Speaking at the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.'s (DCCCII) webinar titled "Recalibrate Agribusiness in New Normal" held on Thursday, Dr. Glenn Gregorio, director and chief executive officer of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), presented strategies on how to achieve goals of food security and sustainable… Read more

WITH a focus on genome editing technologies in crops, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) led a webinar earlier this month through its SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (Solve). Titled "Solve Public Info-sufficiency on Genome-edited Crops," the webinar is part of SEARCA's Biotech Outreach Program that provides a venue for knowledge sharing and learning with different stakeholders, and to contribute to improved understanding and acceptance of biotechnology in the country. In conducting the webinar, SEARCA teamed up with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, United States Embassy Manila… Read more

The Protect Wildlife Activity (PWA), a wildlife conservation initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was found to have contributed greatly to reduce the threats to wildlife and biodiversity. This was observed by the evaluation team under the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca)-led Final Performance Evaluation of PWA commissioned by USAID. Covering several biodiversity hotspots in the Philippines, the PWA was evaluated so that the results can help inform similar natural resource-conservation activities at present or in the future, said Searca Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio. He added that the… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is looking for short videos on “Youth in Sustainable Food Consumption and Waste Management” by young Cambodians and other Southeast Asians. The video entries may reveal personal experiences, practices, or advocacy that showcase how young people contribute to sustainable food consumption and food waste management, explained SEARCA in a press release. Branded as the SEARCA Youth COVIDeo Contest, the competition aims to spotlight healthy diets, responsible food choices, and proper disposal or use of food waste, particularly during the pandemic, it added. The contest is open to… Read more