SEARCA in the News

The use of crop biotechnology has reduced pesticide use associated with environmental impact and is beneficial for agricultural biodiversity, a UK-based agricultural economist and scientists from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) said. During an online technical forum organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Dr. Merdelyn Caasi-Lit and Dr. Ireneo L. Lit, Jr., professors and scientists at UPLB, said that based on their study, biotech crops like Bt corn ensures good yield by protecting the crop against corn borer infestation and reducing farm inputs for pesticide use. They also said… Read more

“Masteral and PhD level researches should be translated into the curriculum and integrated into the curriculum for basic education so that we start off our learners early in their lives on being appreciative of the benefits of agriculture, of protecting our environment, and caring not only for the present but also for the future generations.” This was the call to action of Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones during a virtual event commemorating the 54th anniversary of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) last November 27. Sec. Briones represents the Philippines in… Read more

For young learners to appreciate agriculture and the environment, and learn at a very early stage, graduate-level researches should be integrated into the curriculum of basic education. This was the call to action of Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones during a virtual event commemorating the 54th anniversary of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on November 27. “Masteral (MA) and Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy) level researches should be translated into the curriculum and integrated into the curriculum for basic education so that we start off our learners early in their lives… Read more

A partnership to assist rural fishermen and smallholder aquaculture farmers was forged between two intergovernmental organizations whose reach extends over Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. This was formalized in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Philippine government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) and the Bangkok-based Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA). Searca Director Glenn Gregorio and NACA Director-General Jie Huang signed the agreement to cooperate on joint projects that are expected to contribute to the development of a strengthened aquaculture sector in the region. Gregorio said Searca and… Read more

TO PROVIDE holistic education to learners, Education Secretary Leonor Briones sought the integration of masteral and doctorate level researches on Agriculture to the basic education curriculum so that students could learn the importance and benefits of agriculture while they are still young. “Masteral and PhD level researches should be translated into the curriculum and integrated into the curriculum for basic education so that we start off our learners early in their lives on being appreciative of the benefits of agriculture, of protecting our environment, and caring not only for the present but also for the future generations,” Briones said during… Read more

PHOTO enthusiasts have until November 30 to submit their entries for the 2020 edition of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) photo competition showcasing agricultural innovation. Held annually since 2006 by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-based Searca, this year’s photo contest theme is “Faces of Accelerating Transformation through Agricultural Innovation.” The competition is open to Filipinos, as well as nationals of other Asean countries plus Timor-Leste. “We are looking for striking images of agricultural innovation,” Searca Director Glenn Gregorio said. He noted that images must show people taking part in activities… Read more

The 2020 edition of a contest for photography enthusiasts by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has set November 39 as the deadline for submission of entries. “Faces of Accelerating Transformation through Agricultural Innovation (ATTAIN)” is the theme of this year’s photo contest, which is held annually since 2006 by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-based SEARCA. The competition is open to Filipinos as well as nationals of other ASEAN countries plus Timor-Leste. SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio said “We are looking for striking images of agricultural innovation showing people taking part… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said plant breeders should use technology that makes use of gene transformation to fast-track development of crops like the Golden Rice, which has superior traits. In a statement, SEARCA said that meeting the market’s needs for crops like Golden Rice should be the focus of genomics, an interdisciplinary field that revolutionized research in many fields and systems biology that started in human genome’s mapping in 1986. Golden Rice, a genetically modified (GM) rice variety, is just awaiting the government’s go-signal to be released to the market. It… Read more

Crop production will contract in the fourth quarter of 2020, and there’s a “high chance for agriculture posting a negative growth.” The prognosis comes from the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). “It is important to take note that among the major economic sectors, it is only agriculture that has managed to achieve a positive growth since the onset of the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” said Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director. “I was praying that this be sustained for the rest of the year to show how resilient agriculture is, until the… Read more

The recent spate of strong typhoons that devastated many rice and corn fields in northern Luzon will likely dampen the country's agriculture output in the fourth quarter, experts said. "For the fourth quarter, the agriculture sector will feel the cumulative effects of the past typhoons that came during the months of October and November, which has been punctuated by Ulysses," Pampanga State Agricultural University professor Roy S. Kempis said in an e-mail interview. "If the sector posted 0.7% growth for the third quarter, it might be around 0.24% to 0.47% as an optimistic estimate and 0.01% to 0.23% for a… Read more