SEARCA in the News

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is set to lead the development of national road maps for key agri-based value chains where smallholders play a prominent role in five countries, including the Philippines. Under the five-year project "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns [ATMI-ASEAN]," SEARCA will take the lead in crafting the national road map for the pork-based processed products value chain in the Philippines. The priority commodities in the other ASEAN member states (AMS) covered by the ATMI-ASEAN project are maize for… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and APPGeese, Inc., a start-up company based in Pasig, have partnered to develop a pilot digital agriculture platform in the provinces of Laguna and Quezon. APPGeese Executive Founder Raymund D. Austria said "I thought about the COVID-19 pandemic which made me realize that the food sector is really vulnerable. We looked for partners through social media and found SEARCA." The project is being undertaking by SEARCA through its Emerging Innovation for Growth (EIG) Program, which is powered by an "InnovEIGhts" model of open collaboration that will be… Read more

Regarded as a lesser-known indigenous fruit, especially in the Visayas, the batuan was found to have potential uses in many food products. The fruit is common and widely distributed in primary forests at low and medium altitudes throughout Luzon and the Visayas, particularly in Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces. This is according to a monograph series published by the Philippines-based Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) that gave information on batuan products and technologies. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the series was made under the "Financial Viability and Profitability Analysis of Agricultural Technologies and Enterprises"… Read more

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has tapped 16 academic institutions to provide technical assistance to their respective local government units (LGUs) on the development of Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP). CCC has slated several sessions this month for the Accelerated Climate Action and Transformation (ACT) online conference to orient representatives of 16 higher education institutions (HEIs) on climate science, issues, vulnerabilities, and risks, as part of the agency's Communities for Resilience (CORE): Convergence Initiative. The participating HEIs have previously partnered with the Commission and expressed interest and support by providing technical assistance to their respective LGUs on the development… Read more

MANILA, 6 October 2020 — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) has slated several sessions this October for the Accelerated Climate Action and Transformation (ACT) Local Online Conference, a four-part virtual discussion of the ACT Local Program to provide technical assistance to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on climate science, issues, vulnerabilities, and risks, as part of the agency's Communities for Resilience (CORE): Convergence Initiative. The ACT Local Online Conference will feature experts who will orient sixteen (16) participating HEIs on climate science; CORE Initiative; Rationalized Planning System and Enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan (ELCCAP) development; Greenhouse Gas Inventory; Climate Change… Read more

BATANGAS CITY- 4-H Club Batangas is among the Top 10 Youth COVIDeo Contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as the city's official entry in the contest. The purpose of the said contest is to show the local food production of a community despite the pandemic caused by COVID 19. With the theme "Youth and Locally Grown Food," participated by youth organizations across Asia, it features video production entries of 4-H Club Batangas which show the participation of youth in the development of agriculture in the city and the programs implemented by… Read more

Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, malunggay (horseradish) and dilis (anchovy) are becoming "go-to" nutritional items after Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) developed malunggay powder and dilis flour. The powder and flour were deemed highly marketable under the Technology and Investment Profiles monograph series published by Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). This project, funded by the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Agriculture Research (BAR), was undertaken by Dorris Gatus, project leader; Veronica Aurea Rufo, project coordinator; and Nemia Pelayo, technical adviser. The project supported the financial feasibility of the products under which the… Read more

BATAC, Ilocos Norte: The Department of Agriculture in Region 1 (DA-Ilocos) has introduced improved native garlic production technology to address the declining production of the crop there. According to the DA, Ilocos is the largest garlic-producing region, contributing more than 65 percent of the country's total. However, garlic output fell because of low-yielding varieties and high postharvest losses. Also, there was a decline in the area planted with and harvested for garlic as a result of the region›s farmers shifting to other high-value crops due to stiff competition from garlic imports. To encourage farmers to plant more garlic, the DA… Read more

Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), a state-funded university in Quezon Province, has developed a seasoning out of malunggay as well as flour out of dilis, which have been identified by international think tank Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) as “highly marketable” products. In a statement, it was shown that SLSU’s Malunggay Powder and Dilis Flour (MPDF) has recently been described as highly marketable under the Technology and Investment Profiles (TIP) monograph series published by SEARCA. The study to develop MPDF was funded by the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Agriculture Research (BAR). According… Read more

STUDY on soya chips, produced and developed by a group in Camarines Norte, showed that these can help prevent malnutrition in children, especially those with autism. The study was led by Marilou Lagdameo of the Autism Recovery Network of the Philippines (ARNP). The study was featured in a monograph series, published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. The series analyzed the profitability and financial viability of select products and technologies, funded and promoted by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research. One of these products was soya chips.The ARNP-produced soya chips are a… Read more