SEARCA in the News

The Philippines has enough food supply to last until yearend, but measures are being studied in anticipation of changes in the export of goods once the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is contained. As the country ushers in the “new normal,” experts are looking at urban agriculture to solve an impending food security problem in the post-lockdown era as the health crisis continues. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said urban agriculture approaches like containerized and modular farming strategies are ways to channel concrete solutions to food security. SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio said the… Read more

The “new normal” resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak would need wider participation in agriculture among urban residents as an alternative food security solution. To promote further the idea of having urban residents put up their own gardens, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will be discussing urban agriculture during its first digital brainstorm webinar via Zoom, according to an emailed press release. During the launching of SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (SOLVE) webinar, the center will tackle food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the “new normal,” the… Read more

THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is launching a new webinar series to address food security concerns amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Searca director, said the Searca Online Learning and Virtual Engagement (Solve) would be launched on Tuesday and would highlight concrete actions in agriculture and rural development in Southeast Asia. Solve is Searca’s effort to break boundaries, both physical and conceptual, to strategically disseminate just-in-time solutions. “On its inaugural run, Solve will tackle pressing food security concerns during the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and push the discussion toward… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) strongly recommends the massive promotion of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) among rice farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta (MRD) and coastal areas during the country’s current salinity and drought crisis. SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio said SEARCA is pushing for the adoption of GAP in its newly published policy paper on the economic importance of the rice production sector in Vietnam, the extent of salinity and drought in the MRD, and how these are exacerbated by climate change-related hazards. In the paper, SEARCA has noted the importance of rice production… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is strengthening its ownership of intellectual property (IP) assets to help prop up agriculture investments while ensuring broader wealth distribution among the "poorest of the poor" farmers. "SEARCA will formulate and establish its intellectual-property policy to ensure that product and technologies reach the intended and ultimate beneficiaries without much financial burden," SEARCA's 11th Five-Year Plan (11FYP) stated. "Guided by this IP policy, SEARCA will facilitate licensing and transfer of technologies developed by universities to industry players to create products for the marketplace," it added. SEARCA Director Glenn… Read more

The 2020 SEAMEO-Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award is inviting all public and private schools in the 11 Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, which also comprise the member-countries of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), to submit entries to the award with the theme "Addressing Plastic Problems for Transforming Communities." In its ninth year, the award aims to raise and promote positive human values among teachers and students as well as share best practices in ESD in schools across Southeast Asia. The winning school will win $1,500 and a fully sponsored study tour to Japan for four to six… Read more

All public and private schools in Southeast Asia are invited to submit entries for the 2020 Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award with the theme 'Addressing Plastic Problems for Transforming Communities.' This was highlighted in a press statement from Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). All schools in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are invited to submit information on their respective programmes and activities, particularly on their programme/initiative related to plastic waste management practices. SEAMEO and the… Read more

PRESS RELEASE: The award aims to raise and promote positive human values among both teachers and students as well as share best practices in Education for Sustainable Development in schools across Southeast Asia All public and private schools in the 11 Southeast Asian countries, which also comprise the member-countries of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), are invited to submit entries for the 2020 SEAMEO-Japan Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Award with the theme “Addressing Plastic Problems for Transforming Communities.” SEAMEO and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan in cooperation with the United Nations… Read more

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said that scholarship application for the inaugural run of the Master Program in Global Agriculture Technology and Genomic Science (ATGS) at the National Taiwan University (NTU) is now open to Filipinos and other Southeast Asian nationals. The MS scholarship program is a collaboration of NTU and SEARCA. SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the NTU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship Program for Global ATGS aims to cultivate agricultural professional talents, encourage academic excellence, and promote the research and development of agriculture within Southeast Asia. “The program also provides an opportunity for internship… Read more

An agricultural think-tank has strengthened its partnerships for its School Plus Home Garden Project (S+HGP) as producing food became a pressing need during Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) is now replicating its S+HGP through partnerships, primarily with the Department of Education (DepEd). The S+HGP has already expanded from the six pilot schools to 28 more educational institutions. In its pilot work on S+HGP in six schools in Laguna, Searca found out that parents of schoolchildren also learned the multiple importance… Read more