SEARCA in the News

TOKYO, Japan—As a technology-dependent workflow increasingly becomes the norm, some challenges posed by the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) that educational institutions must address were tackled at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-University of Tsukuba Symposium VIII recently. The symposium, held at University of Tsukuba Tokyo, Japan, campus, had the theme "Education for Inclusive Growth of Society 5.0." SEARCA is one of the oldest regional centers of SEAMEO, which was founded in 1965 to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture among Southeast Asian nations. The University of Tsukuba has been an affiliate member of SEAMEO since 2009… Read more

Fully committed to continuing the delivery of credible, science-based information on agricultural biotechnology for Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has renewed its 20-year partnership with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) for the Biotechnology Information Center (BIC) in the Philippines. Signatories to the memorandum of agreement are SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio and ISAAA Southeast Asian Center Director Dr. Rhodora R. Aldemita. SEARCA and ISAAA jointly established the SEARCA BIC, which serves as the Philippine biotechnology information node that is part of the Global Knowledge… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has awarded a Seed Fund for Research and Development worth $15,000 to the University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS) for its "Youth Program on Agriculture." SEARCA Director Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio announced the award at the fund-raising event called "Coming Home: Lemuel Cuento in Concert" held on February 26 at the D.L. Umali Auditorium of the UP Los Baños (UPLB). SEARCA was also a sponsor of the two-hour concert for the benefit of the UPRHS Youth Program on Agriculture. The concert featured internationally renowned tenor… Read more

Five young professionals advocating for sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation took center stage during the recent Youth, Agriculture and the Environment Session of the Third Philippine Environment Summit in Cagayan de Oro City. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) hosted the session, which featured youth initiatives that promote sustainable agriculture practices, environmental protection and the circular economy. The speakers were Louise Mabulo, founder of The Cacao Project and United Nations Environment Programme's Young Champion of the Earth; Cherrys Abrigo, founder of Sierreza Café; Enzo Pinga, business development and partnerships head of IISLA Ventures… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) and the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) are planning to further strengthen the enabling environment for agricultural innovation system and entrepreneurship in the country. This was discussed by Glenn Gregorio, Searca director and Nicomedes Eleazar, BAR director, during their meeting on Feb. 18, 2020 at the Searca headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. Also present at the meeting were Searca Deputy Director Joselito Florendo; Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, program head for graduate education and institutional development; Pedcris Orencio, program head for research and development; Romeo Labios, technical… Read more

THE University of the Philippines Rural High School (UPRHS) was awarded a Seed Fund for Research and Development worth $15,000 (P760,000) for its “Youth Program on Agriculture” by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, announced the award at the fundraising event called “Coming Home: Lemuel Cuento in Concert” held on Feb. 26, 2020 at the D.L. Umali Auditorium of the UP Los Baños (UPLB). SEARCA was also a sponsor of the two-hour concert for the benefit of the UPRHS Youth Program on Agriculture. The concert featured internationally renowned… Read more

JAKARTA—Throughout Southeast Asia, new laws introduced to support social forestry and a large-scale transfer of control over forests to nearby residents have had a profound impact. Transformative activities supported since 2011 by Asean-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change helped lay the foundations for political, and institutional, change through technical support and activities in Asean member-states. The partnership was established to support Asean member-states, and facilitate regional-level coordination and knowledge-sharing on social forestry, in addition to people-oriented forestry, as a means to address climate change and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also ensured the participation of… Read more

Los Baños, Laguna—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia have co-published a compendium of climate-resilient agricultural technologies and approaches in the Philippines. Titled "Compendium of Climate-Resilient Agriculture Technologies and Approaches in the Philippines," it is in response to the need to provide science-based and actionable knowledge on climate-resilient agricultural technologies and practices in different agroecological systems in the country. Available in hardcover and paperback, the compendium is authored by Dr. Romeo V. Labios, Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, Dr. Jocelyn D… Read more

A Youth, Agriculture and the Environment Session will be held at the 3rd Philippine Environment Summit to be held from February 26 to 28 in Cagayan de Oro City. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will host the session. The summit is co-organized by Green Convergence and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Under the theme, “Paradigm [re]Shift: Heeding Nature,” the three-day event will present programs and projects that advance the country’s socioeconomic development while protecting the environment. In the youth session on February 27, SEARCA will feature five young professionals who… Read more

Educational institutions should get ready for challenges posed by Agriculture 4.0, or the farming and fishery sector getting technologized by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe). The challenges and how to deal with them were discussed in a symposium themed “Education for Inclusive Growth of Society 5.0” organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (Seameo) and University of Tsukuba (UoT) at its Tokyo Campus in Japan on February 13-14. Glenn Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) director, talked about challenges and curricular imperatives in developing next-generation leaders of the agriculture sector in… Read more