SEARCA in the News

Filipino students, researchers, data analysts, computer programmers, app developers and other stakeholders who are interested to join the "Online Design Thinking Class" of FLExPHD (Food is Life Exemplified for Planetary Health Diet) have until Dec. 31, 2022 to submit their application. Director Glenn Gregorio of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) said FLExPHD is a mobile app development competition open to organizations and app developers who can collaborate to find solutions to the unhealthy diet among Filipinos. FlexPHD is an initiative of SEARCA in partnership with the National Academy of Science and Technology… Read more

A study conducted by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) showed that genetically engineered plants yielded more vegetable oil. Based on the results of the study, model plant Arabidopsis accumulated 15 to 18 percent more oil in its seeds when it was grown with the modified protein under laboratory conditions. The study, which was published at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), said finding ways to make crops yield more oil in their seeds is a holy grail for the farming industry. "However, most oil-producing crops — such as oil palm… Read more

The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) successfully offered the 6th UC Summer School at the Banyuwanggi Regency and Malang, Indonesia. According to Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) headquartered at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), the 6th UC Summer School from November 13 to 17, 2022 was the first activity of the UC to be conducted face-to-face after the pandemic. SEARCA said the activity has been postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to pandemic restrictions as the virtual conduct of the program will… Read more

The 14th SyenSaya annual science festival of the Los Baños Science Community (LBSC) kicked off on Monday, December 5, to be highlighted by the Research and Development Awards that recognize outstanding researchers in LBSC and Youth Science Awards. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will host the Awarding and Closing Ceremony of the 14th SyenSaya on Wednesday, December 7. A three-day hybrid celebration to be held face-to-face and livestreamed by Facebook and Zoom, this year's SyenSaya was organized by LBSC Foundation Inc. (LBSCFI). Echoing the theme of the National Science and Technology Week… Read more

To come up with a basis for policy recommendations and development of possible innovations toward the improvement of the Program on Accelerating Farm School Establishments (Pafse), an intergovernment-treaty organization was tapped to conduct an assessment of farm schools across the country. According to Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn Gregorio, the center has conducted a series of key informant interviews in selected farm schools to document and assess the current status of Pafse implementation and operation. The goal of the Pafse program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is… Read more

The municipality of Silang, Cavite will take global environmental stage as it plays host to the International Ecotourism Travel Mart (IETM), the world’s first-ever and biggest ecotourism-themed expo set on March 29 to April 2, 2023. ISST president and project proponent Mina Gabor said that the five-day fair will share best practices on ecotourism from global experts and provide networking avenues with ecotourism authorities and specialists. Organized by the Japan-based Asian Ecotourism Network, the IETM will showcase the world’s ecotourism sites, indigenous practices and culture, and push for measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The gathering will also… Read more

A NEW York-based Cornell University Food Systems specialist visiting Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has encouraged Filipino youth to go into agriculture, especially in the agri-food system. Prof. Khin Mar Cho, International Agriculture, Food Systems, and Nutrition Specialist at Cornell University, is in the Philippines and visited SEARCA on November 21, 2022. "We need to encourage young people to go into agriculture and be involved in the agri-food system. Young people are very critical for the economic growth of today and the future," Cho said. In her visit to SEARCA, Cho was received… Read more

A book entitled Pro-Poor Development Policies: Lessons from the Philippines and East Asia, edited by Hal Hill, Majah-Leah V. Ravago, and James A. Roumasset, was recently published and launched in Manila. The editors and authors come from the Asia and Pacific region and have experience in East Asia or in the Philippines. The book is published (in 2022) by the ISEAS (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore) and by the SEARCA (Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture in Los Banos, Philippines). Wide-ranging pro-poor economic policies. Some contents of the book were presented in a… Read more

SOUTHEAST Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) Director Glenn Gregorio said that genetically engineered crops have been benefiting southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. In a forum on Philippine Biotech Regulations, Gregorio said 630,000 hectares of farmlands in Southeast Asia are now planted with Bt Corn with $729 million economic benefits. "The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to implement regulatory framework on the genetically engineered crops. In 2003, the Philippines also became the first Southeast Asian country to commercialize and plant a biotech crop which is Bt Corn. Since then its adoption… Read more

TRADE Secretary Alfredo Pascual on Monday underscored the role of biotechnology in helping solve the country's food security issues amid the growing population and climate change challenges. Pascual was one of the key resource persons during the opening of the 18th National Biotechnology Week: "Responding to the Challenges, Business Opportunities in Biotechnology" held in Pasay City. During his speech, he tagged science, technology, and innovation as keys to moving the Philippines toward an advanced, inclusive, and resilient future. "Biotechnology's breakthrough products and technologies feature multi-faceted benefits. Aside from creating novel diagnostics, vaccines, and combatting debilitating and rare diseases, they can… Read more