SEARCA News

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), in partnership with the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) and Kansas State University, kicked off the Second International Conference on School-plus-Home Gardens cum Biodiversity Enhancement and Enterprise (SHGBEE2) with a series of mobile workshops on 14–15 November 2023 in Kabankalan City and Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental. The SEARCA delegation was led by Dr. Nur Azura Adam, deputy director for programs, with Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, program head; Mr. Jerome Cayton Barradas, project coordinator II; Ms. Anna Gale Vallez… Read more

Thirty participants from 20 members of the State Universities and Colleges - Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (SUC-ACAP) convened during the Culminating Forum of the Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources or LevelUPHEI-AFAR on 15–16 November 2023. This project of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The attendees, comprising project alumni who undertook mobilities at the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) host member universities, gathered to discuss the… Read more

Twelve Taiwan Youth Agricultural Ambassadors (TYAA), together with Deputy Director General Hsiao Kuang-wei of the Public Diplomacy Coordination Council-Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Deputy Director General Hung Hsiao-chun of the Department of International Affairs-Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), paid a courtesy visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 17 November 2023 as part of the TYAA New Southbound Policy Exchange Program. Co-organized by MOFA and MOA, the TYAA New Southbound Policy Exchange Program provides Taiwanese tertiary students specializing in agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, and forestry with an opportunity to… Read more

Mr. Prem Chaudhary, Government of Odisha Department of Agriculture and Food Production director; Prof. Pravat Kumar Roul, vice chancellor, and Dr. Tushar Ranjan Mohanty, agrometeorologist, both of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT); and Dr. Mukund Variar, Odisha-International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) state coordinator, paid a courtesy visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 16 November 2023 to discuss possible collaborations on research, innovations, scholarships, and publications. The Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production is the oldest Odisha Agriculture Department. OUAT, on the other hand, is the second oldest… Read more

Twenty-three homeschoolers from the ACTS Center, along with their parents and guardians, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 15 November 2023 to learn about agri-robotics. They were accompanied by ACTS Center Community Directress Elizabeth Lim Yao. Assoc. Prof. Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration, emphasized the vital role of agriculture to all individuals, including children. He highlighted its contributions to their daily necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. Ms. Yao, on the other hand, expressed her gratitude to SEARCA for giving the students an opportunity to engage in agri-robotics through… Read more

Dr. Glenn Gregorio, Center Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), served as one of the plenary speakers during Session 1 of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) International Scientific Congress and General Meeting 2023 held on 8–10 November 2023. With the theme, "Integrated Management of Southeast Asian Agricultural Landscapes," the congress spotlighted food security, soil and water conservation, climate resilience, and market systems and initiatives. In his presentation titled "Transforming Agricultural Education in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution," Dr. Gregorio emphasized the significance of capacitating the… Read more

Officers and members of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS)-Malaysian Chapter and the Agricultural Institute of Malaysia (AIM) paid a courtesy visit to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 11 November 2023. The ISSAAS-Malaysian Chapter delegation was led by its treasurer, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norida Mazlan of the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), while the AIM delegation was led by its president, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Abdul Shukor Juraimi, also from UPM. The visitors were oriented on the Center's mandate, programs, and offerings, particularly the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate… Read more

Fully committed to continuing the delivery of credible, science-based information on agricultural biotechnology, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) together with the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and other partner organizations, will take part in the celebration of the 19th National Biotechnology Week (NBW) on 20–24 November 2023 in Cebu, Philippines. In his message for the NBW celebration, SEARCA Center Director Dr. Glenn Gregorio said that this year's theme, "Empowering Innovation for Sustainable Future through Biotechnology," reflects SEARCA's direction to move beyond the comfort zone and find new and innovative ways to meet… Read more

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), through its Partnerships Unit (PU), conducted the second activity under its Green Skills for SEARCA Youth program from 23 October to 6 November 2023 in line with the celebration of this year's International Youth Day (IYD). The program kicked off with the community relations and agripreneurship immersion activity conducted by PU with Dagatan Family Farm School, Inc. (DFFS) on 31 August 2023 in Lipa City, Batangas, and relaunched the SEARCA Youth Ambassadors Platform (SAYAP), the Center's internal youth empowerment platform for young SEARCA staff. Continuing the efforts… Read more

The Second International Conference on School plus Home Garden cum Biodiversity Enhancement Enterprise (SHGBEE2) is set for 14-17 November 2023 in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) has partnered with the Central Philippines State University and the Kansas State University to convene SHGBEE2, which springs from a shared vision of attaining food and nutrition security while promoting sustainable agriculture and restoring biodiversity. Over a hundred teachers and researchers from local schools, state universities and colleges and other higher education institutions; policymakers from local government units and personnel from… Read more