KC3 News

Most countries in the region are undeniably experiencing the same climate extremities with highly-observable effects on social institutions such as school. UNICEF’s research shown that almost 160 million children around the globe live in extremely humid areas and another 1 billion settle in potential flood bases, therefore risked by life-threatening ends of climate change. This only implies that the effects of the sudden change in…

Thai Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin (right), concurrent SEAMEO Council President, and Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit Jr., SEARCA Director, lead the groundbreaking of the Southeast Asian AgriMuseum and Learning Center on Agriculture and Rural Development on 19 April 2017.SEARCA Director Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. will present at the 49th SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) the design of the interactive museum, which will be one of the…

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) bestows the accolade on outstanding staff of the SEAMEO regional centers, network, and secretariat who exemplify excellence and commitment for the success of their respective organizations. To be presented at the 49th SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) on 24-26 July 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the award comes on the eve of the completion of Dr. Saguiguit's unprecedented third…

Through the series of interactive lectures, discussions and group works centering on transitions of Agro-Forestry Farming systems, the students gained a better understanding of the links between the different components in the ecosystem and how each component may affect food security in the advent of changing climate. The students also visited a demonstration of integrated dairy goat and cacao processing at Pusat Pembibitan Kakao where…

Co-organizing the Summer School are Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) of Indonesia, and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) of Vienna, Austria. This year's theme Integrated Agro-Forestry Farming Systems: a Transition to Food Security in a Changing Climate will be tackled through lectures, case studies, field visits, and group discussions. The participants are 17 MS FSCC students, 6 students from SEARCA's International Development…

Though Mr. Villancio said farmers, not agriculturists, feed the world, he stressed that “the responsibility of agriculturists is to continuously find ways for the world to feed itself.” SEARCA Director Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. said indeed, agriculture has evolved from the old concept of ox-and-plow farming to a dynamic field that has become more competitive by applying modern technologies and adopting business practices…

On behalf of Director General Vilaysouk Khennavong, Mr. Bounchanh Kombounyasith, Deputy Director General of the Department of Agriculture (DOA), MAF, welcomed and expressed his deep appreciation to all the guests and participants of the workshop. He also encouraged the participants to consider this event as a venue to share their knowledge, and exchange information on farm production, regulations, and market access. Mr. Pattivong Soulivanh, Country…

SEARCA facilitated the session on "Enabling Application of Tools and Innovative Approaches." Dr. Juan Pulhin, SEARCA's Adjunct Fellow on Climate Change, presented the proposed "ASEAN Multi-sectoral Framework for Climate Change: Agriculture and Forestry Contributing to Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." Professor U-Primo Rodriguez of UPLB, on the other hand, demonstrated the use of the Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models to analyze…

In her paper titled "Promoting Productivity, Technology, and Innovation: Examples of Successful Community Forestry-based Enterprises in Myanmar," Dr. Win gave an overview of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSME (ACCMSME) and the vision of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016-2025 (SAP-SMED) to have globally competitive and innovative SMEs. She underscored the potential of Social Forestry (SF) as a mechanism to realize the…

On 14 June 2017, Mr. Arsenio Bulfa Jr., MS Soil Science student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) presented his research on the Measurement of Carbon Dioxide in Corn Cob Biochar-Amended Acid Soil Added with Different Types of Fertilizers at the Drilon Hall, SEARCA. The technology on Biochar is relatively new in the Philippines and is seen to have good potential in…

The ASRF under ASFCC Phase 3 is redesigned to make it more efficient and effective in responding to the needs of the AMS in the areas of food security, poverty alleviation, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Other features of ASRF under ASFCC Phase 3 were presented in the meeting which include (a) support to ASEAN in developing policy frameworks and guidelines for cross-sectoral collaboration…

AWG-SF is a transformation of the ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN), a government-driven social forestry network in Southeast Asia, with the main goal of strengthening ASEAN cooperation in social forestry through knowledge sharing. It aims to promote social forestry policy and practices in the region. SEARCA, being one of the key partners of the AWG-SF and the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change…

It is envisaged that MSFSCC graduates will have key roles in policy making, research, academe, and development work to address food security and climate change in the region. For more information, visit www.msfscc.org…

The Dioscoro L. Umali Achievement Award in Agricultural Development (Umali Award) is an honorific award that recognizes exemplary Southeast Asia (SEA) nationals whose work in the region has provided exceptionally significant positive impact on the development of agriculture and the improvement of the quality of life in rural communities in the region.  Given every two years, the search is ongoing for the awardee for 2017. The selected…

The annual University Consortium Summer School is now accepting applications from enthusiastic individuals who want to make a change through integrated agroforestry systems.  The Summer School will be held in Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 10-22 July 2017. The event is spearheaded by UGM and Austria's University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU). This year's Summer School is titled Sustainability Transitions and…

“Odisha is a natural reservoir of diverse rice germplasm that has helped to feed millions of people across the region,” said Dr. Damodara Rout (photo), Odisha’s minister of agriculture, who inaugurated the workshop. “It is a great opportunity for national scientists to utilize this rich heritage of germplasm for developing potentially viable and economical rice varieties best suited to local ecologies. It will ultimately lead…

The joint statement read by the CCC Commissioner Noel Gaerlan, together with Dr. Srinivasan Ancha, Principal Climate Change Specialist ADB, and representatives of Secretary Abul Khayr Dangcal Alonto of MinDA and Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director, states that they shall "pursue holistic and integrated climate resilience and green growth road map, based on principles of ecosystems-based development planning, environmental protection, utilization of green…

This conference is under the ADB-funded TA-8493 PHI: Climate Resilience and Green Growth in Critical Watersheds (46441-001), implemented by the CCC and commissioned to a consortium composed of SEARCA as lead organization, CTI Engineering Japan, Woodfields Consultants, Inc. (WCI), and ERGONS Project Management. The two-day conference will bring together varied ideas, experiences, and proposals from different stakeholders including government institutions, the academe, civil society, private…

SEARCA, through Dr. Juan M. Pulhin as Team Leader and Ms. Millicent Joyce Q. Pangilinan as Technical Assistant, presented the first draft of the proposed multi-sectoral framework during the meeting. Dr. Pulhin recommended that the framework be titled, "ASEAN Multi-sectoral Framework for Climate Change: Agriculture and Forestry Contributing to Food and Nutrition Security and SDGs," to emphasize the important contribution of the framework in realizing…

The ASFCC, through SEARCA and AWG-SF Secretariat under the guidance of the ASFCC Senior Adviser Dr. Doris Capistrano, is tasked to develop the conceptual framework for the ASEAN Multi-sectoral Framework on Climate Change: Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry towards Food Security (AFCC). The conceptual framework is meant to guide the development of Component 4: Comprehensive Multi-sectoral Strategic Framework and Roadmap for 2020 and Beyond. It is…