BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) has entered an agreement with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) to renew its agri-biotech advocacy in Southeast Asia.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which was formalized on April 13, Searca and ISAAA have committed to create an enabling environment that will unleash the potential of biotechnology for agricultural development.
Searca director Glenn Gregorio said they recognize the important role of working with like-minded institutions like ISAAA in supporting Searca’s mission of elevating the lives of small-scale farmers in developing countries through knowledge sharing on different agricultural innovations.
“It is our hope that together, we can successfully attain better, bigger and smarter strides in agri-biotech for our farmers and farming families,” Gregorio said.
Collaborations between Searca and ISAAA started as early as 2000 to actively reach out to various stakeholders from different sectors in the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region.
Through the Searca Biotechnology Information Center, Gregorio said this partnership with ISAAA aims to deliver credible, science-based information on agri-biotechnology.
Rhodora Romero-Aldemita, Director of the ISAAA Southeast Asia Center and Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, noted that for more than two decades, Searca and ISAAA have been partners in promoting agri-biotech through information-sharing, research, and capacity-building not only in the Philippines but also in Southeast Asia.
“As ISAAA expands to other aspects of biosciences, we look forward to more fruitful collaborations with Searca,” Romero-Aldemita said.
According to Gregorio, Searca is establishing the Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Knowledge Platform under its Research and Thought Leadership Department. This is part of Searca’s 11th Five-Year Plan.
As Searca’s arm, the AFNR Knowledge Platform conducts relevant deep research in agricultural and rural development to produce knowledge and contribute to policies and programs that create transformational innovations at the local, national and regional levels.
“This initiative banks on the experience of Searca’s information centers in knowledge sharing and advocating for agricultural biotechnology, and expanding its coverage to include important issues such as climate change and food and nutrition security, among others,” Gregorio said.