Latest SEARCA in the News

SEARCA pushes rigorous impact assessment in S&T at IA Con 2026

MUNTINLUPA CITY, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) co-organized the 2nd Science and Technology IMPACT Assessment Conference (IACon 2026) held on 25–26 May 2026 at the Acacia Hotel in Alabang. The event was led by the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Public Affairs and D…

Rice straw biogas hub rises in Laguna

12 October 2025

MANILA, Philippines — A UK-based firm has launched a new rice straw biogas hub in Laguna, establishing a two-hectare facility designed to process 10,000 metric tons (MT) of the plant material annually into methane, biochar and fertilizer. Straw Innovations Ltd. built the P235 million facility in t…

The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — A UK-based firm has launched a new rice straw biogas hub in Laguna, establishing a two-hectare facility designed to process 10,000 metric tons (MT) of the plant material annually into methane, biochar and fertilizer. Straw Innovations Ltd. built the P235 million facility in t…

10 October 2025

SEARCA launches Seed Fund for Research and Training

10 October 2025

Deadline: 31 October 2025 The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is inviting applications for its Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT), which provides grants of up to USD 15,000 to support innovative agricultural research and training init…

Funds for NGOs

Deadline: 31 October 2025 The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is inviting applications for its Seed Fund for Research and Training (SFRT), which provides grants of up to USD 15,000 to support innovative agricultural research and training init…

10 October 2025

How rice straw turned from agricultural waste to a renewable energy source

10 October 2025

Every harvest and milling season, rice straws—or dayami—are often discarded as waste in agricultural fields due to the lack of economic and technical means to process them. Some farmers resort to burning rice straw to clear their fields efficiently, a practice that releases harmful greenhouse gases…

PIA Agency

Every harvest and milling season, rice straws—or dayami—are often discarded as waste in agricultural fields due to the lack of economic and technical means to process them. Some farmers resort to burning rice straw to clear their fields efficiently, a practice that releases harmful greenhouse gases…

10 October 2025

New Bioenergy Hub Cuts Costs and Creates Livelihoods from Rice Straw

10 October 2025

The Philippines recently reached a concrete milestone in its pursuit of sustainable agriculture with the inauguration of the first-ever Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub in Pila, Laguna. Unveiled on October 7, 2025, the Hub represents a significant and practical step toward developing greener, more resilien…

Biochar Today

The Philippines recently reached a concrete milestone in its pursuit of sustainable agriculture with the inauguration of the first-ever Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub in Pila, Laguna. Unveiled on October 7, 2025, the Hub represents a significant and practical step toward developing greener, more resilien…

10 October 2025

Rice Straw Hub opens in Laguna, transforms farm waste into value

10 October 2025

The country has unveiled its first-ever Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub in Pila, Laguna — a milestone in sustainable agriculture that turns rice farming waste into valuable resources like clean energy, biochar, and soil-enriching amendments. This breakthrough signals a major stride toward greener, more r…

Insider PH

The country has unveiled its first-ever Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub in Pila, Laguna — a milestone in sustainable agriculture that turns rice farming waste into valuable resources like clean energy, biochar, and soil-enriching amendments. This breakthrough signals a major stride toward greener, more r…