Tokyo NODAI students learn about SEARCA agribiz undertakings

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines—A group of 14 undergraduate students from Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI), accompanied by faculty from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on August 19, 2025. The visit, part of the 35th batch of Tokyo NODAI’s Philippine Field Practice, focused on exploring SEARCA’s work in agribusiness development.

Prof. Dr. Nina Nocon-Shimoguchi highlighted the long-standing collaboration between Tokyo NODAI and SEARCA, noting that SEARCA has been an integral part of the Philippine Field Practice for its entire 26-year history. Tokyo NODAI is also an associate member of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC), for which SEARCA serves as the Secretariat.

Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, SEARCA Center Director, welcomed the students and introduced SEARCA’s core offerings: graduate scholarships, policy research, and agricultural technology dissemination. She emphasized the Center’s efforts to help farmers view agriculture as a business, aiming to improve their lives by providing access to productivity-enhancing technologies.

SEARCA’s Senior Associate for Partnerships and Advocacy, Mr. Joseph Matthew Hedreyda, and Program Coordinator of SEARCA Research and Thought Leadership Department, Ms. Bernice Anne De Torres, and Program Specialist of SEARCA Emerging Innovation for Growth Department, Ms. Lichelle Dara Carlos, provided a detailed look into the Center’s programs.

De Torres highlighted SEARCA’s work in agricultural value chain interventions, including projects that helped develop the calamansi and coconut industries in the Philippines. She also discussed the Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region (ATMI-ASEAN) project, which is now expanding to South Asian countries.

Meanwhile, Carlos presented two of SEARCA’s key innovation programs. The Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS) provides funding to innovators who have created prototypes for agricultural challenges, such as an Internet of Things (IoT) system for monitoring shrimp farms and a satellite-based system for crop health alerts. She also showcased the ACCELERATOR Program, which offers hands-on support, including mentorship and networking, for agricultural startups.

The visit concluded with an open forum where students engaged in a lively Q&A session, followed by a tour of the SEARCA Hub for Agriculture and Rural Innovation for the Next Generation (SHARING) AgriMuseum.