UC) Newsletter Vol. 25 No. 1 (Jul-Oct 2019
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Jul-oct 2019 NewsletterVOL 25 NO 1 1SSN 0117-6161 UC HOLDS 1ST FACULTY FORUM AT SEARCA LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – Sixty-six in Food Security and Climate Change faculty members from eight member (MSFSCC) to a Doctor of Science in INSIDE THIS ISSUE: universities of the Southeast Asian Food Security and Climate Change University Consortium for Graduate (DSFSCC) program. There were at least 2019 Summer School and Training of Education in Agriculture and Natural three panelists who also suggested that Trainers comes to a close 2 Resources (UC) converged at the the UC should use its infl uence to be an SEARCA Headquarters for the First UC advocacy group for policies that would Faculty Forum on 23 – 24 July 2019. prioritize the agriculture sector or benefi t SEARCA-UC projects presented and the small holder farmers in the region. evaluated during Integrative Forum on The Forum, co-hosted by SEARCA and FANSSEA 4 the University of the Philippines Los The UC was established in 1989 to be Baños, provided a venue for faculty a leader in implementing collaborative SEARCA Co-organizes the 5th University members from the UC to come together, strategies for excellent graduate Consortium Graduate Forum at Institut exchange research ideas and develop education and cutting-edge research Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia 6 strategic partnerships for collaborations. in agriculture, environment and With the theme on Responding to the natural resources for the benefi t of the MS FSCC Holds Final Project Meeting in Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Southeast Asian region. Its members Revolution, there were 4 plenary include Institut Pertanian Bogor and Bangkok, Thailand 8 speakers and 43 papers presented in Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, parallel sessions under 4 sub-themes. Universiti Putra Malaysia, University In addition, there were two roundtable of the Philippines Los Baños, and This is the offi cial newsletter of the Southeast Asian University sessions that discussed possible key Kasetsart University in Thailand. It also Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural areas of strategic collaboration among has Tokyo University of Agriculture and Resources (UC). It can be downloaded from the UC website at the UC members. Among those proposed National Taiwan University as associate https://uc.searca.org/ were cross visits, co-supervision of members while Universitas Brawijaya of thesis, co-authorship of papers, research Indonesia, University of British Columbia Send your article contributions to: collaboration on topics that transcend in Canada and Gottingen University The Editor, University Consortium boundaries such as on studies involving in Germany are affi liate members. SEARCA, College, Los Baños 4031 Laguna, Philippines; Telefax: (63-49) 536 7164; the Mekong River or the South China SEARCA serves as Secretariat of the UC. Email: [email protected] Sea, and the extension of the current UC project on the Joint Master of Science 2019 Summer School and Training of Trainers comes to a close LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA, Gadjah Mada (UGM) and SEARCA. in collaboration with the University of SEARCA hosted the fi rst leg of the the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Summer School where short lectures, has successfully concluded the group discussions and interactive 2019 UC-MSFSCC Summer School exercises were conducted as and Training of Trainers (ToT). preparation for the students’ fi eld work. The students looked at the impacts and Forty-four (44) students from 15 challenges of the changing climate and universities under the Southeast Asian globalization to food security and the University Consortium for Graduate sustainability of small farms in Southeast Education in Agriculture and Natural Asia. They considered the ecological Resources (UC) and from partner and socio-economic dimensions of universities under the Master of typical agro-food systems in the region Science in Food Security and Climate and the possible indicators to assess the Change (MSFSCC) project successfully sustainability state of these dimensions. completed the Summer School. This The students were divided into eight (8) year’s off ering with theme “Sustainable groups and were deployed to diff erent and Resilient Food Systems in fi eld sites in Camarines Sur, one of the Vulnerable Areas” was held in the most vulnerable areas to climate change Philippines last 15 – 31 July 2019 and but also one with a robust and pro-active was jointly organized by UPLB, the disaster risk reduction management University of Natural Resources and Life (DRRM) programs in the Philippines. Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Universitas 2 / UC NEWSLETTER UC News Students were briefed by local offi cials on on how they may have touched each Malaysia (UPM) as regular members the risk profi le and the status of the DRRM others’ lives during the course of the with Tokyo University of Agriculture programs in Camarines Sur, with special fi eld work. She then exhorted the (NODAI), National Taiwan University focus on the rice and cacao farming students who would be going back to (NTU), Universitas Brawijaya (UB), systems. The students also conducted their diff erent home countries to go University of British Columbia (UBC), and surveys and multi-sectoral focus group and continue touching people’s lives. Gottingen University (UG) as associate discussions with farmer leaders, input The Summer School is an annual event and affi liate members. SEARCA serves providers, traders, processors, barangay of the UC that started in 2015 and is as Secretariat of the Consortium. nutritionists, and market retailers. hosted by the UC members on rotation They also did a 2-night homestay with basis. It has now evolved to become a The MSFSCC project is partly funded by farmer families that served as subjects 2-unit credit core course in the MSFSCC ERASMUS+ under its Capacity Building of their case studies. Data gathered program. On the other hand, the ToT, for Higher Education component. The was then processed and analyzed and which was held simultaneously with project is led by KU with the other regular results of the studies were presented the Summer School, discussed how members of the UC, Central Luzon State in a public conference held on 28 July to plan and implement this MSFSCC University (CLSU), Prince of Songkla 2019 with local offi cials, farmer families core course, including technical and University (PSU), Chiang Mai University and other stakeholders in attendance. administrative challenges for such a (CMU), Nilai University, Royal University transdisciplinary action-learning fi eld of Agriculture (RUA) and University of During the closing program held at the course. It considered both the content and Battambang (UBB) as university partners SEARCA headquarters, Dr. Poonpipope pedagogy related to the course, as well in the region, and with BOKU, MSA and Kasemsap of Kasetsart University as issues on budgeting, programming, UG as university partners in Europe. (KU) of Thailand and MSFSCC Project student assessment and reporting. The SEARCA, Agrinatura and Agreenium Leader, expressed confi dence that ToT was led by experts from Montpellier are network partners of the project. all the Summer School participants SupAgro (MSA) and KU. Twenty-fi ve would become successful individuals (25) faculty members and staff from UC in the future. However, he asked them and MSFSCC partners, including 19 from to work to uplift the plight of farmers. overseas institutions, served as Summer For her part, Dr. Maria Cristeta School organizers and ToT participants. Cuaresma, SEARCA Program Head for Another set of 23 faculty members from Graduate Education and Institutional UPLB and a staff from FAO served as Development, mentioned that she resource persons and group facilitators. was touched when she saw how the students warmly welcomed and hugged The UC was founded in 1989 and consists the farmer families who came for the of UPLB, UGM, KU, Institut Pertanian public conference, and commented Bogor (IPB), and Universiti Putra UC NEWSLETTER / 3 by: Bernice Anne C. Darvin and Donna Bae N. Malayang SEARCA-UC projects presented and evaluated during Integrative Forum on FANSSEA BOGOR, Indonesia – The Southeast Dr. Pedcris M. Orencio, Program Head Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study of the Research and Development and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Department (RDD) of SEARCA, in partnership with the Southeast Asian warmly welcomed the participants University Consortium for Graduate and guests and thanked the host Education in Agriculture and Natural university, IPB, for extending assistance Resources (University Consortium or for FANSSEA’s culminating activity. UC) and the Food Security Center of the University of Hohenheim in Germany, and IPB, who graciously hosted the event, in collaboration with Institut Pertanian was represented by Prof. Dr. Ir. Dodik Bogor (IPB), held the Integrative Forum on Ridho Nurrochmat, Vice Rector for Food and Nutrition Security for Southeast Collaboration and Information System. Asia on 30 September 2019 at IPB – In his message, he acknowledged Baranangsiang Campus, Bogor, Indonesia. the importance of food and food security especially to the social and As its Umbrella Program on Food and economic aspects of the community. Dr. Paul S. Teng, Managing Director Nutrition Security for Southeast Asia and Dean of NIE International and (FANSSEA) 2014-2019 nears it closing, SEARCA Senior Fellow SEARCA realized that it is high time for the Center to evaluate if FANSSEA Asia which included the current status of has indeed achieved its goal of aligning food and nutrition in ASEAN, agriculture its and the University Consortium’s situation and food security initiatives in programs of work on food and nutrition ASEAN, and how to prepare for the future. security with the development needs of the region. The Integrative Forum The six research projects under the aimed to assess the impacts of FANSSEA Umbrella Program were each implementation of the six SEARCA-UC presented by representatives from the Research Projects and explore further UC members who led them. They were research collaborations within the region.