SEARCA Publications

The policy roundtable examined existing rice policies across the region to come up with policy recommendations that could guide policymakers and other stakeholders under current and future rice market scenarios. It also aimed to understand knowledge gaps, as well as identify activities that could be undertaken at the national and regional levels, where appropriate. Also, the event served as a venue for crafting possible policy inputs to be presented to governments across Southeast Asia.

Rice is the key staple of Southeast Asia (SEA), as well as one of its most widely grown crops. The region includes some of the largest rice producers in the world, together with two of the top three exporters (Thailand and Vietnam), and two of the world’s top importers (Indonesia and the Philippines). The region has gained prominence as an early adopter of key production innovations, such as modern inbred varieties and hybrid rice.Policy is a key driver of the rice economy, alongside market…

Food security is a global concern in general, defined in the WorldFood Summit 1996 as a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.This definition points to the four basic dimensions of food security:(1) food availability, (2) food accessibility, (3) food utilization, and (4) food stability.

The United Nations (UN) Committee on World Food Security (1996) defines food security as the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity exists when people do not have adequate physical, social, or economic access to food as defined above. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA 2012)…

Current management procedures for treatment of diseases and disorders in ruminants involve the use of conventional drugs and chemicals. However, with the increasing trend towards a more natural system of production, complementary and alternative therapies are being explored. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of medicine which involves stimulation of different acupuncture points in the body to produce effects on different parts. It has been used for diagnosis, production of analgesia, and…

This monograph focuses on the analysis of the buffalo meat value chain comprising seven types of players-input providers, farmers, agents, livestock traders, meat dealers cum wholesaler-retailers, meat processors, and retailers. It highlights the functions and major constraints of each key player in the buffalo meat value chain, and recommends strategies and interventions for upgrading the buffalo meat industry in Luzon.

This study analyzed the factors that influence the adoption of rice and corn insurance and the extent of GAP adoption as a resiliency measure to climate change. Specifically, the study investigated GAP technologies related to pest and disease resilience in rice and corn production, determined the extent of awareness of farmers about these technologies, and analyzed uptake patterns and the determinants of the degree of GAP adoption. The relationship between rice and corn insurance and GAP…

This is one of two monographs from the project titled Value Chain Analysis (VCA) of Carabao and Carabao-based Products in Luzon, Philippines. The project was funded by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC). It provided an overview of the carabao industry; examined selected carabao-based products in four regions in Luzon using the value chain analysis approach; and recommended specific interventions to improve the competitiveness of the carabao industry. This…

Farms, Food, and Futures: Toward Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development in Southeast Asia spells out the nuances of these interventions moving forward, carefully drawing from in-depth analyses and syntheses of lessons, experiences, and empirical evidence on Asia's agricultural and rural development. Siginificantly, the book's contributors walk the leaders and practitioners of agricultural and rural development through the complex issues and challenges, as well as…