Kasetsart University and SEARCA

        Kasetsart University is one of the six founding members of The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), established in 1966 to support postgraduate studies and research in agriculture and internationally recognized as one of the 26 specialist institutions under the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). The other co-founders include University Putra Malaysia (UPM) (Malaysia), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) (the Philippines), three universities in Indonesia – the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and Universitas Brawijaya (UB) Universitas. Additional partners are Tokyo University of Agriculture (Japan), National Taiwan University (Taiwan), University of British Columbia (Canada), Georg-August University of Goettingen (Germany), Maejo University (Thailand), Central Luzon State University (the Philippines), and Visayas State University in the Philippines (the Philippines).

       Apart from regular events (short-term training, courses, conferences, seminar series, and executive board meetings), Kasetsart University has recently made efforts to strengthen partnerships with SEARCA through various activities. In April 2019, senior administrators of Kasetsart University led by Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat, President, paid an official visit to the headquarter of SEARCA in the Philippines and discuss further collaborations with Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., UPLB Chancellor and Country Representative of the Philippines to the SEARCA Governing Board, and Dr. Maria Cristeta N. CUARESMA, Program Head for Education and Collective Learning.

       In February 2020, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr., and other representatives from SEARCA, including Prof. Dr. Arif Satria, Rector of the Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Mr. Joselito G. Florendo Deputy Director, and Ms. Leah Lyn D. Domingo, Public Relations Specialist, participated in KU Academic Forum: In Celebration of the 77th Anniversary of Kasetsart University on “Higher Education and Sustainable Development: Facing Realities and Implementing Change”. Prof. Dr. Arif Satria also shared in a panel session on Changing roles of Universities in Providing Education on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responding to the issues of how universities can be more engaged in providing education on SDGs and what strategies, policies and plans  IPB has employed to integrate, embed and implement SDGs in its education.

       Due to the unrelenting spread of COVID-19, SEARCA activities have been transformed from face-to-face to online. In December 2020 postgraduate students from Kasetsart University presented a research paper in the online University Consortium (UC) graduate Forum on the theme “Resilient Food and Agricultural System for Accelerating Economic Recovery: Strategy and Implementation”.  hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).

Related Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbMwl09p3ag&ab_channel=MediaFapertaUGM

       Later in May-August 2020, Dr. Anchasa Pramuanjaroenkij is an Associate Professor in Kasetsart University , received SEARCA Regional Professorial Chair grant Thailand her continuous contributions research on community problems in the field of Agriculture and Food Engineering.

https://uc.searca.org/news/features/bringing-youth-closer-community-anchasa-pramuanjaroenkij