Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR)
The Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) is a project by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The project focuses on the capacity development of faculty/staff members of Philippine higher education institutions, specifically those from the State Universities and Colleges - Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (SUC-ACAP) in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and agricultural engineering. SUC-ACAP is an association of 75 higher education institutions, both public and private, offering agriculture programs in the Philippines. The project will involve linking Philippine HEIs with international university networks through participation in training programs, summer schools, forums, cross-visits, and faculty and student mobilities. Foremost of these international networks is the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).
One of the main objectives of the UC since its establishment in 1989 is to share resources and collaborate on student and faculty exchanges among leading agricultural universities. SEARCA, which serves as UC Secretariat, proposed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) be drafted between SUC-ACAP and the UC during the 33rd UC Executive Board Meeting in 2020. The MOU will enable SUC-ACAP members to participate in UC activities, as well as send faculty/staff to the UC members on mobility, with funding from CHED through SEARCA.
Master of Science in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC)
The Southeast Asian region is annually affected by climate extremes, particularly, floods, droughts, and tropical cyclones, threatening the livelihoods of poor people living in rural areas, as well as food security in the region. As such, the vulnerability of agriculture to climate variability and change, and food security are issues of major importance that need the attention of the international scientific community, among the many other stakeholders. Achieving food security amidst climate change, requires a global solution through the implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures. As a professional domain, food security and climate change require interdisciplinary skills, which can be achieved through both degree and non-degree trainings.
The Master of Science in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC) project, funded by the European Commission's ERASMUS + Capacity Building for Higher Education from 2016 to 2019, is designed to help develop the next generation of high-quality, interdisciplinary professionals able to address the imposing challenges of climate change and food security in their country and the Southeast Asian region.
The project was an initiative of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC), led by Kasetsart University (KU) and SEARCA. It is envisaged to be a joint degree among the members of the UC, namely: KU in Thailand, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), and Universitas Gadja Mada (UGM) both in Indonesia. Other project partners include six (6) other universities in Southeast Asia, three (3) universities from Europe, the French institute IAVFF-AGREENIUM, and AGRINATURA — a consortium of European universities.
With the conclusion of the ERASMUS+ project on MS FSCC in 2019, the program offering and its activities will continue under UC's projects which involves other leading universities such as Universitas Brawijaya in Indonesia, UC regular member since 2019, and National Taiwan University and Tokyo University of Agriculture, UC associate members.
