Officials of the six member-universities of the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) are expected to meet on 14 November 2014 at New World Hotel, Makati City, Philippines for its 27th Executive Board Meeting. This year’s meeting is hosted by SEARCA, which is also organizing the 2nd International Conference on Agricultural and Rural Development in Southeast Asia on 12-13 November 2014 that the UC members will also be attending.

Aside from reviewing the previous year’s accomplishments, the UC is also expected to further define its activities in connection with the SEARCA-initiated Umbrella Program for Food Security in Southeast Asia. The future activities for the Summer School on Food and Nutrition Security, which UC agreed to co-sponsor with SEARCA, as well as the proposed joint degree programs of UC members, are likewise included in the program.

On the other hand, ARD 2014 with the theme “Strengthening Resilience, Equity, and Integration in ASEAN Food and Agriculture Systems” aims to provide a venue for sharing the wide and diverse knowledge pool on ARD that exists within and beyond the Southeast Asian region. The Conference is expected to produce useful information about the current situation and gaps on ARD in the region and lead to the identification of policy options for decision-makers or investment opportunities for the private sector. During the said conference, Dr. Poonpipope Kasemsap, Kasetsart University’s Vice President for International Affairs and Executive Officer for the UC will present a paper on their university’s role in the agriculture and rural development in Thailand, during the thematic session on Higher Education and Capacity Building.

Since UC’s establishment in 1988, this will be third time that SEARCA, the consortium’s Secretariat, will be hosting the annual planning meeting.