The advisory committee of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-funded project Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships met on 15 March 2013 at SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna to discuss the project’s annual fellowship conference, the scholars' research projects/theses, the venue of these projects, updates of the studies of the first batch of scholars, and recruitment and selection of the second batch of scholars.
The following attended the meeting: Dr. Vo Tong-Xuan, Rector of Tan Tao University, Vietnam; Dr. Mom Seng, Vice Rector for International Affairs, Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia; Dr. Oscar B. Zamora, Vice Chancellor for Instruction, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines (UPLB); Dr. Prasit Wangpakapattanawong, Asst. Professor, Forest Restoration Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Thailand; Dr. Silinthone Sacklokham, Vice Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Lao PDR; Dr. Editha C. Cedicol, Program Head of SEARCA’s Graduate Scholarship Department and Project Leader; and Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., SEARCA Director and Chair of the said meeting.
Dr. Cedicol presented the project background and reported its accomplishments. She also presented, on behalf of Dr. Rita Bowry, IDRC’s Senior Program Specialist for Fellowships and Awards, the “IDRC International Fellowships Program Experience,” which described the bigger umbrella the project is part of.
The advisory committee had the opportunity to meet the scholars based in UPLB through the fellowship dinner at the SEARCA Residence Hotel, which concluded the one-day meeting.
The IDRC-SEARCA Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships is a three-year project that aims to provide opportunities to qualified candidates from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam to pursue science-based master’s degrees in fields related to agriculture and food security in the uplands. Study posts of the scholars in this project are UP Los Baños in the Philippines, Chiang Mai University, Kasetsart University, and Khon Kaen University in Thailand. The project provides support for 33 Master’s degree scholarships. Details about the project can be found at www.idrc.searca.org.
