Scholarships for Upland Agriculture and Food Security

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recognize that the development of agricultural human resources in the Southeast Asian Region is indispensable in achieving sustainable agricultural and rural development. Faced with numerous challenges, it calls for a regular venue to promote the capacity-building activities of the region.

The 3^rd IDRC-SEARCA Annual Fellowship Plus Conference-Workshop, a unique feature of the Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships project, is envisioned as a venue for knowledge sharing with partner institutions, informal networking among the project scholars, and providing first-hand experience through upland site visits. The 1^st and 2^nd fellowship meetings/workshops were held in the Philippines and Thailand, respectively.

To be hosted by the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), the Conference will be held together with the 7^th International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development (7^th ICERD 2016) on 16-17 January 2016 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The 7^th ICERD 2016 is an annual roving conference organized by the International Society of Environmental and Rural Development (ISERD), an organization founded on 2010 with the ultimate goal of contributing “to sustainable rural development through social and economic development in harmony with the natural environment, and to support the potential or capacity building of local institutions and stakeholders in the rural area with academic background.” A special session on 18 January 2016 will be conducted exclusively for the graduate scholars under the Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships project.

With the theme Environmentally-friendly Agricultural and Rural Development, the Conference aims to “discuss and develop suitable and effective processes and strategies for sustainable rural development taking into account the agricultural and environmental aspects in developing countries.” It will feature parallel sessions under 5 thematic areas, namely: Education for Sustainable Rural Development, Rural Development, Environmental Management, Agricultural Systems, and Infrastructural Systems; poster papers, and upland field visits. Around 20 IDRC-SEARCA scholars are expected to present their research results at the Conference.

The call for abstracts is ongoing and applications may be submitted to the conference secretariat at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  until 30 September 2015. For further details, please visit the Conference website at http://www.iserd.net.

KHON KAEN, Thailand – Coinciding with the start of the academic year, four Myanmar nationals have been chosen to complete the second cohort of graduate scholars under The Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships project.

All 4 new awardees will take up Master of Rural Development Management in Khon Kaen University (KKU) in Thailand. The degree program is a 15-month intensive collaborative curriculum that “aims to raise understanding of principles, process, issues and problems confronting rural societies in developing countries, and to identify approaches for their betterment.” Before starting their postgraduate studies, the new scholars also attended the 2-week Preparation Course for International Students offered by the KKU Graduate School which included modules on the English and Thai languages, and a cultural trip.

The new scholars are as follows:

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA – Owing to hard work, perseverance and determination, the end of Academic Year 2014-2015 saw 14 scholars under The Southeast Asian Upland Agriculture Fellowships successfully complete their master’s studies.

The project, a 5-year collaboration between SEARCA and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, has awarded a total of 53 graduate scholarships since its launch in March 2012 and is expected to be finished by February 2017.

Among the graduates, six are from Cambodia, seven are from Vietnam, and one is from Lao PDR. Of the 14 graduates, 12 belong to the academe, three are from the government sector and one came from a non-governmental organization.

The new graduates were the first batch of IDRC-SEARCA scholars to achieve their master’s degrees and upon returning to their home countries, they are expected to promote agricultural development and help address food insecurity in their respective upland communities.

The graduates, their degree programs and thesis titles are as follows: