18 Executive Board meeting crafts vision th for a ...

In T

his

Iss

ue

18th UC Board meeting crafts vision

for a revitalized UC 1

Four UPLB faculty get professorial

chairs 2

UC Coordinators tackle organizational

and management concerns at

Yogyakarta Meeting 3

Malaysian Prof develops airborne

hyperspectral imaging for

precision agriculture 4

SEARCA offers PhD research

scholarships 5

KU opens new campus 5

KU, Asia-Pacific aquatic network sign

MOU 5

UPM is center of excellence for

agrcultural. education 6

The participants of the 18th University Consortium Executive Officers and Coordinators Meetingheld on19 August 2005 at Palm Garden Hotel in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

18 Executive Board meeting crafts visionfor a revitalized Consortium

“To be a leader in implementingcollaborative strategies for excellentgraduate education and cutting-edgeresearch in agriculture, environment,and natural resources for the benefit ofthe Southeast Asian region”—this is thevision of the revitalized UniversityConsortium (UC) as crafted by theparticipants of the 18th UniversityConsortium Executive Officers andCoordinators Meeting held on 19 August2005 at the Palm Garden Hotel, IOIResort, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Mohd. ZohadieBardaie, Vice Chancellor of UniversitiPutra Malaysia (UPM), officially openedthe meeting. In his opening remarks,Prof. Zohadie stressed that “the activeparticipation of the members of the UC isa testimony that the UC is still a relevantand important network for thepromotion of agriculture and sustainableenvironment.”

Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan,SEARCA Director, underscored thechallenge on the UC to effectivelyintervene and create a positive impactby producing highly trainedprofessionals who could contribute to thedevelopment of their respectivecountries’ policies and othermechanisms that promote ruraldevelopment. On the other hand, Dr.Aini Ideris, Dean, School of GraduateStudies and UC Executive Officer,UPM,emphasized the need for the UC to

th

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UQ creates innovative education tool for

plant industries 7

SEARCA invites applications for

graduate scholarship in agriculture 8

Degraded tropical forests can still

be restored 8

UBC opens Asia-Pacific office 9

UBC researchers discover ocean viruses 9

German officials conduct evaluation

of DAAD-SEARCA Scholarship

Program 10

CeTSAF co-organizes summer school

in plantation forestry in Asia and

Europe 12

2 University Consortium

Four UPLB faculty getSEARCA professorial chairs

Four faculty of the University ofthe Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) wereawarded the SEARCA Professorial Chairfor academic year 2005-2006.

The awardees, their colleges andtitles of research are: Dr. Arnold R.Elepaño, College of Engineering andAgricultural Technology,“Development of a small-scaleprocessing system for the production

of semi-refined carrageenan;” Dr.Ernesto J. del Rosario, Colleges ofArts and Sciences, “Recovery of growthhormones in coconut water usingmicellar-enhanced ultrafiltration;” Dr.Jose M. Yorrobe, Jr., College ofEconomics and Management, “The costof biosafety regulation for rice in thePhilippines;” and Dr. Cleofe S. Torres,College of Development Communication,

“Enhancing compliance withenvironmental quality standards in theLaguna de Bay region through publicdisclosure.”

The four new awards bring to 88the total number of SEARCA professorialchairs awarded to UPLB faculty. Since1989, SEARCA has awarded a total of 115professorial chairs to faculty of UPLB,Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) andUniversitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) inIndonesia, Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM), and Kasetsart University (KU) inThailand under the UniversityConsortium. (LLDDomingo)

stand on its own, grow stronger together,and give the network a new brand andmeaning.

The UC Executive Boardreformulated the mission and objectivesof the UC, redefined the roles of themembers and the Secretariat, andmodified the organizational structure ofthe network. The mission of the UC is topromote collaboration among UCmembers to enhance graduate educationand research in agriculture, environmentand natural resources for the benefit ofSoutheast Asian region. Its objectives areto a) provide highly trained personnel inagriculture, environment and natural

collaborative research projects, andfaculty and student exchange programs.

Participants of the meeting were:Dr. Gulam Rusul Rahmat Ali, DeputyDean, School of Graduate Studies and UCCoordinator, and Dr. Ideris, both of UPM,Malaysia; Dr. Syafrida Manuwoto,Director, Graduate Studies Program andUC Executive Officer, and Dr. Ma’munSarma, Director for InternationalPrograms and UC Coordinator, both ofInstitut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Indonesia;Dr. Susamto Somowiyarjo, Dean,Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. EdhiMartono, Vice Director for GraduateStudies Program, and Dr. Ir. Masyhuri,Chairman, Master of AgribusinessManagement Program and UCCoordinator, all of Universitas GadjahMada (UGM), Indonesia; Ms.Phacharavadee Paerattakul,Director, International Affairs Divisionand UC Coordinator, KU, Thailand; Dr.Roger Swift, Executive Dean, Faculty ofNatural Resources, Agriculture, andVeterinary Science, UC Executive Officer,and Director, Gatton Campus, Universityof Queensland (UQ), Australia; Dr.Mahesh Upadhyaya, Associate Deanand UC Coordinator, Graduate Studies,Faculty of Land and Food Systems,University of British Columbia (UBC),Canada; Dr. Balisacan and Dr. Editha C.Cedicol, Manager, Graduate ScholarshipDepartment, SEARCA, Philippines.(ECCedicol)

UC Member Update

18th UC, from page 1

The UC Executive Boardapproved the revised organizationalstructure of the network to reflect a two-tiered hierarchy of functions such thatthe Executive Board serves as thepolicymaking body of the UC while theUC Coordinators serve as the WorkingGroup, as recommended by the UCCoordinators that met on the 18th ofAugust 2005, a day before the meetingof Executive Officers. The UC Board alsoapproved the following: a) revisedguidelines on UC Membership; b) therevised Memorandum of Agreement onthe Funding Scheme; c) the revisedgrants administration guidelines andthe suspension of the UC ResearchFellowship and UC Professorial ChairPrograms; d) the operational plan andbudget for 2005-2006; and e) theconduct of the 19th UC ExecutiveOfficers Meeting at Kasetsart University(KU), Thailand in mid-November 2006. See 18th UC, p. 7

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resources for the development of theSoutheast Asian region; b) promotemutually beneficial cooperation amongUC members by optimizing the utilizationof scarce resources and expertise; and c)develop strong and dynamic linkagesamong UC members through

the challenge to the UC ishow to intervene and create apositive impact by producinghighly trained professionals

who could contribute tothe development of their

respective countries’ policiesand other mechanisms

that promote rural development

the mission of the UC is topromote collaboration among

UC members to enhancegraduate education andresearch in agriculture,

environment, and naturalresources for the benefit of the

Southeast Asian region

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3January-December 2005

UC Coordinators tackleorganization andmanagement concerns atYogyakarta workshop

The University Consortium(UC) should come up with a neworganizational structure and redefinethe roles of its members andSecretariat. This was one of the majorrecommendations of the UCCoordinators during the 4th UCCoordinators Workshop held at theNovotel, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on12-14 April 2005.

The Workshop was held inresponse to the need to immediatelyaddress the issues on grantsadministration as well as review,discuss and recommend furtheraction on organization andmanagement concerns expressed inthe evaluation study on the UCconducted by Dr. Ledivina Cariñoin 2004.

The Workshop aimed to 1)review and refine guidelines for UCfunding and operating procedures ingrants administration; 2) come upwith a draft of the revised policies andguidelines in the implementation ofactivities for approval of the UCExecutive Board during the 18th UCMeeting to be held in Malaysia withinthe year 2005; and 3) come up withthe operational plan and budgetrequirement for the fiscal year 2005-2006 for approval of the UC ExecutiveBoard.

The Workshop participantsexpressed their observations thatgraduate education in agriculture isstill a very important focal concernand that the UC is one modality toaddress development needs inSoutheast Asia through HRD andcapacity building. They felt that since

the past efforts of the UC focused oncapacity building to enhance graduateeducation, the restructured UC shouldput more focus on research projects,which may be able to generate morefunds for the network in addition to themembership fees.

to be uploaded in the UC Website; 5)the production of the UC brochure inprinted form for marketing purposes;and 6) the development of a degreeprogram in tropical agriculture to bejointly offered by the UC members.

Participants of the Workshop wereDr. Edhi Martono, Vice Director forGraduate Studies Program representingDr. Irwan Abdullah, Director of GraduateStudies Program and UC Executive Officer,and Dr. Ir. Masyhuri, Chairman, Masterof Agribusiness Management Programand UC Coordinator, both of Universitas

UC News

See UC Coordinators, p. 7○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Participants of the “4th UC Coordinators Workshop” held in Yogyakarta, Indonesiaon 12-14 April 2005. (Photo courtesy of SEARCA)

graduate educationin agriculture is

still a very importantfocal concern

the Consortium isone modality to address

development needsin Southeast Asia through

human resource developmentand capacity building

It is also the Coordinators’opinion that in order to be morerelevant to agriculture and povertyalleviation, and raise the UC’s ownidentity, the UC should developcollaborative research projects inorder to attract donor funds. Inaddition, the UC should develop amechanism to assist non-memberuniversities in Southeast Asia incapacity building.

Among the recommendationsfor presentation to the UC ExecutiveBoard during the 18th UC ExecutiveOfficers Meeting in Malaysia in August2005 are: 1) The revised policies andguidelines on funding scheme, studentand faculty exchange, and thesisgrants; 2) operational plan and budgetfor FY 2005-2006; 3) Theconstruction of a UC Website by theUC Secretariat; 4) the production ofthe UC Newsletter in electronic form

Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia; Dr.Syafrida Manuwoto, Director,Graduate Studies Program and UCExecutive Officer, and Dr. Ma’munSarma, Director for InternationalPrograms and UC Coordinator, both ofInstitut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), Indonesia;Dr. Gulam Rusul Rahmat Ali, DeputyDean, Faculty of Science and Engineeringand UC Coordinator, School of GraduateStudies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM),


Malaysian Prof developsairborne hyperspectral imagingfor precision agriculture

Dr. Kamaruzaman mounts a complete UPM-Aeroscan’s AISA sensor system on aSabah Air GAF Nomad N22B, the small aircraft used by his team to conduct airbornehyperspectral imaging. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Kamaruzaman)

Precision agriculture (PA) refers totechniques, technologies, andmanagement strategies aimed ataddressing within-field variability ofparameters (e.g., topography, wateravailability, soil type, weed pressure,plant nutrient levels, soil organic matter)that affect crop growth. Developingcountries have been slow to adopt PAbecause it is commonly perceived that itsbenefits are insufficient to justify the costs.

Prof. Dr. Jusoff Kamaruzaman,Professor of Forest Engineering Survey(Remote Sensing) at Universiti PutraMalaysia (UPM) and Consulting Advisorto Aeroscan Precision (Malaysia) Berhad,has led the team that developed ahyperspectral remote imagingtechnology that incorporates globalpositioning system (GPS) and “ready-made” geographic information system(GIS) data.

This joint project of UPM andAeroscan Precision (M) Sdn Nhd (APSB)produced the UPM-APSB’s AISAAirborne Hyperspectral Imaging for PA,

a relatively econo-mical but powerfulanalytical tool for PA.

Hyperspectral remote sensing is anemerging technology that produceshundreds of narrow wavebands to createa continuous spectrum of a scene thatcaptures a more complete data set thanmultispectral data. According to Dr.Kamaruzaman, airborne hyperspectralimaging offers a great potential forsurveying large areas as per user or clientdemand in near-real time and for the earlydetection of growth anomalies.

On 6 December 2005, Dr.Kamaruzaman, who holds a ProfessorialChair under the University Consortium,delivered a seminar at SEARCA on theresults of an evaluation that his teamconducted on the use of UPM-APSB’sAISA Airborne Hyperspectral Imagingprimarily for oil palm and rice paddyprecision agriculture.

The ground validation segment ofthe program was focused on two oil palmplantations in Semporna and Sabah and

Comparison between multispectral, hyperspectral, and ultraspectral bands(Image courtesy of Dr. Kamaruzaman)

two rice fields Kelantan, measuring theirnon-time critical characteristics prior toflight.

On the day of flight, time-criticalparameters were measured in all fields. Ahand-held Analaytical Spectral DeviceFieldSpec spectroradiometer was used tomonitor spectral characteristics of bothcrops spectrum from 350-1,050nanometer (nm). Customized softwareinterpreted the spectral reflectance dataand assigned it GPS coordinates, thentranslated the geospatial information intoa thematic map of the crops’ status. TheUPM-APSB’s hyperspectral data sets wereprocessed and analyzed using ENVI 4.0software and focused on the validation ofspectral matching and spectral un-mixingmethods for crop and fielddiscrimination.

The evaluation results showed thatUPM-APSB’s AISA Airborne Hyper-spectral Imaging has the potential toprovide near-real time analysis of theattributes of the growing oil palm and ricepaddies that can assist in making timelymanagement decisions that affect theoutcome of the current crop.

Dr. Kamaruzaman noted,however, that for this hyperspectralimaging technology to be successful, itmust be accompanied by a goodconventional scouting program and thebenefits of the improvements inmanagement must outweigh the cost oftechnology. (LLDDomingo)

airborne hyperspectral imaging has great potentialfor surveying large areas in near-real time

UC Professorial Chair Lecture


KU opens a new campus

Thailand’s Kasetsart University hasa new campus located at ChalermprakiatSakon Nakhon Province. The openingceremony was graced by His RoyalHighness Crown Prince MajaVajiralongkorn.

The new campus is part of the Thaigovernment’s plan to develop SakonNakhon Province as the educationalcenter and career development in thecountry’s upper northeaster region.

Kasetsart University is theforemost agriculture university in

Thailand. It was established on 2February 1943 with the prime aims ofpromoting subjects related toagricultural sciences. The university hasexpanded and currently its variouscurricula cover a wide range of subjectmatters in the sciences, arts, humanities,education, engineering, architecture, andmore recently medicine and healthsciences. Altogether, it has sevencampuses located in all regions ofThailand. At present, it has 23,000students. (LLTallafer/Nonsee Newsletter)

KU Chalermprakiat campus.(Photo courtesy of KU)

SEARCA now offers PhD

Research Scholarships, which provides

financial support to a limited number

of qualif ied PhD students whose

researches are relevant to the priority

thrusts of SEARCA.

The research scholarship aims

to 1) provide PhD students the

opportunity to use the resources and

facilities available at SEARCA and its

network of universit ies for their

research; 2) help PhD students produce

quality research papers for publication;

and 3) enable them to work with

SEARCA’s R&D personnel on

mutually identified areas of interests

in agriculture and rural development.

The research scholars are required to

spend two months at SEARCA and

present a seminar related to the

research.

Any Southeast Asian graduate

student pursuing a PhD in agriculture

or related sciences is eligible to apply

for the scholarship. The applicant’s

research must focus on any of

SEARCA’s priority thrusts under the

broad themes of promotion of

agricultural competit iveness and

natural resource management. For

details on the priority thrusts,

applicants may download SEARCA’s

Eighth Five-Year Strategic Plan from

the SEARCA website.

The application requirements

are: 1) Filled out Application Form

(may be downloaded from the

SEARCA website); 2) Letter of

application for the research

scholarship; 3) Recommendation letter

from the Dean of Graduate School of

the university where the student is

pursuing his/her degree program; 4)

Dissertation research outline/proposal

SEARCA offersPhD researchscholarships

UC Member Update

Kasetsart University (KU),through its Faculty of Fisheries, and theNetwork of Aquatic Centers in Asia-Pacific (NACA) signed in November

KU, Asia-Pacific aquatic networksign MOU

See SEARCA offers, p. 7○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

2005 a memorandum ofunderstanding tocooperate in a regionalprogram on geneticsand biodiversity foraquaculture and inlandfisheries management.

Prior to the MOUsigning, KU and NACAhad begun moleculargenetics-related workwhich includedestablishing a regionalinformation platform onthe NACA website and

research activities, and initiating thedevelopment of a training manual.

NACA is an intergovernmentorganization that promotes rural

Aquaculture Asia, co-authoring articlesfor publication, collaborating in

development through sustainableaquaculture. (LLDDomingo/NACA News)

KU and NACA officials present at the signing of the MOU between the twoinstitutions. (Photo courtesy of NACA)

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export earnings and creation ofemployment, he added that “the sectoris also a major supplier of food as wellas raw materials to resource-basedindustries.”

An official of Malaysia’s Ministryof Education underscored the key rolethat Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)plays in the country’s research anddevelopment, particularly agriculturaldevelopment.

Y. Bhg. Dato’ Dr. Zulkefli bin A.Hassan, Deputy Secretary General(Development) of the Ministry ofEducation of Malaysia, said that UPMhas taken pro-active measures tocontribute a lot more toward thedevelopment and modernization ofMalaysia’s agricultural sector throughteaching, research and development aswell as professional services activities.

Occasion was the openingceremonies of the 51st Governing BoardMeeting of SEARCA held in August2005 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

UPM is center of excellence for agricultural education

such, the agriculture sector is in line fornew growth in view of the government’scommitment to revitalize the sector,”he added. He shared that the Budget2005 focuses on generating greater

dynamism of the agriculture sector, andhas the twin objectives of increasingincome and reducing dependence onimports, particularly food.

He reported that the Malaysiangovernment has allocated large fundsfor research aimed at developing newproducts and technologies and thatUPM continues to play a key role inresearch and development in Malaysia.

UPM, formerly known asUniversiti Pertanian Malaysia, wasfounded in 1971 through the merger ofFaculty of Agriculture, UniversityMalaya and Agriculture College inSerdang. In 1994, it acquired its present

He described thissector as characterized by adualistic structure, with theexport-oriented plantations/large farms, on one hand, andthe smallholderscharacterized by old age,small farm size, and lowerlevels of education andtechnology use, on the other.He said that among the issuesand challenges besetting theindustry is the less thanencouraging response of theprivate sector in foodproduction and negativeperceptions of the youthtoward earning a livelihoodfrom agricultural activities.

Dato’ Dr. Zulkefli that theMalaysian government undertakesadjustment measures to expedite thecompetitiveness of the sector to enableit to face new challenges both atdomestic and international levels. Hesaid that the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP)and the Mid-Term Review of the 8MPhave broken down the broad objectivesof the National Agricultural Policy(NAP) into detailed policy guidelinesparticularly for medium-termimplementation of programs andobjectives. “The role of agriculture isrevamped and upgraded as the thirdengine of growth, after themanufacturing and services sectors. As See next page

The Malaysian official sharedthat UPM has been designated as acenter of excellence for agriculturaleducation by Malaysia’s Prime MinisterDatuk Seri Abdullah AhmadBadawi. He added that “UPM hasmaintained its reputation for receivingthe highest allocation for researchunder IRPA grant. In the 8th MalaysiaPlan, UPM received a total amount ofUS$44 million for 498 researchprojects. Out of 498 research projects,121 projects are in the agro-industrysector, which is the largest sector.”

Dr. Zulkefli stressed theimportance of the agriculture sector tothe national economy of Malaysia.Citing the agriculture sector’scontribution to the national income and

UPM has been designated as acenter of excellence foragricultural education by

Malaysia’s Prime Minister DatukSeri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

University Profile

“ UPM has taken pro-active measures to contribute a lot moretoward the development and modernization of Malaysia’s

agricultural sector through teaching, research and developmentas well as professional services activities ”


UPM campus.(Photo courtesy of UPM)


UQ creates innovative education toolfor plant industries

name in support of the strategic moveto make UPM into a versatile, higherlearning institution and in support ofits aspiration to be “the University ofthe Next Millennium.”

The University of Queensland(UQ) has produced an innovative CD-ROM intended to help education inplant protection keep abreast of therapid expansion of crop andhorticulture industries.

Launched in April 2005, the CDformat of the UQ Graduate Certificatein Plant Protection enables workers inrural areas, both in Australia andoverseas, to study plant protectionwithout having to leave home. The CD-ROM offers an alternative mode ofdirect training in plant protection topeople who work in agricultural areas.

The Graduate Certificate in PlantProtection CD-ROM is an extension ofUQ’s existing Graduate CertificateProgram, teaching the four key areasof plant protection science, namely:diseases, insects, weeds, andintegrated management.

The degree uses a CD-ROMplatform to maximize learningoutcomes for students, particularlystudents in rural areas and countrieswith farming-dependent economies.

The UQ Graduate Certificate inPlant Protection on CD-ROM wasdeveloped by UQ in cooperation withthe Cooperative Research Centre forTropical Plant Protection (CRCTPP).

Dr. Margaret Schneider,Education Program Leader at CRCTPPand UQ lecturer in entomology, saidplant protection education in Australiais not keeping up with the increasingdemands of the growing plantindustries. She said the most criticalproblem is that the professionals whoinvestigate plant problems are not beingreplaced by young people at a rate thatcan keep up with the expansion of theplant industries.

Malaysia; Dr. Richard Williams,Coordinator, Faculty InternationalPrograms,Faculty of NaturalResources, Agriculture, and VeterinaryScience and UC Coordinator, GattonCollege, University of Queensland (UQ),Australia; Dr. Gode Gravenhorst,Director, and UC Executive Officer,Center for Tropical and SubtropicalAgriculture and Forestry (CeTSAF),Germany; Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit Jr.Deputy Director for Administration,Dr. Editha C. Cedicol, Manager,Graduate Scholarship Department, andMs. Zacyl A. Rivera, GraduateScholarship Specialist, all of SEARCA,Philippines. (ECCedicol)

UC Coordinators, from page 3○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○“UPM has the vision to be a world

class university, i.e. a community of thelearned and intellectuals who are ofinternational standing, which shall bethe pride of the nation in view of itscontribution through academicwritings and research findings whichcontinue to provide new dimensions tothe progress, growth and developmentof the nation and the world.” says Prof.Dato’ Dr. Mohd Zohadie Bardaie,UPM’s Vice Chancellor. He added thatin order to become a leading university,UPM focuses on developing itsgraduate programs because these willassist in producing the most advancedresearch and in enriching the searchfor knowledge. (LLTallafer)

With a total enrolment of morethan 30,000 students, includingpostgraduates from over 50 countries,UPM is now considered among thebiggest universities in Malaysia.

to become a leading university,UPM focuses on developing its

graduate programs as these willassist in producing the most

advanced research and enrichingthe search for knowledge

UC Member Update

The rapid growth of the plantindustries, including grain, rice,cotton, sugar, wine, nurseries, andhorticulture in recent years has madethem Australia’s most valuableagricultural industry, far ahead of thelivestock industries. (LLDDomingo/UQOnline News)

A certificate program that uses the CD-ROM platform tomaximize learning outcomes for students in rural areas and

countries with farming-dependent economies

approved by the Advisory Committee

and Dean of Graduate School; 5)

Budgetary requirement for the entire

research duly attested and

recommended by the major adviser

and Dean of Graduate School; Letter

from the student certifying that he/she is

not receiving any other research grant

from any other institution; and 7)

Research timetable indicating the

activities involved in the research, the

expected date of defense and expected

date of seminar paper presentation.

Applications should be addressed

to the Manager, Graduate Scholarship

Department, SEARCA.

For PhD scholarships for school

year 2006-2007, the deadline for

applications is 1 April 2006 .

(LLDomingo)

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SEARCA PhD ResearchSEARCA PhD ResearchSEARCA PhD ResearchSEARCA PhD ResearchSEARCA PhD ResearchScholarships,Scholarships,Scholarships,Scholarships,Scholarships, continued from p. 5


Degraded tropical forests can stillbe restored - UQ rainforest ecologists

About 850 million hectares oftropical forest was estimated to havebeen cleared or degraded in the pastcentury, but there is hope yet accordingto a pair of rainforest ecologists fromthe University of Queensland (UQ).

Dr. David Lamb, AssociateProfessor, and Dr. Peter Erskine,Research Fellow, both of the UQIntegrative Biology School, believe thatsome of the degraded or partiallycleared tropical forests in Asia, LatinAmerica, and Africa can be restored.

They say the first step is to learnmore about the condition andbiodiversity of secondary forests. Thesecond step is to assess which nativetrees could be grown on degraded land.

“This involves trialling manydifferent native species, includinghigher valued timber species to

diversify income for local farmers,” Dr.Lamb said.

“Farmers need to buy short- andlong-term insurance in the form ofhaving a variety of tree species in theirfarm plantations. They might be speciesthat produce timber as well as fruit andnuts or it might be fast-growing treesmixed with a slow-growing tree,” Dr.Lamb explained.

He added that the reforestationprograms could benefit individualfarmers and also improve biodiversityand regional water supplies. Thechallenge was to conserve theremaining diversity in the world’s mostspecies-rich areas while also improvingthe livelihood of poor farmers who livein these areas.

The UQ ecologists say that simplycreating national parks in degraded

forests is not enough. Sometimes, thiscan even be detrimental to poorfarmers who have had to leave thesenew protected areas.

The alternative identified by Dr.Lamb and Dr. Erskine is to strategicallyreforest degraded areas both in andaround nature reserves. This methoddiffers from traditional reforestationmethods that have relied onmonoculture plantations of acacia,pine, or eucalyptus.

Of forest restoration workaround the world, Dr. Lamb says mostpeople tend to focus on big industrialscale plantations which do little toconserve biodiversity and are often oflimited benefit to rural communities.

“But in Asia and many other partsof the tropical world,” he averred,“there’s also an enormous number ofsmall farmers who are planting trees fora whole variety of reasons.”

The findings of Dr. Lamb and Dr.Erskine were based on several years ofstudying forests in northernQueensland, Lao PDR, Vietnam, andThailand. (LLDDomingo/UQ Online News)

UC Member Update

simply creating national parks in degraded forests is notenough... this can even be detrimental to poor farmers

SEARCA is inviting applicationsfrom qualified Southeast Asian nationalsfor graduate scholarship (MS and PhD) inagriculture and related fields focusing onthe promotion of agriculturalcompetitiveness and natural resourcemanagement for school year 2007-2008.

Applicants may submit theirapplications to their countries’ respectiveMinistry of Education (Ministry of HigherEducation in Malaysia and Commissionon Higher Education in the Philippines).The Ministries then submit the list ofapplicants accompanied by the completeset of requirements to SEARCA not laterthan 30 July 2006.

Scholars may study at theUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños,Universiti Putra Malaysia, KasetsartUniversity in Thailand, Institut PertanianBogor or Universitas Gadjah Mada inIndonesia, University of the PhilippinesDiliman, or University of the PhilippinesVisayas.

The list of requirements forapplication as well as all the required formsfor scholarship application and admissionto the graduate study programs ofuniversities where SEARCA scholars maystudy may be obtained from the Ministryor downloaded from the SEARCA websiteat http://www.searca.org.

The topic of the research that theapplicants plan to conduct for their thesismust be in line with the thrusts of SEARCA(i.e., promotion of agriculturalcompetitiveness, sustainable land use andwater management, and biodiversityconservation by addressing economicand institutional constraints, expandingaccess to productive resources andtechnology, and strengthening localgovernance capability to deliveragricultural services). For details on thepriority thrusts, applicants may downloadSEARCA’s Eighth Five-Year Strategic Planfrom the SEARCA website.

Interested parties may also contactthe Graduate Scholarship Department ofSEARCA via email at [email protected] [email protected].

SEARCA invites applications forgraduate scholarship in agriculture

January-December 2005 9

UBC researchers discover ocean viruses

UC Member Update

University of British Columbia(UBC) researchers have discoveredfive groups of previously unknownviruses living in a wide range ofocean environments.

The discovery, recentlypublished in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences,shows that a wide range of oceanenvironments contain previouslyunknown viruses that are distantrelatives of viruses that attackbacteria in the human digestivesystem.

“On average, a teaspoon ofseawater contains a billion viruses,and we know very little about mostof them,” says Dr. Curtis Suttle,

Professor at UBC’s Department ofEarth and Ocean Sciences andAssociate Dean at the Faculty ofScience.

Samples for the study weretaken from many parts of the worldincluding the coastal waters ofBritish Columbia, the Gulf of Mexicooff Florida and as deep as fourkilometres below the surface of theArctic Ocean.

Suttle’s research continues tofocus on the discovery of unknownand unusual viruses in the ocean,understanding their biology, anddeciphering their role in the globalecosystem. (UBC Reports Vol. 51,No. 11)

“a teaspoon of seawater contains a billion viruses,and we know very little about most of them”

University British Columbia’slatest international foray capitalizes onits substantial strengths in the Asia-Pacificregion for stronger partnerships and moreopportunities for students, faculty andalumni to thrive in today’s competitiveworld.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Office(APRO), which opened on 3 May 2005 inHong Kong, marks the first time aCanadian university has established apermanent presence of this magnitude inthe region. It will address UBC’s variousneeds in the region, including studentservices and recruitment, developmentand alumni relations.

“APRO is a testament to UBC’sappreciation of the extraordinary growthand resolve in working with the region’sprivate, public and academic sectors,”said Ken McGillivray, Director of theOffice of UBC International and ActingAssociate Vice President, International.

“It is also closely aligned with theinternationalization pillar of Trek 2010,

Sullivan, several deans, selected facultyand alumni from the entire region at theofficial opening.

“By establishing a permanentpresence in the region, we’re extendingour academic and research expertise andstrong alumni links to support UBC’svarious efforts in the area, as well ascreating new opportunities that will helpour students become global citizens.”

In addition to establishing the Asia-Pacific Alumni Network, collaboratingwith regional universities throughlinkages such as Universitas 21 and theAssociation of Pacific Rim Universities,the APRO will also continue to work withlocal and regional organizations,businesses, non-governmentalorganizations and governmental agenciesto identify opportunities for experientialand service learning for UBC students inthe Asia Pacific.

“The aim is for even more UBCstudents to incorporate the international

experience, through service learning, co-op placement or mobility exchangeprograms, into their post-secondaryexperience,” said McGillivray.

While a small existing office —established in 1999 and one of the mostactive UBC alumni chapters around theworld - has served as an excellent portalto UBC’s activities in the region, a largerpermanent presence is important giventhe cultural context of the region whichplaces so much emphasis on relationshipbuilding, McGillivray added.

“The ‘drop-in’ approach of sendingdelegations there a few times a year is notthe way to do business in the region,” saidMcGillivray. “Part of the strength — andmore importantly, the expectation — ofthe region, is the development ofrelationships, particularly personalrelationships. It really places the UBCstamp in the hearts and mind of ourclients.” (UBC Reports Vol. 51, No. 4)

UBC opensAsia-Pacific

office

UC Member Update

the university’s mission statement. It’s socritical because it ties into the pre-eminent concept of promoting globalcitizenship.

“UBC is Canada’s leading universityin Asian Pacific issues,” says McGillivray,who will host President Martha Piper,Vice President, Students, Brian

the Asia-PacificRegional Office in

Hong Kong marks thefirst time a Canadian

university hasestablished a

permanent presenceof this magnitude in

the region


German officials conduct evaluation ofDAAD-SEARCA Scholarship ProgramThe German Academic

Exchange Service (DAAD)Evaluation Team, headed by Mrs.Hannelore Bossman , Chief,Section of South and SoutheastAsia, DAAD, visited SEARCA on25-27 July 2005 to conduct anevaluation of the DAAD-SEARCAscholarship program.

The other members of theDAAD Evaluation Team are Dr.Uwe Muuss, Managing Director,Center for Tropical andSubtropical Agriculture andForestry, Georg-August

UC Member Update

University of Goettingen, Germany;and Prof. Dr. Heinz-Ulrich Neue,Head and Professor, Department ofSoil Sciences, UFZ Centre forEnvironmental Research Leipzig-Halle in Germany. The DAAD Evaluation Teamconferred with the SEARCADirectorate, and staff of the Center’sGraduate Scholarship Departmentand finance units regarding theadministrative and academic issuesthat concern the DAAD scholarshipsadministered by SEARCA. They alsomet with Dr. Ernesto V. Carpio,

Vice Chancellor for Instruction ofthe University of the Philippines LosBaños (UPLB) to clarify somematters pertaining to the UPLBGraduate School policies andprocedures. The Team alsoconvened all the DAAD scholarsstudying at UPLB and met somescholars’ advisers and SEARCAfellows. Since 1975, the DAAD hasfunded 274 (135 MS, 139 PhD)SEARCA scholarships, 31 (13 MS, 18PhD) of which are still ongoing. (LLDDomingo)

Reinforced with Bamboo Strips” byWang Ge and “Studies on ProcessingProperties of Plantation Poplar Wood”by Qin Daochun. Both presentorswere from the International Centerfor Bamboo and Rattan in China;

Forestry and Policy

The session on forestry andpolicy was keynoted by Dr. KlausMerker, Director General, ForestryDepartment, Lowe Saxony, Germanywith his paper titled “Strategy,Concept, Organization, Vision, andGoals Towards Efficient Economicand Ecological Sustainable ForestManagement.”

Other papers presented on thetopic of forestry and policy were:

“Challenges of Forest andPlantation Forestry in Iran” byMohammad Hassan Asareh ,Iran;

“Forest Plantations of Perhutani,Java, Indonesia” by SadhardjoSiswamartana, Indonesia;

“Challenges of Forest Management

and Plantation Forestry in Ceylon”by Sarath Fernando, Sri Lanka;

“Forest Plantation in Indonesia:An economic view” by Bahruni ,Indonesia; and “United Nations Food and

Agriculture Organization’s (FAO)position on Forestry Plantations inIran” by Adel Salili, Iran.

Forests and Environment

The session on forests andenvironment was keynoted by Prof.Dr. Cecep Kusmana , Dean,Faculty of Forestry, InstitutPertanian Bogor (IPB), Bogor,Indonesia with his paper titled“Challenges of Forestry and ForestPlantations in Indonesia.”

Other papers presented on thetopic of forests and environmentwere:

“The Challenge of ForestPlantations and Plantation ForestDevelopment in Aceh, Indonesia” byIrfan, Indonesia; “The Impact of Lowering Cutting

Diameter Limit on Residual StandsDamages and Ground Exposure atProduction Forest ConcessionaireAreas in Papua Province, Indonesia”by Dr. Bambang Nugroho ,Lecturer, Faculty of Forestry,Universitas Papua, Indonesia, andSEARCA fellow;

“Export of Beech Logs fromGermany to China, Timber Exportfrom Europe to Asia” by Pu Chen,Germany;

“Stability of Rainforest Margins inIndonesia (STORMA): A jointproject of the universitiesGoettingen, Bogor, and Tadulako” byAdam Malik, Indonesia; and

“Land Use Change in Lore LinduNational Park, Central Sulawesi,Indonesia” by Tridiati Antono ,Bogor (Indonesia).

Between seminar sessions, thesummer school participants went onseveral visits to relevant researchfacilities, university andgovernment offices, and a forestnursery. (LLDDomingo/CeTSAF newsonline)

CeTSAF co-organizes, from page 12○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

January-December 2005 11

University Consortium is a newsletter published by the Southeast Asian Regional Center forGraduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) for the Southeast Asian UniversityConsortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC).

Editor and Layout Design: Leah Lyn D. DomingoAdvisers: Arsenio M. Balisacan

Editha C. Cedicol

University Consortium accepts contributed articles on activities related to the Consortiumprograms. Send contributions to: The Editor, University Consortium, SEARCA, Los Baños4031 Laguna, Philippines; Telefax: (63-49) 536-7164; E-mail: [email protected]

Institut Pertanian Bogor

Dr. Ir. Ma’mun Sarma

Director for International Programs, IPB

Gedung Rektorat, Lt. 2

Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor

Indonesia

Telefax: (62-251) 622-638

Email: [email protected]

Universitas Gadjah Mada

Dr. Ir. Masyhuri

Chairman, Master of Agribusiness Mgt.

UGM, Jl. Flora, Bulaksumur 55281

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Tel: (62-274) 564-239, 520-318

Fax: (62-274) 564-239


Universiti Putra Malaysia

Prof. Dr. Hasanah Mohd. Ghazali

Deputy Dean

School of Graduate Studies, UPM

43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: (60-3) 8946-6403; Fax: (60-3) 8943-2509

E-mail: [email protected]

University of the Philippines Los Baños

Dr. Cristeta N. Cuaresma

Secretary

Graduate School, UPLB

College 4031 Laguna, Philippines

Tel: (63-49) 536-3414; Fax: (63-49) 536-2310


Kasetsart University

Ms. Phacharavadee Paerattakul

Director

International Affairs Division, KU

50 Phaholyothin Road

10900 Jatujak, Bangkok, Thailand

Tel: (66-2) 942-8171; Fax: (66-2) 942-8170


University of Queensland

Prof. Dr. Richard Williams

Coordinator

Faculty Internatonal Programs

Faculty of Natural Resources Agriculture,

and Veterinary Science

Gatton College, UQ

4345 Brisbane, Qld., Australia

Tel: (61-7) 54601-305

Fax: (61-7) 54601-455

Email: Richard.Williams@

mailbox.uq.edu.au

University of British Columbia

Prof. Dr. Mahesh K. Upadhyaya

Associate Dean, Graduate Studies

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, UBC

270-2357 Main Mall

Vancouver, B. C. V6T 1Z2 Canada

Tel: (1-604) 822-6139

Fax: (1-604) 822-4400


Georg-August-University of Göttingen Prof. Dr. Uwe Muuss

Managing Director

Center for Tropical and Subtropical

Agriculture and Forestry (CeTSAF)

Buesgenweg 1

37077 Göttingen, Germany

Tel.: ++49-551-399543

Fax: ++49-551-394556

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

The University ConsortiumThe Southeast Asian University

Consortium for Graduate Education and

Natural Resources, or University Consortium,

provides another avenue for SEARCA to enhance

agricultural human resources in Southeast

Asia. Since 1989, SEARCA has served as the

Consortium Secretariat.

Today, the University Consortium is an

effective network linking strong universities in

Southeast Asia, Canada, Australia, and

Germany. Its founding members are Institut

Pertanian Bogor and Universitas Gadjah Mada

in Indonesia, Universiti Putra Malaysia in

Malaysia, University of the Philippines Los

Baños in the Philippines, and Kasetsart

University in Thailand. Its associate members

are University of British Columbia in Canada,

University of Queensland in Australia, and

Georg-August University of Goettingen in

Germany.

“To be a leader in implementing

collaborative strategies for excellent graduate

education and cutting-edge research in

agriculture, environment, and natural

resources for the benefit of the Southeast Asian

region”— this is the vision of the revitalized

University Consortium.

The mission of the University

Consortium is to promote collaboration among

UC members to enhance graduate education and

research in agriculture, environment, and

natural resources for the benefit of the Southeast

Asian region.

The Consortium’s objectives are to:

1) Provide highly trained personnel in

agriculture, environment, and natural

resources for the development of the Southeast

Asian region;

2) Promote mutually beneficial cooperation

among Consortium members by optimizing the

use of scarce resources and expertise; and

3) Develop strong and dynamic linkages among

Consortium members through collaborative

research projects, and faculty and student

exchange programs.

SEARCA has served as the Consortium’s

secretariat since 1989. Its founding members are

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Institut

Pertanian Bogor (IPB), both in Indonesia;

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in Malaysia;

University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)

in the Philippines, and Kasetsart University

(KU) in Thailand. Three associate members have

also been admitted: University of Queensland

(UQ) in Australia, University of British

Columbia (UBC) in Canada, and Georg-August

University of Goettingen in Germany.

The Consortium has five components,

namely: student exchanges, faculty visits,

research fellowships, professorial chairs, and

thesis grants.

To know more about the University

Consortium Program, please communicate with

the following Consortium Coordinators/contact

persons:

Consortium Secretariat

Prof. Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan

Director

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate

Studyand Research in Agriculture (SEARCA)

Los Baños 4031 Laguna, Philippines

Tel: (63-49) 536-7044; Fax: (63-49) 536-7164



University Consortium SecretariatSEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna 4031Philippines

CeTSAF co-organizes summer school inplantation forestry in Asia and Europe

UC Member Update

The Center for Tropical andSubtropical Agriculture and Forestry(CeTSAF) co-organized a SummerSchool on “Chances and Challenges ofPlantation Forestry in Asia andEurope” at the Georg-AugustUniversity of Goettingen inGoettingen, Germany on 26September to 8 October 2005.

The summer school wasorganized by TropenzentrumGoettingen in collaboration withCeTSAF and the Lower SaxonyCompetence Network for thesustainable use of wood (NHN). It wassupported by the German AcademicExchange Service (DAAD), federalMinistry of Education and Research(BMBF), and the Georg-AugustUniversity of Göttingen.

The summer school tackled fivemajor topics, namely: plantations,Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)and chain of custody; woodtechnology, forestry and policy, andforests and environment.

Plantations

The session on plantations waskeynoted by Dr. Daniel BaskaranKrishnapillay, Senior Director,Biotechnology Division, Malaysia andDr. Joseph Jawa Kendawang,Director of Forest Plantation Divisionin Sarawak, Forestry Department,Malaysia with their paper titled“Plantation forestry in Malaysia andSoutheast Asia.”

Other papers presented on topicof plantations were:

“Application of Hydrogel inAfforestation in Dry-Hot Valley inSouthwestern China” by MaHuanchen, China;

“Mangrove forests in the Provinceof Nangroe Aceh Darussalam and theEast coast of Sumatera, Indonesia:Their ecological, socioeconomicaspects and role in coast protectionby T. Chairun Nisa Bahruin,Indonesia;

“Java Teak Plantations: Challengeor opportunity” by Lies Bahunta,Indonesia;

“Indonesian selective cutting andstrip planting system: An alternativeto rehabilitate logged over forest inlowland area” by PrijantoPamoengkas, Indonesia;

“Developing a Framework andMethodology for PlantationAssessment Using Remotely SensedData” by Djafar Oladi, Iran

“An Overview of PlantationForestry in Lao PDR” byChanhsamone Phongoudome,Laos; and

“Plantation with Fast-growingSpecies” by Mahdir Rahmati ,Iran.

CDM and Chain of Custody

The session on CDM and chainof custody was keynoted by Prof. Dr.Alois Hüttermann, Institute of

Forest Botany, University ofGoettingen with his paper titled “TheKyoto Process: An attractive basisfor foreign direct investment indeveloping countries.”

Other papers presented on thetopic of CDM and chain of custodywere “Carbon Sequestration andEnergy Plantations” by Prof. Dr.Dieter Murach , University ofApplied Sciences, Eberswalde,Germany; and “Tracing Timber byAnalyzes of Isotopes” by Dipl. Ing.Joerg Lickfett , AGROSOM,Germany.

Wood Technology

The session on woodtechnology was keynoted by Mr.Burkhand Rüther, Coordinator ofthe Competence Network for theSustainable Use of Wood (NHN),Germany with his paper titled “TheCompetence Network forSustainable Timber Utilization:Projects in cooperation with thewood industry.”

Other papers presented on thetopic of wood technology were“Plantation Wood Composites

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See CeTSAF Co-organizes, p. 10○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

18 Executive Board meeting crafts vision th for a ...

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