ASEAN-CGIAR Program on Accelerating Innovation in Agri-food Systems Intervention Packages Held Successful Planning Workshop

MANILA, Philippines (25 October 2023) – Coming after the official launch of the ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program in Malaysia, representatives for two of the eight Intervention Packages convened for a planning workshop in Manila on 20 October 2023.

The ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program is a multi-year cross and trans-disciplinary research and innovation program composed of eight Intervention Packages (IPs) that aims to scale up and scale out integrated innovations in order to enhance the resilience of ASEAN’s agri-food systems to climate change. The eight IPs are as follows:

Regenerative Agriculture/Aquaculture Practices and Judicious Agrochemical Use Climate Neutrality and Circular Agriculture Enhancing ASEAN Agrobiodiversity Use and Landscape Biodiversity Enhancing Value Chains and Regional Trade Transboundary Pests and Diseases Private Sector Investment and Sustainable Financing Farmer-Led Irrigation for Climate-Resilient Agri-Food Systems Food Systems Transformation for More Nutritious and Healthy Diets

The planning workshop provided an opportunity for all stakeholders including those from governments, research and development organizations to come together and discuss the best ways to move forward. The recommendations and insights from the workshop are integral to the development of strong, inclusive, and regionally-applicable proposals for IP2: Climate Neutrality and Circular Agriculture, led by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Senior Scientist II Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, and IP5: Transboundary Pests and Diseases co-led by International Livestock Research Institute Regional Representative for East and Southeast Asia Dr. Fred Unger, and IRRI Scientist II Dr. Nurmi Pangesti.

During his welcome remarks, Noel Padre, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Research and Development of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, cited how the ASEAN region is vulnerable to the threats of climate change, saying, “We cannot stress enough how important it is for us to…