by Dr. Shaikh Tanveer Hossain, Director of Policy and Strategy, IFOAM-Organics Asia

Agriculture is a vital sector in Asia, crucial for alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable food security. Among the world's 450 million smallholder farmers, approximately 350 million are in Asia, playing a key role in sustainable development.

Rich in traditional knowledge and practices, Asian societies have seen their agriculture impacted by extensive use of chemical and synthetic compounds in recent decades, affecting soil, biodiversity, human health, and the environment.

To combat these issues, several Asian governments have adopted sustainable and green agricultural policies, already bringing significant improvements and hope for future generations.

This article explores notable plans and programs in Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, India, the Philippines, and Bangladesh.

Facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the fifteenth international LANDNET workshop, starting today in Middelburg in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is bringing together about 100 experts from roughly 30 countries to share their experiences on land consolidation.  

Yerevan, Armenia – 11 June, 2024 – The impacts of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and climate change continue to challenge the resilience and sustainability of agrifood systems in Armenia and throughout the region.

Addressing these issues requires promoting environmental sustainability and adopting ecologically sound, socially responsible agricultural practices that consider economic dimensions.

The Regional Conference on Green Agriculture, held from 29–31 May 2024 in Yerevan, Armenia, gathered over 50 in-person participants and many more online.

This FAO event brought together representatives from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, and Uzbekistan.

The conference aimed to exchange experiences and facilitate discussions on the status of green agriculture and policies, focusing on leveraging innovation and technology to advance green transformation in agrifood systems both regionally and globally.      

In the coming weeks, FAO REU will launch a call for Green Practices to populate the Green Practices Repository on the Regional Technical Platform on Green Agriculture, showcasing evidence, policies, practices, and science on Green Agriculture themes.

Discover how Green Agriculture offers a viable, holistic, and multidisciplinary framework to mitigate negative impacts by adopting sustainable practices.

Learn how this approach helps reduce emissions, preserve biodiversity, and enhance ecosystem resilience.  

14-18 October 2024

Harnessing science, technology and innovation (STI) is key to meeting the aspiration of efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems and leveraging emerging opportunities for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

05-06 September, 2024

The International High-Level Forum on Landlocked Developing Countries on Food Security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is organized jointly by the Government of Uzbekistan and FAO in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The Forum seeks to gather key actors in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and supporting international institutions to share experiences, discuss common challenges with special attention to climate change issues, and explore collaborative solutions and partnerships.
Ultimately, participants will develop and adopt a declaration on the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in landlocked countries summarizing key principles and strategies to support sustainable agrifood systems pathways, as well as measures to overcome the unique challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries.