Conference Themes

Rapid globalization has made our societies highly interconnected. Natural disasters, disease outbreaks, social unrest, conflicts, and wars in one place have been generating greater global shocks than ever before. Global shocks may include persisting events such as climate change and environmental degradation. Asian agriculture and food systems in the midst of these changes require greater sustainability and resilience. 

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Sustainability and resilience must be achieved under a large number of formidable challenges in Asia, including labor shortages, aging populations, rapid urbanization, climate change, and natural resource depletion, which will require substantial structural transformation not only in farming but also in processing, marketing, trading, retailing, and consuming agricultural products. The transformation is also required due to changing consumer preferences for safer, healthier, and more ethical foods. Recent rapid advances in the field of biotechnology, information technology, and AI are expected to be useful to meet the requirements, but how to leverage the advances for smooth transformation will be another challenge. 

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Scholars and practitioners (public, private, and civil society) must work together and tackle the challenges by making evidence-based and future-oriented proposals and facilitating actions to realize the sustainable and resilient Asian agriculture and food systems.

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The 11th international conference aims to provide a venue for a good mix of academics, policymakers, professionals, and specialists from public and private sectors to share experiences, exchange perspectives, and discuss contemporary challenges in transforming Asian agriculture and food systems. It also aims to provide intellectual and scientific insights that will help shaping agriculture and food policy design in the region.