About

A regional partnership for sustainable, regenerative, and resilient agri-food systems

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 requires ASEAN countries to work collaboratively to address climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, poverty, food safety and nutrition, and social inequity. Making the agri-food system more sustainable, regenerative, and resilient is an essential part of addressing these challenges.

A strong partnership between CGIAR and ASEAN, leveraging both science capacity and political will, can help build an agri-food system in the ASEAN region that is resilient and fit-for-purpose in terms of delivering key economic, social, and environmental goals.

More women than men are employed in the ASEAN agrifood sector and they can play a big role in making food production more sustainable, provided they are empowered and given fair access to resources. Given the important role that ASEAN countries have in global food security and trade, strengthening food and innovation systems research in the region is imperative.

Eight CGIAR Centers - International Rice Research Institute, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, WorldFish, International Water Management Institute, International Food Policy Research Institute, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, and Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry - have been working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretariat, ASEAN Member States, and a range of funding and implementation partners to develop and implement Phase 1 (2023-2026) of a multi-year research and innovation program. The program seeks to develop bold, integrated solutions around regenerative agriculture, resilience of food systems to climate change, and sustainable and equitable food system transformation through circular economy principles.

Scaling integrated innovation across Southeast Asia

The vision over the next 10 years is to scale up and out bold integrated innovations that will make ASEAN agri-food systems more resilient to climate change while delivering better livelihoods for food producers and other stakeholders along the value chain, as well as more affordable, nutritious and healthy food for consumers and a better natural environment for all.

Building on ASEAN’s vision in the agriculture and food sector, associated policies and guidelines, the ASEAN-CGIAR Regional Program will deliver the following impacts across agri-food systems with its partners in the ASEAN region:

• Improved environmental sustainability through reduced harmful agrochemical use, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon footprint, and enhanced use of biodiversity of plant, animal and aquatic species 

• Improved agri-food trade and value chains 

• Improved access to capital through better facilitation of private sector investments and other financing schemes 

• Increased productivity and production through better and more affordable access to water resources 

• Better nutrition through greater availability of more nutritious, safe, and healthy diets 

• Improved institutional coordination of policies, programs, and projects in the agriculture, food, and forestry sector in the region 

• Better access by women, youth, and marginalised groups to resources in the agrifood value chain

A specially designed ASEAN-CGIAR Regional Program provides an excellent opportunity to build from the bottom-up in full consultation with AMS and ASEAN institutions, that responds directly to its articulated priorities. Some key engagement steps have already taken place and these include:

• The Program has a 10-year horizon and will be implemented in a phased approach. 

• Building on an Inception Year in 2023, the initial 5-year Program is expected to move into full gear in 2024. 

• The Program is targeting a USD 60 million budget over 5 years across 8 Intervention Packages (IPs), with expected contributions from the ASEAN Member States through bilateral or in-kind resources.