Title: ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Carbon Neutrality, Food Security, and Agricultural Innovation
Date & Venue: 17–19 March 2025 | ASEAN-Japan Centre, Tokyo, Japan & Ibaraki Prefecture
Executive Summary
From 17 to 19 March 2025, the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), convened the ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Carbon Neutrality, Food Security, and Agricultural Innovation in Tokyo and Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
The workshop gathered 59 participants, including policymakers, government officials, MSMEs, researchers, agri-tech companies, and international organizations from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Japan. It served as a multistakeholder platform to catalyse important discussions on achieving sustainable and low-carbon agri-food systems in the ASEAN region through climate-smart agriculture, innovation sharing, and regional partnership building.
In their opening remarks, Dr. Hirabayashi (AJC) highlighted ASEAN-Japan collaboration for agricultural transformation, Dr. Minh (ASEAN Secretariat) urged stronger cross-sector alignment, and Dr. Gregorio (SEARCA) emphasized knowledge exchange and community-driven innovation.
“This is a very special workshop—because it doesn’t just talk about carbon neutrality as an ideal, but offers us ways to do it practically.” — Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA
Agricultural Innovation
Across three days, the workshop explored each country’s national strategies for climate-resilient agricultural production, financing mechanisms, technology showcases and culminated with a networking session (Day 1); offered immersive farm visits and low-carbon innovation dialogues at JIRCAS (Day 2); and facilitated discussions on GHG mitigation, public-private alignment, market competitiveness, and MSME contributions (Day 3). The event concluded with a shared commitment to deepen ASEAN-Japan partnerships through sustained innovation exchange and policy coordination.
For the detailed program: Final Program_ASEAN-Japan Workshop.pdf
For the presentation materials: [Presentations] ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Carbon Neutrality, Food Security and Agricultural Innovation, 17-19 March
Key Insights and Highlights
1. Integrating GHG Reduction, Food Security, and Sustainable Agriculture
The workshop emphasized that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture are not conflicting goals—they are mutually reinforcing and must be pursued together. Speakers highlighted the need for integrated national strategies grounded in policy coherence, stakeholder engagement, and localized solutions.
“It’s not carbon neutrality against food security. We need to achieve both.” — Dr. Takashi Yamano, ADB
Participants proposed the creation of a regional platform to enable peer-to-peer learning, enhance policy alignment, and support multistakeholder innovation.
2. Progress Across ASEAN: National Approaches to Carbon Neutrality
ASEAN countries are progressing at different speeds. Thailand and Vietnam have adopted advanced seed technologies and cooperative models with measurable climate benefits. Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are scaling early-stage initiatives—mainly MSME-led—facing challenges in financing and capacity.
Examples include Cambodia’s AgriSmart carbon farming, Laos’ agroforestry efforts, and Myanmar’s shift to biomass and solar in agri-food systems.
Common needs emerged across countries:
- Strengthening MRV systems
- Improving carbon market access
- Scaling up regenerative and precision farming beyond AWD
3. Carbon Market Implementation
ASEAN countries differ in their readiness for carbon markets. While AWD remains a widely adopted method—supported by Japan’s Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)—there is growing demand to credit a broader range of sustainable practices.
Participants stressed the need for harmonized policy frameworks, accessible MRV tools, and capacity-building for smallholders. Japanese agri-tech firms highlighted that cross-country policy alignment is crucial to scale JCM-linked technologies and convert emissions reductions into tradable credits.
“We need to implement new ready-to-use techniques and involve the private sector more… Japan is committed to sharing progress, especially from the ongoing initiatives in the Philippines.” — Dr. Ritsuko Yoneda, MAFF Japan
To build a robust and inclusive carbon market, stakeholders called for public incentives, technical support, and blended financing models.
“Without inclusive access to finance and partnerships, small farmers cannot lead the transition.” — Ms. Irish Baguilat, Asian Farmers’ Association
4. Agri-tech Solutions and Inclusive Innovation
MSMEs across ASEAN showcased grassroots innovations—from Cambodia’s seed-planting tools to Vietnam’s resilient seeds and Myanmar’s solar-powered systems—but also highlighted persistent barriers in scaling, finance, and sustainability.
“My heart is bigger than my pocket. But I believe we can make it work—with the right support.” — Mr. Bunika San, AgriSmart Cambodia
Participants stressed that MSMEs and farmer groups must be treated as co-creators of climate-smart solutions, not just end-users. Japanese companies like Kubota and Green Carbon presented advanced technologies (e.g., remote sensing, regenerative inputs), while research bodies like JIRCAS and NARO underscored the importance of field validation and local adaptation.
Key needs include policy support, financing access, and regional incubation platforms.
“Technology alone is not enough. We need localized application, co-development with farmers, and stronger multi-stakeholder feedback loops.” — Dr. Yasuro Funaki, JIRCAS
5. Why Regional Collaboration Matters
The workshop closed with a strong call to deepen ASEAN-Japan collaboration through joint pilots, shared learning, and coordinated support. IRRI and MAFF Japan announced upcoming collaborative initiatives on low-carbon techniques, while delegates expressed commitment to sustained engagement across sectors.
Participants identified key opportunities to strengthen collaboration:
- Regional matchmaking platforms linking MSMEs, governments, and agritech firms
- Joint R&D on seed innovation, carbon tools, and circular farming
- Harmonized MRV systems and expanded farmer training
- Aligned sustainability standards across the region
- Cross-sector consortia to scale innovation and financing
“We can learn from Japan, but we also need support to adapt these lessons to our size, our land, and our markets.” — Mr. Laeh, NAFRI Laos
Way Forward: Strategies for Advancing Carbon Neutral Agriculture
To accelerate the transition toward carbon-neutral agriculture, the following strategies were identified as essential next steps. These reflect collective priorities for scaling innovation, improving coordination, and ensuring that sustainability efforts translate into real-world impact:
🔹 Actionable Strategies:
- Develop and scale knowledge-sharing platforms to facilitate regional collaboration, exchange best practices, and promote innovation in sustainable agriculture.
- Invest in MRV systems and digital tools to improve emissions tracking, enhance transparency, and support access to carbon markets for farmers and institutions.
- Expand the adoption of integrated climate-smart practices beyond AWD, including regenerative farming, nutrient optimization, crop diversification, and low-emission technologies.
- Enhance stakeholder capacity and outreach, particularly among smallholders and MSMEs, through training programs, awareness campaigns, and local demonstration projects.
- Foster enabling environments for public-private collaboration, encouraging co-development of agri-tech solutions and facilitating investment in scalable low-carbon initiatives.
- Strengthen regional policy alignment to harmonize carbon crediting frameworks, sustainability certification, and cross-border market access for low-carbon agricultural products.
- Encourage pilot projects and applied research that demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of climate innovations in diverse national and agro-ecological contexts.
- Support inclusive financing mechanisms, including blended finance and incentives that make low-carbon transitions accessible to all levels of agricultural actors.
- Ensure Financial Viability and Profitability for MSMEs in Climate-Smart Transitions. Develop support schemes that considers the profitability of MSMEs adopting carbon-neutral practices—through incentives, market access, and low-cost certification options.
For more information or to get involved in future activities, please contact the Strategic Country Support Team at info_cs@asean.or.jp.
