In order to respond effectively to issues of hunger and malnutrition in Asia and the Pacific, a new agricultural approach is needed that will be resilient enough to withstand challenges of population growth, increased pressure on natural resources including soils and water, the loss of biodiversity and the uncertainties associated with climate change, a senior official with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today.

Asian countries typically use far more chemical pesticides and fertilizers in agricultural production than those in most other parts of the world – and that will need to change, according to speakers at the Multi-stakeholder Consultation on Agroecology in Asia and the Pacific.

The regional consultation, convened by FAO, has brought together more than 150 food producers, country representatives, scientists and representatives from civil society and the private sector from across Asia-Pacific as well as specialists from as far away as South America and Europe.

“This event is taking place just ahead of COP21, the global climate change conference, to be held in Paris next month. The whole world will be expecting positive outcomes from COP21 and, in that context, this regional event in Bangkok is timely, as adapting practices in agriculture are crucial for adapting to climate change,” said Vili Fuavao, FAO Deputy Regional Representative on the opening day. “Agroecology is a powerful approach that helps food producers to adapt to climate change by enhancing soil fertility as well as biodiversity, including local seeds, and thus increase resilience.”

“Asian agriculture has proved it is dynamic and flexible,” said Fuavao. “But now is the time to move toward more ecologically friendly approaches to arrive at food systems that produce more, with less environmental cost, notably reducing soil erosion.”

“In this, the International Year of Soils, we should make that our goal,” Fuavao added.

A regional dialogue with an international goal

This technical meeting by FAO and its partners is, in effect, a follow-up of an International Symposium on Agroecology organized by FAO on 18-19 September 2014 in Rome. During that first meeting it was recommended that any work on agroecology would have to be based on local realities and their economic, social and environmental conditions.

As a result, three regional meetings were scheduled: for Latin America and the Caribbean (Regional Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, 24-26 June 2015); for the Sub-Saharan Africa (Regional Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, 5-6 November 2015); and this meeting for Asia and the Pacific (Regional Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, 24-26 November 2015).

The approach of agroecology incorporates the traditional knowledge and skills of communities around the world while integrating ecological, agronomic, economic and social research. Many agroecological experiences exist in all regions of the world and policies on agroecology are already in place in many countries in Latin America and Europe.

Like the other two regional meetings, the Bangkok consultation aims to promote dialogue on science and share experiences of implementing agroecology practices. The objective is to assess the current state of agroecological practices in Asia through experience sharing among the stakeholders.