Greening agrifood systems in Asia and the Pacific: policies, practices and champions

By Dr. Bo Zhou, Agriculture Officer and Lead Technical Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP)

The FAO Asia and the Pacific region is reshaping agrifood systems: Productivity must rise while environmental footprints fall. From the MIDORI strategy in Japan to the organic transition in Bhutan, a common direction is visible: Reduce inputs, safeguard biodiversity and close nutrient loops. Through the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan and 208 National Green Pilot Zones, China is demonstrating replicable models, with 90 percent soil testing adoption, 88 percent straw utilization and 1.07 million ha of efficient irrigation as of 2024.

Policymakers frame green agriculture through three Environmental Performance Index (EPI) lenses: ecosystem vitality (biodiversity, forests, water), climate change mitigation and environmental health (waste, pollution). This diagnostic tool measures progress systematically, revealing where interventions yield the highest returns in representative countries.

Ecosystem vitality: Bhutan (70 percent forest cover) and Japan (68 percent) anchor biodiversity, and the Philippines (23 percent) relies on restoration. The Satoyama landscapes in Japan and indigenous seeds in Bhutan show biodiversity as a productive asset.

Climate mitigation: Japan targets 46 percent cuts in greenhouse gases by 2030. Bhutan remains a carbon sink, and the Philippines has committed to 75 percent reduction.

Environmental health: The reduce, reuse and recycle ecosystem in Japan delivers 80 percent waste to energy alongside mandated 50 percent cuts in food waste. Bhutan has bold norms but infrastructure gaps, and the Philippines has strong laws but uneven enforcement.

Green agriculture has moved from pilots to playbooks. China shows the potential of sequenced reforms. Japan, Bhutan and the Philippines add complementary models – high-tech decarbonization, culture-rooted organic transition and climate-smart community management. Together, they sketch a regional pathway towards productive, nature-positive and low-carbon systems – measured, verified and ready to share.