Southeast Asian Countries Advance Climate-smart Agriculture Through Regional Cooperation

24/01/2025, Bangkok, Thailand - Climate change is severely affecting agriculture globally. In Southeast Asia, where more than 100 million smallholder farmers depend on farming for their livelihoods, rising temperatures, extreme weather, and shifting rainfall patterns threaten food security. The situation emphasizes the need for regional cooperation and increased climate finance for agrifood systems transformation.

According to the FAO, while climate-related finance reached USD 130 billion in 2022, only USD 29 billion or 23 percent was allocated to agrifood systems, a decline from 37 percent in 2000-2010. This underscores the critical need for greater investment in climate-resilient agriculture. It is estimated that smallholder financing needs in Southeast Asia amount to USD 100 billion annually, yet current financial flows meet less than a third of this demand.

FAO and partners prioritize climate-smart agriculture initiatives

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with key partners, has been promoting climate-smart agriculture initiatives to enhance productivity, build resilience, and reduce emissions. These initiatives focus on managing farms, crops, livestock, aquaculture, and fisheries; conserving ecosystem services; providing support to help farmers manage climate risks; and improving the food system through demand-side measures and value chain interventions. Together, these efforts help farmers adapt to climate change while promoting sustainability in agriculture.

With the support from the Green Climate Fund, countries are developing new innovative projects, including climate-resilient fisheries and aquaculture in Cambodia and the Philippines, sustainable low-emission rice production in Malaysia and Viet Nam, and climate-smart agriculture projects in Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand.

"Meeting ambitious climate action targets through climate-smart agriculture requires resources beyond what any single entity can provide," noted Robert Simpson, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, at the 10th Anniversary of ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (ASEAN-CRN). He added, that "Success depends on continued partnerships, knowledge sharing, and mutual support among all stakeholders in Southeast Asia."

A decade of enhanced regional cooperation for sustainable agriculture

FAO has been spearheading regional cooperation in climate-smart agriculture by supporting knowledge exchange platforms and partnerships. At a regional gathering this week, marking ten years of climate cooperation, the ASEAN-CRN Members and partners highlighted shared priorities for advancing climate-smart technologies, expanding capacity-building initiatives, facilitating greater access to climate finance, and enhancing regional coordination for climate action. “This network stands as a testament to what we can achieve through committed regional cooperation and FAO is proud to have been a part of this effort”, noted FAO’s Robert Simpson.

FAO is committed to supporting these efforts and the ASEAN-CRN as part of its shared vision for sustainable agrifood systems transformation. In line with the FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022-2031, this partnership works towards better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind.

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