On December 20th, the launch meeting of the "Green and Resilient Rural Recovery through Agri-Food System Transformation in the Asia and Pacific Region - Post-COVID19 Food Systems Assessment" project was successfully held. This project is being implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The meeting was chaired by the project leader Prof. Chen Zhigang, who is the International Dean of the China Academy for Rural Development ZJU and the Qiushi Chair professor of the SPA-ZJU. During the meeting, IFPRI and ADB discussed their collaboration and exchanged views on the project implementation.
Prof. Channing Arndt, the Senior Director for Transformation Strategies, briefly introduced IFPRI's commitment to innovation based on their research in agri-food systems. They aim to focus on regional priorities and develop appropriate agricultural or food policies to meet the global demand for agri-food systems. He also expressed expectations for further collaboration between IFPRI and ADB. Prof. Shingo Kimura, the senior natural resources and agriculture specialist at ADB, provided an overview of recent major activities in ADB's Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector (AFNR), and invited IFPRI to participate in these initiatives. He extended an invitation to IFPRI to actively participate in these initiatives. He expressed strong confidence in this collaboration, believing it will serve as a significant driving force for enhanced cooperation between ADB and IFPRI.
During the meeting, Prof. Chen Zhigang, the project leader, provided an introduction to the project's objectives and presented delivery reports. The discussion on project content involved three sub-project leaders: Keith Wiebe, a senior researcher at IFPRI and the Foresight Project Leader for CGIAR; James Thurlow, the leader of Foresight and Policy Modeling; and Rob Vos, the leader of Markets, Trade, and Institutions. It was confirmed during the meeting that Cambodia and Pakistan would be the target countries for researching the "Drivers and Priorities of Agri-food System Transformation". Additionally, researchers from the ZJU-IFPRI International Development Joint Research Center will be actively involved in implementing the project.
The objective of this project is to enhance ADB's upstream analysis capabilities by identifying the key factors driving the agri-food system in the region. It aims to provide support for the AFNR sector in formulating medium- to long-term strategic directions. The project will primarily focus on Cambodia and Pakistan as target countries, aiming to strengthen national-level assessments and roadmaps pertaining to agri-food system transformation within the agricultural sector.
Furthermore, the project will involve the development of the Asia and the Pacific Food Security Portal, which will serve as a valuable resource for ADB, its member countries, policymakers, and other stakeholders. This portal will facilitate timely responses to food insecurity risks. With the assistance of ADB, the ZJU-IFPRI will leverage its expertise in food system assessment and food security information to aid ADB in promoting agri-food system transformation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Ultimately, this collaboration will contribute to fostering green and resilient rural recovery efforts.
