A ‘Regional Conference on Role of Soil and Plant Health Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific’ was held on November 21-23, 2018 at Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. The conference was organized by the Asia-Pacific Association for Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), Thailand in collaboration with Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia; Council of Agriculture (COA), Taiwan; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India; Indian Phytopathological Society (IPS), India; International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines and Department of Agriculture (DOA), Thailand. The objectives of the conference were i) to share the experiences on the soil and plant health, soil biodiversity, emerging crop pests and diseases through ecosystem approach in the context of climate change and ii) to suggest location- specific measures and provide a platform to identify regional priorities and also to catalyse the global initiatives through new collaborations, regional networks and projects and sustainable partnerships for knowledge sharing on experiences and best practices; and to explore innovative ways of investments to harness the potential of agricultural productivity towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR). Accordingly, member country representatives, global experts and other stakeholders were invited. In all, 161 participants from 18 countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Fiji, India, Iran, Italy, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam) participated in the meeting. The participants comprised of policy makers, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) experts, researchers from National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) Centers and other international experts, donors, private sector and Civil Society Organziations.
Download the proceedings here: Regional Conference on Role of Soil and Plant Health Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia-Pacific – Proceedings and Recommendations (108 downloads)
