APO UNVEILS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE ON CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) announced the designation of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) of Japan as its new Center of Excellence on Climate-smart Agriculture (COE on CSA).

The new centre is APO’s efforts to enhance agricultural productivity, improve farmers' profits and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sector regionwide.

It is also a result of the long-term partnership between the two institutions in disseminating know-how in the focus area of the new COE, according to APO in a statement.

The APO COE Program showcases excellence in specific productivity fields to promote the adoption of the know-how and best practices of one member by others while adapting them to suit local contexts.

The COE on CSA will focus on the deployment of climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies, know-how, and frameworks for low-carbon rice, wheat and soybean production as staple foods in the Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Specific focus areas will be sharing technical knowledge and methods to reduce methane emissions from paddy fields; adoption of agricultural weather data systems for rice, wheat and soybean production; as well as web-based soil carbon sequestration visualisation tools for GHG reductions in various crops, among others.

The COE on CSA will start its activities from April 2023, including a need and readiness assessment of APO members for implementing climate-change mitigation and adaptation technologies, two international conferences on CSA and other COE focus areas, and pilot projects to apply technologies developed by the COE on CSA starting from 2024 as well as seminars, study missions, workshops, and on-site training for customising the know-how to meet local needs in APO members.

APO is a regional intergovernmental organisation dedicated to improving productivity in the APAC region through mutual cooperation while, NARO is a Japanese research group focused on agriculture, food and the environment.

-- BERNAMA