The 4th Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Asia and the Pacific gathered around 50 agricultural mechanization officials and experts from 16 countries and other pertinent stakeholders from including the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-RAP) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), on 23-25 November 2016 in Hanoi, Viet Nam, to explore approaches to advance climate-smart agriculture through mechanization and good practices in the Asia-Pacific region.

Agriculture and land-use change contribute around one quarter of the global manmade greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change, such as increasing frequency and intensity of ‘extreme events’, increasing average temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, and changes in water availability are already undermining global efforts to assure food security and nutrition. As such, food systems in the region need to change to allow for sustainable productivity increases and higher incomes of farmers, and adapt to and build resilience of communities to climate change and variability.

“Agricultural mechanization can play a positive role in achieving climate-smart agriculture in both adaptation and mitigation: consider for example the promotion of efficient use of water and fertilizer; improving land management, for example through laser levelling; enhancing crop residue utilization; reducing post-harvest losses; and facilitating climate-smart practices, such as conservation agriculture and precision agriculture” said Dr. Katinka Weinberger, Officer in Charge of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM).

The forum focused on how low-carbon technologies and innovative practices available across the Asia-Pacific region are distributed and applied. Participants also shared outcomes of their initiatives regarding sustainable agriculture. Additionally, the forum outlined ways to improve cooperation between stakeholders regarding climate-smart agricultural technology and practices in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and further reduce the region’s impact on climate change.

The 4th Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Asia and the Pacific, was co-organised by the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Viet Nam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP) with the support of the Centre of International Cooperation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of China. The participants also visited the Viet Nam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP) and the Viet Nam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Cooperation in Hanoi.