8th Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Asia and the Pacific Was Held Last Week!
- Published Date
Economic Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization of the United Nations (CSAM) has organized “8th Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Asia and the Pacific” on 11 December 2020 on the theme of “Agriculture Beyond the Covid-19 Pandemic: Building Back Better through Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization”.
During the forum, the participating United Nations entities engaged with their Chinese partners, including government agencies, academia, and leading think tanks, inviting them to elaborate on the relevant actions taken in China to strengthen food systems and ensure food security in response to the pandemic. The Policy Dialogue session gave the participants an opportunity to attend a broader dialogue on food systems in China, and the proceedings will result in recommendations that inform the policy debate on "building back better" and the preparations towards the global ‘Food Systems Summit’ convened by the United Nations Secretary-General for late 2021.
Some of the potential solutions suggested for ‘building back better’ beyond the current crisis included;
(a) providing targeted financial support to farmers and other vulnerable stakeholders
(b) encouraging innovative technologies and practices including ‘intelligent’ machinery with due attention to safety
(c) supporting service providers and custom hiring
It was also emphasized that to benefit from these solutions, both government and non-government stakeholders have an important role; measures for recovery and building resilience should be sustainable and inclusive, and they should address the needs of smallholder farmers, migrant laborers, rural women, elderly workers, and youth.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Li Yutong, Head of ESCAP-CSAM, said “Sustainable agricultural mechanization is among the solutions that can strengthen the resilience of the farming community and can play a key role in the process of transitioning to a ‘green’ and prosperous future.”
The Regional Forum on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization is an annual strategic initiative of CSAM with the aim to promote policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and regional cooperation on shared or emerging issues of relevance to member countries in Asia and the Pacific. Over 150 participants from 20 countries attended the two sessions of the 8th Regional Forum both online and in Beijing.
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