Based on the Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems “MIDORI” formulated in May 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) initiated the project “Accelerating application of agricultural technologies which enhance production potentials and ensure sustainable food systems in the Asia-Monsoon region” in FY2022. The goal was to accelerate the application of technologies that promote climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture in the Asia-Monsoon region. JIRCAS has conducted the project under the name “Green Asia” (project abbreviation).

On March 12, 2026, just before the completion of the project’s first phase, the 8th meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Board was held online. The meeting began with opening remarks from Mr. Koyama, President of JIRCAS, who highlighted that the science–policy interface has been one of the most important elements of the Green Asia. This was followed by greetings from Mr. Sato, Deputy Director-General of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat of MAFF. He shared that, based on the Board’s advice so far, the next phase of the project will expand its focus to include regions in the Global South.

In Session 1, the Secretariat of the Advisory Board (JIRCAS) looked back on the 7th meeting as well as presented the final outputs of its information dissemination activities. Representatives of the demonstration trials also reported their final results.
In response, the Board members shared several comments, including:

• The technology catalog is an excellent and very useful output.
• It was good that the demonstration trials included not only technical aspects but also economic analysis.
• Engagement from the private sector is essential for successful technology adoption.
• For the next phase, it would be beneficial to broaden the scope of the technology catalog, for example by including post-harvest technologies.
• The AWD guidelines are very good, but to scale up their use, farmers need support so that they can follow them.
• Regarding BNI, considering the current geopolitical instability that has disrupted fertilizer distribution and driven prices up, it is extremely valuable.

In Session 2, the Secretariat of the Advisory Board (JIRCAS) explained the outline of the next project, Green Asia+, and responded to the comments made by the Board members during the previous meeting regarding future activities. In response, the Board members shared the following comments:

• The project should collaborate with the private sector from the very beginning.
• Policy coherence is important, and it is necessary to ensure that ministries of finance and technical agencies in each country are aligned in the same direction. The project should also address this aspect.
• Reducing GHG emissions is one important goal, but in countries facing food security challenges, issues such as gender and nutrition should also be considered.
• It will be important to clarify what the “plus” in Green Asia+ stands for.
• By making better use of social media and other tools, it might be possible to increase downloads of the technology catalog from the current 10,000 to something like 1 million.
• The project should work with local governments from the outset.

In the closing session, the Board members and observers looked back on the four years of the project’s first phase. They shared many comments, expressing their appreciation for the project’s activities as well as their hopes and encouragement for the next phase. With this, the Advisory Board meeting came to a close.