The Green Asia project was a four-year initiative assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan aligned within the MAFF ‘MIDORI Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems’ (MIDORI Strategy). The Green Asia project was led by the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) to promote Japanese scalable agriculture, forestry, and fisheries technologies to support sustainable food systems in the Asia-Monsoon region under two international collaborative framework pillars: strategic information dissemination and joint research for field trials.

Under the first pillar, JIRCAS established the International Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of outstanding agricultural scientists and representatives of leading agricultural research institutions in the Asia-Monsoon region. The International Scientific Advisory Board provided advice to the JIRCAS International Center for Strategy “MIDORI”. As part of the efforts to disseminate information from the Green Asia project, the ‘Technology Catalog Contributing to Production Potential and Sustainability in the Asia-Monsoon Region’ was compiled in cooperation with national research institutes and Japanese universities. The JIRCAS International Center for Strategy “MIDORI” contributed to the visibility of the technologies at major global forums such as UNFSS+2/+4, UNFCCC COP28/30, FAO, and at ASEAN meetings. Through these efforts, the Technology Catalog was featured on the websites of international organizations (e.g. the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, FAO, the ASEAN Secretariat), and its technologies were incorporated into official ASEAN Guidelines on the Reduction of Crop Burning.

Scientific evidence must guide the promotion of scalable technologies for sustainable food systems in diverse regional contexts. To validate their local applicability, in Pillar 2 field trials and validation were conducted for three technologies: Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI)-enabled wheat, and Rice Blast Control Using a Differential System, yielding valuable insights for the acceleration of technology adoption in various countries.

Through this project, JIRCAS coordinated with Japanese research institutions to compile and share information on scalable technologies, thereby enabling more targeted international responses. Strengthening science-policy interfaces proved effective to promote adoption of scalable technologies, including integration into regional policies and enhancing field trials. The application of technologies tailored to regional characteristics and enhanced policy coordination are expected to expand further in the Asia-Monsoon region and to other Global South countries.