The Second International Conference on ARD in Southeast Asia: Strengthening Resilience, Equity and Integration in ASEAN Food and Agriculture Systems aimed to provide a venue for sharing the wide and diverse knowledge pool on ARD that exists within and beyond the Southeast Asian region. Specific objectives include the following:
- Highlight creative and innovative technological and practical approaches in the various processes comprising the agricultural system, spanning the entire agricultural value chain from production through to post-harvest, processing, marketing, transport and logistics;
- Showcase and derive useful lessons from institutional successes (and failures) in the management of the agricultural system and rural communities, including governance and value chain relationships; and
- Draw evidence-based policy implications from the knowledge exchange, to guide regional, national and sub-national policies and initiatives for ARD in the context of intensified regional cooperation and integration.
The conference featured plenary sessions, thematic parallel sessions, side events, exhibits, field visits, and sponsored lunches and dinners. Studies and papers invited for presentation were organized under the following themes: (1) Productivity Improvement, (2) Inclusive Value Chains, (3) Sustainability and Poverty Reduction, (4) Food Security and Food Safety, (5) Regional Cooperation and Integration, (6) Institutions and Governance.
Visit http://ard2014.searca.org for more details.