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Asia-Pacific Delegates Gather in Laos’ Vientiane to Advance Agroecology at TARASA25

This Week

The international conference “Transitioning Towards Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture: A Contribution to Food Systems Transformation (TARASA25)” is taking place in Vientiane from 25 to 27 November.

The three-day gathering brings together researchers, farmers, policymakers, youth leaders, civil society representatives, and private-sector actors from across the Asia-Pacific to share knowledge, innovations, and strategies for sustainable food systems. 

On 24 November, a pre-event, introduced the newly adopted ASEAN Agroecology Guidelines, marking an important step in harmonizing sustainable agriculture practices across the region.

Agroecology, a holistic approach integrating science, traditional knowledge, and social innovation, aims to make farming productive, equitable, and resilient. Rooted in FAO’s ten principles, it promotes biodiversity, recycling, efficiency, and co-creation of knowledge to shift agriculture from input-intensive systems toward regenerative, inclusive, and climate-resilient models.

Speakers highlight the region’s urgent challenges: climate change is intensifying droughts and floods, soil degradation reduces fertility, monocropping threatens biodiversity, and rural inequality limits market access for smallholders. With 450 million smallholder farmers and nearly 2 billion people depending on agriculture, experts emphasize the need for immediate action.

Delegates shared success stories from across the region: India’s Community Managed Natural Farming reaches over 700,000 farmers; agroforestry systems in Laos and Vietnam combine rice, legumes, and trees to improve soils and incomes; and women-led organic farming and seed-saving initiatives in Pacific Islands enhance nutrition and cultural identity. FAO and partners note that agroecological practices can cut input costs by up to 40 percent and restore degraded soils.

Throughout 27 November’s final sessions, participants are exploring policy alignment, farmer-centered innovation, research collaboration, and financing models that can accelerate agroecological transitions. Organizers note that transforming food systems requires collective commitment and cross-sector partnerships.

TARASA25 provides a regional platform linking science, policy, and practice to build food systems that are resilient, equitable, and regenerative across the Asia-Pacific.

Hosted by the Lao Facilitated Initiative on Agroecology for ASEAN (LICA) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, TARASA25 is funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Union (EU), and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM). Partner organizations including FAO, GRET, CIRAD, Swisscontact, and regional agroecology networks are actively contributing technical expertise and research findings.

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