Director General of Agriculture from Sri Lanka, Dr. Rohan Wijekoon
Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID Justin Finnegan,
Distinguished guests and representatives, ladies and gentlemen:

Good Morning and welcome to the inaugural Asia Regional Agriculture Innovation Summit. It is an honor to be here today to discuss an issue close to my heart: helping smallholder farmers in some of the poorest areas in South and Southeast Asia. 

Farming is hard work in the best of circumstances, but the challenges that smallholder farmers in Asia face are immense. Smallholders face difficulties across the entire value chain – difficulties in getting financial services to invest in their fields and protect their investments; difficulties in accessing appropriate, genuine, inputs like seeds and fertilizers; difficulties in accessing stable and equitable markets.  

And on top of it all, farmers are facing changing climate unpredictabilities that jeopardize many of their traditional crops, their planting seasons, and harvesting methods. 

We are here today because we recognize that technology holds a promise of solutions to these challenges.  It is estimated the 267 million people in Asia could be lifted out of poverty by increased application of agricultural technology.  By providing many smallholder farmers with such solutions, we can have a profound impact across economies. For example, the McKinsey consulting group notes that increased application of technology to the agriculture sector in ASEAN could add up to 48 billion dollars to the region’s GDP.

In addition to supporting economic growth, new technologies can provide valuable support to female farmers – Asia has one of the highest female farmer participation rates in the world at 50 percent. The regional reality of male migration leaves behind many female-headed households, which have specific needs that can be met with tailored solutions.

For those of us in this room, technology has had an incredible impact on the way we work and the way that earn our livings.  Unfortunately, this is not yet the case for most smallholder farmers in Asia.

We are at the starting point of the USAID-funded Feed the Future Asia Innovative Farmers Project.  Over the next five years, the project will support South to South innovation and regional networks to bring proven technologies to smallholders in the region.  In particular to countries that face the greatest threats to food security. 

There is extraordinary dynamism in Asia, but there are also many constraints that can limit innovation and change. To address this, the Innovative Farmers Project is working with its partner, Kasetsart University, to establish a regional network comprised of governments, private sector companies, universities, research institutions, NGOs and donors – the very people we have in this room, who have an interest in helping invest in efficient, effective technology for farmers.

Bringing this stakeholder community together across borders and across sectors is key to realizing the region’s potential.  Only with the participation of all these actors, all of you, will we be able to support a more effective regional system that encourages and rewards innovation. 

This meeting is the first step towards that goal. USAID and the Feed the Future Asia Innovative Farmers Project looks forward to a long engagement with you, our key stakeholders.  That will result in greater productivity and income for smallholder farmers and improved food security across the region. 

I want to thank you for your participation in this Summit. Make the most of the opportunities here over the next couple of days.  I wish everyone a successful event. Thank you.