Bangkok, Thailand - On 26–27 August 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a regional workshop on "Scaling solutions for decoupling agricultural production from deforestation”. The event brought together 65 participants from 10 Asia-Pacific countries, along with more than 20 international organizations, embassies, and FAO representatives.
The workshop is a regional multi-stakeholder dialogue for governments, industry leaders, development partners, and experts to exchange experiences, share information and data, present country-led solutions, and forge partnerships to address deforestation in the region. It also highlighted available tools and initiatives to support countries in reducing the risks of agricultural-driven deforestation.
Photo 1. Delegates exchange insights on solutions to mitigate deforestation risks from agricultural production. Source: DA-BSWM
Governments share practical experiences
In the government-level panel discussion, representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam shared on-the-ground actions such as agroforestry development, land reform, and agricultural traceability systems. Meanwhile, Bhutan, Lao PDR, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines highlighted how forest-positive agriculture has been integrated into their REDD+, NDC, and NBSAP strategies.
In addition, government representatives from 10 Asia-Pacific countries (Bhutan, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam) presented posters illustrating their national priorities, actions, challenges, and opportunities to decouple agriculture from deforestation. (See government posters here)
Multistakeholder dialogue
Representatives from the embassies of Japan, Norway, the European Union, and the Netherlands reflected on their countries’ priorities and commitments to supporting this effort in the Asia-Pacific region.
In-depth discussions on palm oil, natural rubber, coffee, and cassava highlighted shared barriers—particularly for smallholders—including the need for traceability, finance innovation, and land tenure security.
New solutions and tools introduced
At the Solutions Marketplace, FAO and partners showcased 17 tools and initiatives designed to support countries in halting agriculture-linked deforestation. (See more details on the 17 tools and initiatives here). The representative of Forest Trends contributed to two cross-commodity panel discussions on natural rubber and cassava, and presented regional-level solutions for smallholder rubber in the context of the EUDR. (See Forest Trends’ solutions poster on smallholder rubber-EUDR here).
Photo 2. Forest Trends’ poster on “Solutions for smallholder rubber in the context of EUDR at the regional level.”
Key takeaways from the workshop
- Smallholder support is key to halting deforestation. Smallholders need incentives, capacity & knowledge strengthening, and tenure security
- Policies & governance at national, subnational and landscape levels must be enhanced
- Reliable data, monitoring, and traceability systems are urgently needed
- Market-based regulationssuch as the EUDR can drive change but also pose challenges.
- Agroforestry is a vital complementary solution in efforts to halt deforestation.
- Building trust & collaboration across sectors, commodities, and borders remain key. Participants welcomed expanded opportunities for regional knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Photo 3. Delegates attending the regional workshop in Bangkok. Source: DA-BSWM
The workshop concluded with strong consensus on enhancing regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building to jointly advance sustainable agricultural development without compromising forest resources.
No thoughts shared yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!