PUTRAJAYA, 5 March 2025 – The ASEAN Secretariat, with support from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), co-organised the “Knowledge Sharing Event on Crop Burning and Biochar among ASEAN, and Wrap-up Event for the Project on Promoting Crop Insurance.” The meeting took place on 4-5 March through a hybrid format.
Participants of the two-day event included government officials from ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste, and Japan (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) and the Mission of Japan to ASEAN).
Representatives from international organisations, such as SEADRIF (Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), non-governmental organisations and farmers were also in attendance to discuss the significant challenges related to climate change, agricultural waste management, and carbon emissions.
During the crop burning reduction session hosted by ERIA, the focus was on sharing case studies and policies from each ASEAN Member State, along with financial schemes for tackling climate change. The session aimed to promote actions in alignment with the ASEAN Guidelines on the Reduction of Crop Burning, adopted at the 46th AMAF in October 2024. JIRCAS presented a cut-soiler drainage technology utilising agricultural residues, biomass from the palm oil industry, and biochar (with a report to be issued around April 2025). They also covered bio-methanation techniques for producing cost-effective and efficient CH4 and H2, introduced in the technical catalogue (version 3).
In addition to the guidelines, converting crop residues into biochar offers a sustainable solution to enhance regenerative agriculture through soil fertilisation, carbon sequestration, and mitigation of climate change impacts by reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. Representatives of ASEAN Member States, alongside farmers and enterprises in the region, NARO, GIZ, and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) shared case studies on biochar and potential bio-energy sourced from agricultural wastes and residues within ASEAN.
Participants addressed challenges related to climate change through crop insurance and discussed initial steps towards financing strategies for crop burning reduction, as well as conducting an inventory assessment for biochar initiatives in ASEAN Member States.
The project “Promotion of Crop Insurance in ASEAN through Public and Private Partnership,” funded by JAIF, resulted in three key documents: a Practical Guide, a Stock-taking Survey Report, and Case Studies on crop insurance, along with a fact sheet summarising the project.
Finally, participants recognised that implementing crop burning reduction, promoting biochar, and advancing other technologies and crop insurance are critical issues to support the ASEAN Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Sectoral Plan 2026-2030, which is being discussed in preparation for the 47th AMAF in 2025.
For more information, please contact the Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division of the ASEAN Secretariat at nru@asean.org .
Image credit: ASEAN Secretariat
