USDA Approved a Five-year Project Partnered with Windrock International, Strengthening US-ASEAN Cooperation on Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved funding for a project under the framework of the Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) to enhance agricultural productivity, trade, and climate-friendly initiatives across Southeast Asia. This five-year project is implemented by Windrock International Institute for Agricultural Development and the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was held in Thailand on June 21.
Through the creation of a climate hub for smart agriculture, the project aims to share knowledge on climate smart innovations, boost technical and organizational capacity for agricultural services, increase demand for agricultural products, and provide connections between public and private sectors.
The project is expected to benefit 30,000 farmers and reduce 76,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent via the utilization of climate-smart innovations. The targeted crops of this initiative are rice, cassava, longan, durian, coconut, and mangosteen.