Knowledge Exchange on Frontier Technologies for Low-Emission Rice and Livestock Systems

Knowledge Exchange on Frontier Technologies for Low-Emission Rice and Livestock Systems convened by FAO Regional Asia Pacific, Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), and Mekong Institute.

 This workshop will bring together policymakers, researchers, farmer organisations, technology innovators, regional and international finance institutions in Bali, Indonesia, 24-26 June to share experiences of methane reduction practices, technology adoption pathways, and policy advocacy strategies that are grounded in their own country realities.

Background

Rice and livestock systems are central to global food security and rural livelihoods — and together among the largest agricultural sources of methane. Flooded rice paddies, enteric fermentation, and manure management account for approximately 42% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions globally, with the heaviest concentrations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Despite ambitious commitments through the Global Methane Pledge (COP26), FAO's Agrifood Systems Roadmap, and national NDCs and Long-Term Strategies, a persistent gap remains between policy ambition and farmer-level adoption of low-emission practices.

This gap is driven by three interlocking challenges: limited awareness and capacity among farmers and policymakers on available frontier technologies; weak or fragmented MRV frameworks that prevent comparability across countries; and insufficient access to finance and market incentives to make adoption viable for smallholders. These challenges are compounded by a structural imbalance: while AFOLU accounts for roughly 22% of global GHG emissions, it receives only around 4% of global climate finance.

Throughout this event, frontier technologies refers to innovations beyond conventional best practice and approaching readiness for wider deployment — including alternate wetting and drying (AWD), direct-seeded rice (DSR) with precision seeders and drones, advanced fertiliser formulations, livestock feed additives, AI-enabled advisory systems, remote sensing platforms, and emerging smallholder-level MRV tools. What unites them is the need for investment, contextual adaptation, and enabling policy to move from pilot to scale.

A key design principle of this event is that it builds on existing networks rather than creating parallel structures — specifically the CCAC FARMERS' First Network (UNEP), which champions farmer organisations across Africa and Asia, and the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network (ASEAN-CRN), supported by FAO with the Mekong Institute as its Secretariat. By bringing these two networks together, the event creates a structured South-South exchange between African and Southeast Asian farming communities.