The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected that global warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030.

Agriculture is the backbone of Indonesia’s development, contributing 13.1 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. Although its share of the GDP is contracting, the sector remains the second biggest employer for Indonesia, especially in rural areas.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are usually associated with military applications but they also have immense usefulness in agriculture.Drones are used in Japan’s rural heartland to aid the aging farmer populace spray pesticides and fertiliser. The median age of farmers in the rice-planting region of Tome is 67 years.

The global population is expected to hit eight billion in 12 years. By 2050, that number will reach nine billion. ASEAN could hold the key to feeding this unprecedented number of people but only if its member countries can look beyond domestic political survival.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected that global warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2030. This is projected to bring about changes in the climate and natural systems, including changes in the frequency and intensity of weather events, sea-level rise, habitat and range loss, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and more.

It’s a given that while Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution opens windows of opportunity for some countries, it provides challenges to others, forcing them to play catch-up. In Cambodia, people still rely heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Cambodia’s plans to boost its cassava industry has hit a snag with an outbreak of the mosaic virus. Thailand, a main importer of Cambodia’s cassava issued a warning in June that it may ban the produce if necessary.The virus has not appeared in Thailand before and officials there fear an outbreak will lead to substantial losses to the nation’s agriculture sector and cassava industry. It is the world’s largest exporter of tapioca products, making up over 50 percent of the global market share.

The global population is expected to hit eight billion in 12 years. By 2050, that number will reach nine billion. ASEAN could hold the key to feeding this unprecedented number of people but only if its member countries can look beyond domestic political survival. While regional shot-callers are quick to sign multilateral agreements, the work that actually makes a difference involves engaging with 600 million or so people who live in rural areas.

According to the World Bank, the Asian region supports the food demands of 60 percent of the global population by using just 23 percent of the world’s agricultural land. Due to an increasing population and decreasing land mass, the role of technology in agriculture is key. This is where the booming start up scene in Southeast Asia could come in handy for farmers.

Myanmar’s agricultural sector faces a myriad of problems, such as a shortage of trained farmers, a rural infrastructure and lack of crop diversification.