The conference, hosted by the Government of Cambodia through the Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification Consortium (CASIC), in close collaboration with FAO, ESCAP, CIRAD, the ASSET project, and partners, was held from 24-27 October 2023 in Siem Reap.

It gathered over 200 participants from 21 countries and 95 institutions. FAO facilitated the participation of 17 government officials and family farmers organizations from Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

During the event, the policy dialogue on agroecology transition in the ASEAN region, attended by 100+ participants, aimed to develop guidelines to complement the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture. These guidelines will be presented to the ASEAN Secretariat, for adoption by the end of 2024, as part of the ASSET project funded by EU-AFD and in partnership with FAO.

The event featured keynote presentations by Dr Olivier De Schutter and Dr Pablo Tittonell. Nine global and regional initiatives, including the Agroecology Coalition, 4per1000initiative, The One Million Voices of Agroecology initiatives, and TEEBAgri were presented. It also included 19 technical presentations across five thematic sessions: technologies and innovations, human skills development, support to innovation implementation, finance and investment, and public policies. A session on the evaluation of agroecological pathways: methodological advances and challenges and an innovation fair with 27 booths showcasing five core sectors: Agroecological practices and technologies, finance and investments, education and skills, support to innovation, and value chains were also held.

All presentations from the conference are accessible through the TARASA webpage. A short video summary of the event can also be found here.

More details about TARASA23 here and here.