(Track 8: Sustainable Rice Initiative and Low-Carbon Agriculture)
This session presented ADB’s programmatic support for transforming India’s rice sector through investments in irrigation, mechanization, digital technologies, and policy reform under a planned $1.5 billion program for 2026–2030. It also highlighted priority public investments in landscape restoration, climate-resilient water infrastructure, and value-chain modernization, while showcasing financing models that could accelerate food-system transformation and attract private co-investment.
Keynote Speech
Yvonne Pinto, Director General, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Roundtable 1: Pathways to Sustainable Rice Value Chains: Evidence from the field
The session is designed to share the field-level evidence on the transitional pathways to sustainable rice value chains.
Moderator: Takashi Yamano, Principal Economist, ADB
Panelists:
- Beau Damen, Natural Resources Officer, FAO
- Hiz Jamali, Senior Climate Change Officer, CCSD
- Kevin Chen, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
- Anton Urfels, Senior Scientist I – Water Management, IRRI
Roundtable 2 Designing Projects
The session shares insights how we design the projects to accelerate the transition to sustainable rice value chains.
Moderator: Shingo Kimura, Principal Natural Resources and Agriculture Economist, Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development Sector Office, ADB
Panelists:
- Mingyuan Fan, Principal Water Resources Specialist, SD2-AFNR
- Kia Fariborz, Advisor, Carbon Finance, GIZ
- Eric Quincieu, Principal Water Resources Specialist, SD2-AFNR
- Aslam Javaid, Member (Agriculture), Planning and Development Board, Government of Punjab, Pakistan
