SDG 2: Zero Hunger | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | Ministry of Finance
From 22–24 September 2025, ADB in Tokyo hosted the International Conference on Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. The event drew policymakers, researchers, multilateral agencies, and practitioners from across Asia to share breakthroughs in climate-resilient farming, digital agriculture, value chains, inclusive growth, and institutional innovation. The ADB states that the outcomes are expected to inform both academic debates and evidence-based policymaking in agriculture and rural development.
Key highlights and projected outcomes include:
A shift in narrative from just “productivity gains” to holistic rural transformation that integrates sustainability, resilience, equity, and capacity building.
Emphasis on diffusion of innovations (not just inventing new technologies) - how to scale innovations so smallholders and marginalized groups benefit.
Push for deeper public–private partnerships in agriculture (agritech firms, platform companies, input suppliers) to integrate markets, credit, tech and risk management.
Discussion on governance, institutional reform, and policy instruments to accelerate adoption (subsidy redesign, extension systems, farmer organizations).
Recognition that data, digital infrastructure, and knowledge systems are critical to sustaining innovation diffusion.
However, since the ADB page says “outcomes are expected to inform … policy” rather than definitive results, much will depend on follow-through.
What is Agricultural Innovation Diffusion? → The process by which novel agricultural practices, technologies or institutional models spread from innovators to broader populations of farmers, via extension, demonstration, networks, or incentives.
For India, where agriculture still supports the majority of rural livelihoods, the conference signals that future policy must go beyond input subsidies and minimum support prices. The emphasis must be on technology adoption, resilient practices (soil health, water efficiency, climate adaptation), institutional linkages (farmer collectives, agri-startups), and governance reforms (extension services, data systems, regulatory incentives). India can participate in Asia’s wider experiments in agritech, share policy knowledge from the conference, and attract concessional funding or technical collaboration with ADB and partners.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
Which agricultural innovation models from Asia should India pilot, and how can local institutions (state govts, extension systems, cooperatives) be retooled to scale them equitably?
Follow the full announcement here:
ADB: International Conference on Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development