Global corn, wheat and soyabean prices are on the rise, largely due to poor weather conditions in the US, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Higher food prices can undermine Asia’s recent gains in poverty reduction – a 10% rise in domestic food prices in developing Asia could push an additional 64 million people into poverty. Rising food prices will also reduce the standard of living of families who are already living in poverty.

• How will rising food prices affect Asia?
• Can the rice market withstand global food price rises?
• What steps can Asia’s governments take to ensure their people have enough to eat?

When: 1400-1500 Manila time/0600-0700GMT on Tuesday, 4 September 2012

The live online discussion is now closed. A transcript is available here.

Lourdes Adriano

Lourdes Adriano received her graduate and post graduate training in Development Economics and Agriculture Economics at the University of Cambridge, University of Sussex, and the University of the Philippines.

Her technical and work experiences are in the fields of food security, agricultural, rural and regional development, agriculture trade, and poverty reduction. Ms. Adriano has worked as a professor and as senior official and policy advisor to the Government of the Philippines, as well as authored articles and books on topics like market assisted land reform, sub-regional cooperation, and rural development.

Since late 2000, she has worked with the Asian Development Bank and is currently a lead agriculture sector specialist of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department’s Agricultural, Rural development and Food Security Unit.

Bui Minh Giap

Bui Minh Giap is an economist educated in Viet Nam and the UK. He is currently a Natural Resources and Agriculture Economist in ADB's South East Asia Department. Prior to joining the ADB, Giap led a large number of advisory and consultancy missions for development financial institutions (WB, IMF, IFC, ADB), central banks, business firms, commercial banks, and bilateral international development agencies (Danida, USAid, AusAid, GIZ, CIDA, SIDA, LuxDevelopment, etc.,).

Mr Giap has actively been involved in the formulation of economic development policies for the last 20 years. His focus has been on creating an enabling legal and regulatory environment for promoting rural, urban, and regional linkages as key stepping stones for balanced and sustainable economic development at a national and regional level. His professional interests span: financing “public goods” as a catalyst push for private sector investments; agro-enterprise business development; agro-commodity financing; and non-traditional products in agribusiness financing.