ADB scales up nature-based solutions and support for climate-smart agriculture across the entire agriculture and food value chains, including the blue economy.
ADB announced plans to provide at least $14 billion over 2022-2025 in a comprehensive program of support to ease a worsening food crisis in Asia and the Pacific, and improve long-term food security by strengthening food systems against the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The assistance expands ADB’s already significant support for food security in the region, where nearly 1.1 billion people lack healthy diets due to poverty and food prices which have soared to record highs in 2022.
Although hunger declined between 2001 and 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in developing Asia's undernourished population.
Climate related disasters have had a severe impact on agriculture in Asia.
Regional food prices have risen steeply, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
ADB is working with its developing member countries (DMCs) to help integrate food production, processing, marketing, and distribution to strengthen the resilience and efficiency of food and agricultural value chains. To transform agriculture in the region, ADB builds partnerships across developing Asia, including the private sector, to tackle difficult challenges such as climate change, nutrition insecurity, and growing water shortages. The region’s aging farming population and changing consumer demands are also important issues for ADB. Climate change resilience and adaptation are built into all ADB agriculture and natural resources projects.
The bank also strives to reduce the volatility of food prices and make food systems less susceptible to external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that has raised prices across the region and driven millions back into extreme poverty. ADB also aims to boost food and agricultural employment, targeting the poor, women, and vulnerable groups.
Results delivered in 2022 from ADB projects.
People benefiting from
increased rural investment
Farmers using quality farm inputs
and sustainable mechanization
Land with higher productivity
In Asia, 75% of farmers are dependent on agriculture. Climate change is projected to reduce crop productivity by 15% to 20% (or even 50% in some crops) by 2050 in the business-as-usual scenario.
Aside from exempting food supply chains from mobility restrictions and providing short-term financing, ADB also advocates for open trade and the availability of systems and processes to ensure transparency of information on food availability.
ADB promotes the efficient use of water resources to help increase the climate resilience of agri-food systems. As of 2021, irrigation ($2 billion), water-based natural resources management ($1 billion), and rural flood protection ($477 million) are among ADB’s top investments in agriculture and natural resources.