The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (JMAFF), established the Expert Committee (EC), together with ASEAN participating countries such as the Philippines and Viet Nam and well-established research institutes, to share Japan’s knowledge and experiences in paddy field management. This initiative aimed to increase food production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector of the ASEAN region and to contribute to sustainable agricultural practices and climate change mitigation.

Following the inaugural meeting of the EC on 31 January 2024, which concluded that Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) was the most effective technology for application in the region, the decision was made to explore a project combining AWD with a carbon credit mechanism following Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and to develop a methodology for AWD. The second EC meeting was held in Tokyo on 12 March 2024. At this meeting, the ADB provided an opportunity for the EC to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including AWD project developers and carbon credit buyers, and facilitated discussions between the EC participants and these stakeholders. The stakeholders provided the EC with various insights, including the types of barriers they faced and their expectations from the EC to establish a reliable methodology. A summary of the minutes of the second EC meeting is available below.

The third EC meeting will be held in Manila on 10 April 2024 to have an intensive discussion on laying out the issues and arguments for creating a reliable methodology. As discussed in the previous EC meetings, rigor is important for credibility, but speed and practicality should also be considered. It is important to balance trade-offs; the more we try to create a perfect and strict methodology, the more difficult it may be for project developers to use it.

These collaborative efforts represented a significant step forward in enhancing the environmental sustainability of the agriculture sector. The proceedings and outcomes of the pivotal meetings will be documented and made available on ADB's website.