Jim Harkness has worked on agriculture, environment, and rural development in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since the 1980s. He carried out field research and environmental education on behalf of the International Crane Foundation in the 1980s and early 1990s, including a year of field work in Tibet. He served as development and environment program officer for the Ford Foundation in Beijing from 1995–1999, providing grants for innovations and research on rural poverty alleviation and community-based natural resource management.

Xianbin Yao is an experienced development practitioner. He worked in various capacities at ADB for more than two decades, including Special Senior Advisor to the President, Director General of the Pacific Regional Department, Director General of the Regional and Sustainable Development Department, and Chief Compliance Officer.

Michiko Katagami is Principal Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist and responsible for advising on food security, agriculture and natural resources issues and supporting ADB’s food security engagement both at the country and regional levels. She has over 15 years of the sector investment experience at ADB, ranging from microfinance to agribusiness development, fair trade, irrigation, agricultural research and various sector development programs in Asia and the Pacific. Before joining ADB she worked for UNDP, Mitsubishi Trust & Banking and UBS Securities.

Mr. Hinrichs joined ADB as Natural Resources Economist in 2015. He is designing and implementing loan and technical assistance projects in the agriculture sector of East Asian countries. Developing projects with the application of internet-connected sensors to enhance traceability and access to e-commerce has been a focus of his work.

Arvind is a fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences since 2015. As a senior scientist and plant breeder at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), he brings with him over 25 years of work experience in the agriculture sector including his current role as the Director of the IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), located in Varanasi, India and as IRRI’s representative for the country. 

Mahfuzuddin Ahmed is a Finance, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Specialist with over 30 years of experience on agriculture, food security, rural development and climate change initiatives covering more than 30developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Dr. Ahmed has worked for several multilateral and bilateral organizations, including World Bank and Asian Development Bank(ADB).

Abul works on food security and rural development issues, contributes to ADB’s agenda of sustainable development, and supports the ADB-wide knowledge management process on food security and sustainability.

Hideki is the Water Resources Specialist for ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

Aya Suzuki is a development economist and an associate professor at the University of Tokyo. Upon obtaining her Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, she worked at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan before the current position. Her research focuses on analyzing the development of industries and agriculture in African and Asian countries, taking a quantitative approach. Her recent publications include “Willingness to Pay for Managerial Training: A Case from the Knitwear Industry in Northern Vietnam” in Journal of Comparative Economics.