ANNOUNCING THE 2017 RESAKSS-ASIA CONFERENCE: AGRICULTURE AND RURAL TRANSFORMATION IN ASIA

Agriculture and Rural Transformation in Asia: Past Experiences and Future Opportunities

December 12^th – 13^th, Dusit Thani International Hotel, Bangkok

An international conference jointly organized by ReSAKSS-Asia, IFPRI, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), and TVSEP project of Leibniz Universit Hannover with financial support from USAID and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

The conference will be followed by a field trip to Charoen Pokphand (CP) Company's facilities on Dec 14^th.

The objectives are to:

• Exchange experiences and promote cross-country learning in agricultural and rural transformation
• Bring together researchers and analysts with policy makers to disseminate policy research results and encourage dialogue
• Strengthen the ReSAKSS-Asia network, identify emerging policy-relevant research topics, and outline future networking opportunities

DAY 2 AGENDA

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 

Wednesday, December 13 (Day 2) (Moderator: Hermann Waibel, Leibniz Universität Hannover)

8:30 – 9:00      Registration              

9:00 ­–9:15       Summary of Day 1 and Goal/Objectives of Day 2: Moderator  

9:15 ­–10:30     PARALLEL SESSION 2A: Mechanization and the Role of Evolving Machine Services (Chair: Mr. Somsak Mauthorn, Senior Executive Vice President of Siam Kubota Corporation)

• The rapid rise of agricultural mechanization in Myanmar
  Ame Cho, Research Associate, Centre for Economic and Social Development
• Agricultural Mechanization: Policy Lessons from Bangladesh
  M. A. Sattar Mandal, Emeritus Professor, Bangladesh Agricultural University
• Effect of Labor Movement on Agricultural Mechanization in Cambodia
  Sim Sockcheng, Research Fellow, Cambodia Development Resource Institute
• Custom Hiring and its Impact on Paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka
  Melvin Samarasinghe, Director, Agfour Engineering

 Q&A and Discussion

 9:15 – 10:30    PARALLEL SESSION 2B: Rural Labor Markets, Migration, and Economic Opportunities for the Landless (Chair: Emily Weeks, USAID)

• Go or Stay: Inter-relation between Migration and Agriculture Policies in Cambodia
  Vathana Roth, Research Fellow, Cambodia Development Resource Institute
• Migration, Microfinance and the Mechanized Service Market: Explaining the Puzzle of Landless Tenancy in Rural Bangladesh
  Binayak Sen, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Myanmar Migration in a Time of Transformation
  Mateusz Filipski, Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Land Reform and Child Nutrition: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan
  Olga Shemyakina, Associate Professor, Georgia Tech University

 Q&A and Discussion

10:30 – 11:00  Coffee/Tea Break

11:00 – 12:30 PANEL SESSION 2: Attracting Private Sector and Promoting Agriculture, Agribusiness and Exports (Chair: Abdul Wajid Rana, Country Program Director, IFPRI-Pakistan) 

                        Panelists

Syed Mahmudul Huq- Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation

Mr. Steven Bartholomeusz – Food Industry Asia

Mr. Saumil Shah- CEO, Energaia

Mr. Somsak Mauthorn- Senior Executive Vice President of Siam Kubota Corporation

Facilitator- Shahidur Rashid, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI-New Delhi

12:30 – 13:30  Lunch

13:30 – 14:30 PARALLEL SESSION 3A: Domestic Markets for Smallholder High-Value Agriculture (Chair: Nazim Ali, USAID- Pakistan)

• Domestic markets for smallholder high-value agriculture: Case of Dairyhome
  Pruitt Kerdchoochuen, Managing Director, Dairyhome, Thailand
• The Emerging ‘Quiet Revolution’ in Myanmar's Aquaculture Value Chain
  Ben Belton, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University-Myanmar
• Aquaculture Growth in Bangladesh: Enablers, Impacts, and the Path Ahead
  Shahid Rashid, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI-New Delhi
• How to Promote Transformation and Upgrading of Agriculture by E-Commerce- ShuYang Case from China
  Hongdong Guo, Chair and Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Management of Zhejiang University, China

 Q&A and Discussion

13:30 – 14:30 PARALLEL SESSION 3B:  Expanding Regional and Global Markets (Chair: : Isriya Nitithanprapas, Kasetsart University)

• High Value Vegetables for High-End Market, GAP
  Chusak Chuenprayot, CEO, K.C. FRESH, Thailand
• Assessing Myanmar’s Agri-food Trade Comparative Advantages
  Kevin Chen, Senior Research Fellow and Head of East Asia and Central Asia Office, IFPRI-Beijing
• Broiler Industry Development in Thailand
  Phunjasit Chokesomritpol, Viroj NaRanong and Nipon Poapongsakorn, TDRI

Q&A and Discussion

13:30 – 14:30 PARALLEL SESSION 3C: Regional Pulse Trade (Chair: TBD)

• Should Myanmar Enter into a Long-term Pulse Export Agreement?
  Avinash Kishore, IFPRI-New Delhi
• Agricultural Exports, Price Volatility and Monopsonistic Markets: An Analysis of the Myanmar - India Pulses Trade
  Duncan Boughton (MSU-Myanmar) and Cho Cho San (MOALI/DOP)
• Kidney Beans Value Chain and Export Capacity in the Kyrgyz Republic
  Kanat Tilekeyev, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia

 Q&A and Discussion

14:30 – 15:00  Coffee/Tea Break and Networking

Introduction to TVSEP panel data base- Rattiya S. Lippe, TVSEP research manager

15:00 – 17:00  FACILITATED GROUP DISCUSSION: Conference Synthesis, Way Forward (Facilitator, Xinshen Diao, IFPRI)

17:00 – 17:15  Closing Remarks (and logistical announcement for field trip):

• Dr. Hermann Waibel, TVSEP
• Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn, TDRI

DAY 1