Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) today (September 20) jointly held the Taiwan-Australia “Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Agriculture” working forum, with about 100 Taiwanese and Australian experts participating in-person and online, to discuss policy frameworks on greenhouse gas reduction, on-farm sustainability, and innovations in the agricultural sector. The forum aimed to promote mutual sustainable agricultural development and to contribute to global climate action.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Dong-Chong Hsiao, Director General of the Department of International Affairs of the MOA, noted that following the bilateral agricultural working group meeting and the business forum on “climate change, sustainability and future ready trade” held last year, both governments have made significant progress on relevant policies and are actively promoting public-private cooperation and experience sharing, which could serve as examples of on-farm sustainable development in the region. The Assistant Secretary of the DAFF, Mr Anthony Cuthbert, echoed that agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy, international trade and regional food security, and building resilience and diversity in agriculture will require bringing government, research institutes, local producers and technology industries together to address the challenges. Both sides agreed that continued exchanges through the working forum will help to transform their agriculture sectors to become climate-smart, and that there are many ways to achieve the target of net-zero emissions in agriculture.

The MOA noted that Australia and Taiwan are important economic trading partners, and thatboth sides have been working closely in the areas of climate change and sustainability in agriculture. During the meeting, Taiwan and Australia introduced their respective inter-governmental agricultural net-zero policies and sustainable development frameworks, and explored practical experiences in addressing climate change in depth. Taiwan provided an overview on its strategies for increasing water use efficiency and on rice intermittent irrigation technology. Australia introduced the Future Drought Fund and shared their Climate Smart Agriculture Program, as well as the National Soil Strategy and the National Soil Action Plan for 2023 to 2028. In addition, green procurement and the application of smart agriculture technologies were also the focus of discussion between both sides. Attendees participated enthusiastically in the general discussion and open Q&A session prior to the end of the forum, promoting even more exchanges of information on the two sides’ respective practices and stimulating proposals for cooperative programs and action plans with potential.

The Taiwan-Australia “Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Agriculture” working forum generated ideas for joint actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At the forum, speakers from both sides enthusiastically exchanged ideas on relevant strategies and technological research in a search for optimal solutions.