Executive Program for Leaders in Asian Agriculture and Development (LAAD): Focus on Southeast Asia

• Date: May–June 2025
• Venue: Hybrid

Background

Recent times have driven home to politicians, policy makers and agriculture leaders the conundrum that is present in the current agricultural landscape. In an increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous)^[1] environment, ensuring that agriculture meets society's expectations to assure food and feed security, and protect the export of industrial crops, while protecting the environment and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, has become more challenging.

The Program will focus on the Southeast Asian region because it is illustrative of the many events affecting the global agrifood landscape -- increased trade tensions arising from inter-regional geopolitical rivalries, supply chain disruptions, natural calamities, and climate influences on production. These have caused short-term food shortages and price hikes and have prompted several ASEAN member states (AMS), notably Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia to introduce directional changes towards more self-production and reduced import-dependency.

In this globalized world where countries are more inter-connected than ever, no individual country whether developed or developing, net food importing or exporting, is immune to disruptions in the global food supply chain and to price fluctuations. Southeast Asian countries have experienced disruptions in their food supply and what happens within the region is influenced by what happens beyond it.

Southeast Asian political leaders have recognized the complexity of dealing with immediate issues like food security while balancing with longer term goals of sustainability and economic development. In responding to this VUCA environment, in 2023 the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture (AMAF) endorsed important policy statements, notably the ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Sustainable Agriculture and the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Food Security. These came on top of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines for Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Practices, Volume 3, and The ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry in 2022 and the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting the Utilization of Digital Technologies for ASEAN Food and Agriculture Sector in 2021. All these underscore the realization that the region is facing serious challenges to its agriculture and food systems, and its need for new approaches and new investments to ensure regional food security.

The past three years have seen Southeast Asia (and the rest of the world) face many anthropogenic and natural crises. A positive outcome of the many crises that agriculture and food systems faced has been the exponential increase in the development and application of "disruptive technologies^[2]" such as digital and bio-technologies. Much of these have been fueled by private investments, a significant change from previous times. While many technological innovations have come from outside the region, there is also a new active startup ecosystem within several Southeast Asian countries, especially in digital technologies.

Even before this, the latter half of the first decade of the 21st century has seen renewed interest in agriculture and in how global, regional and national institutions for agricultural policy and research could have greater development impact for the poor. In Southeast Asia, a major challenge is how to achieve sustained economic growth and rural poverty alleviation through sustainable agricultural development within a shifting environment characterized by global trade and geopolitics, threats to food safety and security and the natural resource base. Sustained economic growth linked to rational structural transformation of agriculture that is also equitable and environmentally sensitive/sound is a pre-condition for enhancing the welfare and quality of life of people in the region.

Against this backdrop is also the increasingly multi-disciplinary and 'wicked' nature of the issues facing leaders, as well as their connectedness, all of which requires the capacity of leaders to take more holistic views and make multi-lateral decisions on complex matters.

Therefore, in the face of the changing agrifood environment, leaders in the agriculture development community in Southeast Asia need to be familiar with the nuances associated with leading in a changing, uncertain landscape. It is imperative that leaders be levelled up in a) knowledge on contemporary issues and developments, b) skills to manage change strategically, and c) skills to tap into new opportunities for innovation.

Program Goal and Objectives

Program Goal:

To build a community of Southeast Asian leaders in agriculture who are empowered with knowledge on key contemporary issues in agriculture and agricultural development, and are empowered with the skills to set strategies and to innovate utilizing new knowledge and high impact technologies, so that the challenges of a dynamic agri-food landscape may be met.

Program Objectives:

The overall objective of the course is to level up agriculture leaders in Southeast Asian countries with the skills and knowledge to be pro-active leaders by providing updates on selected contemporary issues in agriculture and food deemed important to the region, and to impart skills to lead strategy and innovation.

Specifically, the Program aims to:

• Provide current knowledge on important topics which influence the global agriculture landscape with respect to food security, sustainable development, trade and livelihoods and impact on the Southeast Asian region;
• Impart skills to lead and develop strategies aimed at making most use of the changing agrifood environment; and
• Impart skills to lead innovation processes and assure stakeholder acceptance of innovations.

Intended Participants

Individuals with at least three years of cumulative leadership experience in:

• National/regional agriculture, fisheries, and rural development agencies
• Private sector entities (especially multinational companies, startups, and domestic agrifood companies)
• Statutory bodies, higher education institutions, and civil society organizations
• International and regional bodies located in Southeast Asia and beyond

Program Format and Duration

The Program will use a hybrid format of online sessions spread over a month, culminating in a three-day in-attendance participation. Each participant (or group from the same institute) will be expected to develop a "Futuring Paper" that proposes changes in their home institution through technological and organizational innovation and an implementation plan.

Online sessions via Zoom: 7, 14, 21, and 28 May 2025 (Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, GMT +8)

In-house residential at SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines: 3–5 June 2025

Program Modules

Module 1. Contemporary Issues in the Agrifood and Agriculture Development Landscape (online)

This module consists of a select group of topics that are contemporary and important for all ASEAN leaders in agriculture/rural development to have an understanding. Increasingly, these topics drive international discourse and require policy and action responses at the national and regional level. They also form the basis for new strategies and innovations by organizations.

Topics:

• A meta-analysis of the issues facing agri-food systems and priority responses
• Structural transformation of agricultural and rural sectors as a change process
• The impact of climate change on agriculture and food systems
• Decarbonization initiatives to reduce agriculture's carbon footprint
• Food security in ASEAN and approaches towards self-reliance, self-sufficiency, food resilience
• Digital technologies in agri-food systems
• Biotechnology applications in Asia
• Future food (cultured meat, plant-based proteins, microbial and insect proteins)
• Regenerative agriculture and sustainable agriculture
• ASEAN agri-food trade, supply chains, blockchains and logistics
• Emergence of private investments (AGTECH, FOOD TECH, FINTECH) in agriculture and food systems
• Urban agriculture and aquaculture

Module 2. Leading in strategy development (in-person)

This module consists of a select group of topics which empower the leader to develop appropriate strategies to re-align their organization to address contemporary issues and change.

Topics:

• The Multi-Level Perspective change model in agricultural development
• Planning and creating conditions (structural, processes) for organizational change
• Strategic leadership, strategy formulation, and setting strategy (three pillars) in a VUCA environment
• Internationalization as an integral part of organizational strategy
• Aligning with ASEAN-wide strategies and initiatives

Module 3. Leading in innovation processes (in-person)

This module empowers participants with an understanding of the innovation process, skills to develop appropriate resource mobilization, and development of relevant problem statements that address stakeholder needs and concerns.

Topics:

• The innovation process: enablers and role of the leader in leading innovation
• Securing resources and funding to support innovation – resource mobilization and grantsmanship
• Social licensing and risk communication to assure innovation adoption
• Forming agriculture knowledge communities to drive and support innovation

Program Output

Each participant (or group of participants) will be expected to produce a "Futuring Paper" as a key output from the program.

This paper will test the participant's ability to use knowledge acquired prior to and during the three residential days, to propose a 'change' project for the home institution. The changes may be in the adoption or development of new technologies, or in a new strategic direction or an organizational change or combinations of all three.

Participants will have opportunity to present their futuring paper to the entire program participants and resource persons, and obtain feedback for improvement.

Program Fees

How to Apply

1. Register to the SEARCA Training Application portal.
2. Fill out the online application form for the LAAD.
3. Attach the required documents below:
   1. Valid ID
   2. Curriculum Vitae (maximum of 3 pages)
   3. Nomination Form
   4. Statement of Commitment Form

Applicants who wish to apply for a grant must apply by 19 March 2025. Those who intend to apply as a fee-paying participant (either subsidized or full program fee) must apply by 2 April 2025.

Apply now!

Training Grants

SEARCA will be offering limited and competitive grants for a subsidized program fee for nationals of SEAMEO Member Countries (regular employees of government or public agencies). Please indicate in your application if you wish to apply for a SEARCA grant. If your grant application is unsuccessful, you are encouraged to seek sponsorship from your organization or other funding institutions.

Contact Us

Interested in partnering or participating in this training? Please contact Dr. Nova Ramos, Head, Education and Collective Learning Department-Training for Development Unit (ECLD-T4DU):