Workshop on Building Digital & Precision Agricultural Biotechnology Capacity for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

Global challenges such as climate change, population growth, shrinking arable land, and emerging plant diseases threaten food security in the Asia–Pacific. Agricultural biotechnology has become a vital tool to address these issues by boosting productivity, strengthening crop resilience, and supporting farmers’ livelihoods. Advances in digital and precision breeding—driven by big data, AI, and genome editing—have accelerated crop R&D and expanded opportunities for collaboration and regulatory alignment.

Against this backdrop, the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB) convened a workshop in August 2025 in Jeonju, Korea, under the APEC-funded project “Building Digital & Precision Agricultural Biotechnology Capacity for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.” Hosted by Korea with support from twelve co-sponsoring economies, the event brought together policymakers, scientists, and experts to share insights on regulatory frameworks, digital transformation, and new breeding technologies. Through thematic sessions and a field visit, participants deepened their understanding of biotechnology and reinforced cooperation toward the goals of the Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the APEC Food Security Roadmap 2030.