Grow Asia Kicks Off 2025 with Strategic Council Meetings Focused on Financing, Resilience, and Collaboration

Grow Asia commenced 2025 with its first meetings of the Business Council and Partners Advisory Council, convening senior leaders from across the private sector, government, non-profit organizations, and research institutions. These sessions served as critical forums to align on strategic priorities for Southeast Asia’s agriculture sector amid a rapidly evolving global context.

Strengthening Partnerships for Resilient Food Systems

Co-chaired by Thai Wah and Visa, the Business Council meeting emphasized the urgent need to reinforce partnerships across sectors to strengthen food security, financial inclusion, and climate resilience. Recognizing anticipated supply chain disruptions and mounting global pressures, members underscored the importance of aligning private, public, and civil society efforts to build long-term resilience.

Echoing this, the Partners Advisory Council reinforced the role of inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement in shaping Grow Asia’s programs and ensuring lasting impact for smallholder farmers and SMEs across the region.

Financing Innovation: Blended and Inclusive Models

A central theme across both meetings was the evolving role of capital in transforming food systems. Leaders highlighted blended finance as a critical tool to unlock investments in sustainable agriculture, while also identifying persistent barriers—perceived risk, limited credit access, and underdeveloped financial intermediaries.

Council members explored more inclusive financing models, advocating for a shift from traditional PPPs to Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships (4P). Philanthropic capital was seen as a vital bridge to support under-resourced actors, particularly smallholder farmers and women in agriculture.

Addressing Structural Challenges

Discussions acknowledged the growing urgency to act. Food insecurity is rising, with 70% of survey respondents in 2024 reporting some level of food insecurity—up from 60% in 2020. Climate change continues to threaten agricultural productivity, especially in Southeast Asia’s rice-dependent economies. Meanwhile, gender inequality remains a major challenge, with a 24% productivity gap between male- and female-managed farms.

Council members called for increased investment in climate-smart agriculture, greater support for women in farming, and targeted action to bridge the digital divide in rural communities.

Digital Platforms for Transparency and Scale

Both councils recognized digital innovation as key to improving efficiency and transparency in agricultural value chains. However, without boots-on-the-ground implementation and trust-building, the adoption of these tools remains limited. Members stressed the need for performance-based funding mechanisms and data-driven platforms that can improve traceability and accountability, while ensuring inclusivity.

A Shared Commitment to Transformational Change

Looking ahead, Grow Asia reaffirmed its commitment to enabling innovative, impact-driven initiatives across its five country chapters. Programs such as Grow Ventures, Grow Her, Grow Right, and Grow Beyond are actively working to co-finance scalable solutions and close persistent financing gaps in the sector.

As the meetings concluded, participants aligned around a common vision: to strengthen blended finance mechanisms, expand inclusive digital tools, and scale cross-sector collaboration to accelerate progress on food security, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

Grow Asia and its councils are poised to take bold, coordinated action in 2025 and beyond—mobilizing capital, sharing best practices, and empowering farmers across the region to build a more resilient and inclusive food system.