The APO Special Program for Capacity Building of Sustainable Food Value Chains for Enhanced Food Safety and Quality in Asian Countries has focused on increasing productivity in agriculture and the food industry under a special cash grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan since 2018.

Food supply problems caused by climate change, demographic structural shifts, and trade liberalization have become more serious during the COVID-19 pandemic. To establish a sustainable, standardized management system, it is crucial to adopt disaster-resilient solutions in response to different scenarios and use smart agricultural technologies to increase high-quality production. Greenhouse horticulture enables crop cultivation regardless of weather conditions and seasons, thus extending growing and harvesting periods and contributing to stable production. The applications of IoT technologies have progressively advanced greenhouse horticulture management and practices. In-house environments are monitored by sensors, and the data are analyzed to yield the best-quality products.

The APO Secretariat and Thailand Productivity Institute organized a National Workshop on Advanced Greenhouse Horticulture, 20 June, to transfer knowledge and introduce technologies, provide consultancy on advanced greenhouse horticulture management, and promote greenhouse horticulture in Thailand to improve the quality and supply of locally produced vegetables. The sessions were conducted by Resource Person Dr. Yutaka Shinohara, board member of the Japan Plant Factory Association, and attended by 68 local participants from academia and public- and private-sector organizations.