The Knowledge Hub on Agroecology in Southeast Asia

The Regional Hub for Agroecology in the Mekong

The ALISEA Knowledge Hub is the central platform for the agroecological transition in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. We provide a collaborative online library and a network of stakeholders dedicated to climate-resilient farming and food security across the region. Explore our technical resources and regional expertise to support sustainable agriculture from Vientiane to Hanoi.

Latest Insights

Sustainable Maize production: The potential of Conservation Agriculture

This policy brief presents the potential of conservation agriculture to overcome soil fertility depletion and land degradation problems due substantially to conventional maize production. It promotes the benefits of conservation agriculture as well as key priorities and options for policy;

Supportive policies

Soil health

Multicriteria Assessment of Implemented Conservation Agriculture Cropping Systems Across Farmers’ Plots in Northwestern Cambodia

In Cambodia’s maize crop, conservation agriculture delivers clear gains in soil health, an improved yield resilience and emerging economic benefits over a short (2-year) implementation span. Soil health, as measured using the Biofunctool, emerges as a valuable sustainability indicator that warrants further promotion. Regardless of the above, productivity and profitability benefits under CA are not immediate, and several prominent adoption challenges exist. With the right policy support, tailored agronomic research, technical innovations (e.g., adaptive machinery) and farmer training, CA could be scaled up to address Cambodia’s dual crises of land degradation and climate vulnerability

Supportive policies

Climate

Soil health

Market Access of Organic Vegetable

– Collaboration between farmer groups, local authorities, and support organizations proved essential to maintaining supply, building trust, and ensuring stable market access. – Establishing a sustainable market and fair pricing through formal contracts proved to be the most significant motivator for farmers to actively produce. – Field-based, hands-on, and peer-to-peer training proved highly effective, improving both technical confidence and productivity, with monthly yields rising from 2 to 3.5 tons

Economy and income

Sustainable food system

Input reduction and recycling

Weaver Ant: a natural ecological practice to protect cashew nut plantations

Did you know weaver ants are helpful for pest control? Weaver ants are considered farmers’ friends as they protect crops like cashews from pests. Introducing weaver ants is just one of many techniques used in Agroecological Crop Protection (ACP), which combines the principles of agroecology, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Organic Agriculture, and regenerative agriculture. This natural solution reduces crop damages, improves yields and nut quality, ends the need to spray chemical pesticides, reduces production costs and increase’s farmers profit margins. Moreover, it maintains the health of farmers and the environment while also improve the resilience of farming systems. Watch this video to learn about weaver ant management techniques and the successful experiences of organic cashew farmers in Preah Vihear province.

Biodiversity

Sustainable food system

Input reduction and recycling

Integrated systems

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Latest Library Entries

A Review of Microgreens In Southeast Asia: Sustainable Agriculture, Phytochemicals, and Biological Activities

Microgreens are edible vegetable and herb seedlings with only 1–3 inches. Aside from their remarkable nutritional content, they can be grown easily in the city, and hence, they are acclaimed as emerging functional food. This review aimed to provide a systemic insight into the sustainable agriculture, phytochemicals, and biological activities of microgreens in Southeast Asia. The study was conducted by collecting the experimental findings from scientific articles that were published in reputed journals from the year 2000 to 2021 using electronic databases. The comparative analyses were conducted wherever appropriate. Several species of microgreens from the Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, and Amaranthaceae families were discussed. In the first instance, various methods for cultivating microgreens were explained, followed by the summarisation of phytochemicals (e.g., terpenes, polyphenols, and sulfur-containing compounds) present in microgreens. A comparison of phytochemical composition between microgreens and their mature counterparts (macrogreens) was conducted. Moreover, two well-known biological activities of microgreens, i.e., antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, were outlined, together with their experimental data. Additionally, the effects of human health upon the consumption of microgreens were also elaborated.

Factors influencing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices for rice cultivation in Southeast Asia: a review

Rice cultivation plays a vital role in the Southeast Asian (SEA) economy, but it poses environmental challenges and contributes a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. To address these concerns, sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) for rice production have been introduced to mitigate the environmental impact of rice production while fostering economic and social sustainability. However, the adoption of these practices remains limited, highlighting the need for a critical review of existing literature to gain deeper insights into the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of these practices in SEA countries. This review analyzed 39 manuscripts to assess the current state of SAPs for rice cultivation in SEA. We found that socio-demographic variables and farm management variables were frequently examined in these studies, with varying levels of significance. Economic and institutional variables were moderately studied and tended to have more significant findings. There is a noticeable research gap regarding behavioral factors, emphasizing the need for further investigation in SEA. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of conducting additional research to develop effective monetary and non-monetary incentives and explore methodologies to address the gaps in understanding farmers’ trade-offs and preferences among different SAPs. These efforts are crucial for promoting the widespread adoption of SAPs in rice cultivation.

Sustainable soil management in East, South and Southeast Asia

The 2030 Agenda was promulgated for the Sustainable Develop Goals (SDGs), which consist of 17 goals created to eradicate poverty and realize a more sustainable world. Among the goals, soil science can contribute significantly toward achieving zero hunger (#2), implementing climate action (#13), bettering life on land (#15), among others. Paddy fields are important sustainable agro-ecosystems for rice (Oryza sativa) production, and rice is the staple food for more than 2 billion people worldwide. Paddy rice is produced mainly in East, South, and Southeast Asia, in region with a monsoon climate. Paddy soils are unique, as they are mostly managed under waterlogged conditions during the rice-growing season. Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important nutrients for many crops, including rice. Some potential sustainable soil management methods are suggested to meet the SDGs, especially in paddy fields and wetlands in East, South, and Southeast Asia, based on current achievements, including N mineralization analysis, soil microbial analysis, and greenhouse gas measurements, to predict soil fertility and effective environmental management practices in the future. One such example of sustainable soil management practice is the amendment of silicate fertilizer produced from steel-making sludge that reduced methane emission from paddy fields (3%–50%) and increased the rice yield in Vietnam.

Agroecological transition assessment frameworks: a critical scoping review

As the limitations of conventional agriculture become increasingly evident—ranging from environmental degradation to social inequity—the agroecological transition (AET) has emerged as an alternative and transformative pathway toward sustainable food systems. However, evaluating whether the AET achieves this objective remains methodologically challenging due to its complex, multi-dimensional nature. This scoping review analyzes 28 assessment frameworks—comprising both agroecology-specific frameworks and broader agricultural sustainability frameworks that incorporate agroecological principles—identified through a systematic PRISMA-ScR-guided search. Our analysis identified four key analytical dimensions for evaluating the frameworks, emerging inductively from the literature and empirical practice: (1) interactions between sustainability components and indicators, (2) stakeholder interactions, (3) learning produced by interactions, and (4) the participation and adaptability in the evaluation process. While many frameworks position themselves on one or more of the four analytical dimensions, only six (Dendoncker, FoPIA-SURE-Farm, MESMIS, MMF, TAPE, and Tata-Box) fully integrate the four of them. The majority of frameworks remain rooted in top-down, expert-led approaches, with limited capacity for participatory adaptation or facilitation of transformative learning. The findings underscore the need for more integrated, inclusive, and iterative frameworks that not only assess agroecological systems but also accompany and support the co-construction of transition pathways. Such frameworks are essential to address the systemic, contextual, and political dimensions of agroecological change. For the future, hybrid and modular designs are suggested to benefit from complementary strengths of existing frameworks and non-negotiable four design principles are defined for next generation of AET assessments.

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