Background on Appropriate Precision Farming for Enhancing the ...

MESSAGE FROM Mr. Bing Zhao, Chief of the United Nations Centre for SustainableAgricultural Mechanization (UNCSAM)Rice is the major crop for millions living in the Asia-Pacific, and 90 per cent of the world'soutput of rice is produced and consumed within Asia. Millions grow their own rice and aredependent on sales of surplus rice to provide them with cash to purchase other necessities.Although most Asian rice farms are small holders, they employ intensive labor practices inplace of mechanization. With limited land, huge population and food insecurity exacerbated bythe lingering effects of the global financial crisis and climate change, a viable option to createfood surpluses is by increasing land productivity via the introduction of efficient and adaptableprecision farming technology for rice production farming systems in the region.UNCSAM is very grateful for the technical support from the Malaysian Agricultural Researchand Development Institute (MARDI) in working vigorously on bringing this key workshop to asuccessful fruition. A special thanks to the researchers of the Mechanization and AutomationResearch Center of MARDI, for graciously sharing their research findings at this workshop,aimed at improving the efficiency of rice production in the region.Through substantive and close collaboration with key country focal points such as MARDI,UNCSAM is privileged to work with its members on sharing and promoting sustainableagricultural technologies that can enable Asia-Pacific countries to realize the dual goals ofintensifying agricultural production and achieving environmental sustainability.3