On June 21, 2023, Ms. Gwendolyn Cardno, Chargé d’ Affaires of the US Embassy in Thailand, opened a new U.S. Department of Agriculture project, Regional Agriculture Innovation Network (RAIN) at Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok.
The project, implemented by Winrock International, facilitates adoption of climate-smart innovations (CSI) to increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and expand trade in Thailand and Southeast Asia through creation of a Climate Hub.
“By 2027, RAIN will have promoted 30 CSIs for adoption by 30,000 farmers, and thereby helped reduce 76,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The project will focus on economic crops such as rice, cassava, longan, durian, coconut and mangosteen,” confirmed William Sparks, RAIN Chief of Party.
RAIN will also support the first USDA international climate hub for smart agriculture outside of the United States. The hub will share best practices and research on climate-smart agriculture and help address climate change on a global-scale.
The launch event for RAIN project also celebrates the signing of MOUs between Winrock International and five distinguished Thai and international partners, namely 1) Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), 2) Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency, 3) Harmless Harvest Co., Ltd., 4) Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), and 5) CPS Weather Co., Ltd.
NSTDA/BIOTEC is responsible for facilitating adoption of climate-smart innovations to increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and expand trade.