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Overview

Our support to the East and South-East Asia region is focused on strong bilateral relationships with individual countries, including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, The Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

ACIAR work in the region is underpinned by common trends to create opportunities for greater regional cooperation and trilateral collaboration in research. Read more about our China Country Office, Indonesia Country Office, Philippines Country Office, Timor-​Leste Country Office and Vietnam Country Office.

East and South-East Asia priorities

  • Capitalising on market opportunities that can transform smallholder systems as the region undergoes rapid urbanisation and globalisation of agrifood chains.
  • Challenging issues related to acute poverty, requiring very specific targeting for research collaboration.
  • Understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change on food systems and livelihood security.
  • Greater regional cooperation and trilateral collaboration in research between ACIAR and partner countries in the region.

Active projects by program area

Cambodian soil information system supporting sustainable upland agricultural development

SLAM/2022/103

Optimising fish passage at hydropower sites in the Mekong

FIS/2023/133

Enhancing marine environmental governance in Indonesia and the Philippines

FIS/2023/185

Increasing on-farm labour productivity for sustainable production, nutrition and inclusive livelihood gains in Timor-Leste

SLAM/2020/141

The value of using a South-South Triangular Cooperation approach in mariculture for Cambodia and Indonesia

FIS/2024/105

Integrating the electrification and smart mechanisation of two-wheel tractors with precision agriculture for improved productivity and sustainability

CROP/2023/129

Evaluating service provision approaches and value-chain interventions to support milk cooperatives to grow the smallholder dairy sector of Indonesia (IndoDairy 2)

AGB/2021/124

Defining the potential for mangrove-based agribusiness transformation in the coastal Mekong Delta

CLIM/2023/190

Exploring soil hydrological function in degraded and intact tropical peat swamp forest

SLAM/2023/197

Detection and characterization of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia

LS/2022/166

Scoping Vietnam’s citrus industry priorities to inform the development of a research roadmap

HORT/2023/179

Quantifying the impacts of nitrogen use and developing sustainable agricultural nitrogen management strategies in Laos rice-based farming systems

SLAM/2022/102

Indo-Pacific Initiative for Sustainable Animal Health Cooperation (IPI-SAHC)

LS/2022/143

Disease-resilient and sustainable cassava production systems in the Mekong region

CROP/2022/110

Scoping for the implementation of plant health support in Timor-Leste

HORT/2022/127

Partnering with trading companies to sustainably enhance smallholders’ livelihood in the Central Highlands of Vietnam through pilot chain interventions towards high-quality Robusta coffee

CS/2023/181

Forest restoration for economic outcomes

FST/2020/137

Creating resilient communities through smallholder-inclusive tourism markets in Indonesia

AGB/2021/125

Scoping new co-governance research in Indonesian peatlands

CLIM/2022/138

Scoping the opportunity for urban and peri-urban agricultural development in South-East Asia

HORT/2023/147

Integrating smallholder households and farm production systems into commercial beef supply chains in Vietnam

AGB/2020/189

Water Security in South-East Asia

WAC/2023/171

MeloRisk Australasia: Reducing the risk of exotic root-knot nematodes in Australasia

HORT/2023/167

Addressing the rapid emergence of Cassava Witches Broom Disease in Laos

CROP/2023/157

Rapid transformation of the Lao beef sector: biosecurity, trade and smallholders

LS/2021/128

Extending findings and transferring knowledge from SMCN/2014/049 on soil management in slopping lands of Northwest Vietnam and Northern Laos

SLAM/2023/106

Bacteria enteropathy and nutrition in infants and children in Timor-Leste through a One Health approach

LS/2021/126

Food Loss in the Pangasius Catfish Value Chain of the Mekong River Basin

CS/2020/209

Supporting greenhouse gas inventories and targeted rice mitigation options for Vietnam

CLIM/2019/150

Managing heavy metals and soil contaminants in vegetable production to ensure food safety and environmental health in the Philippines

SLAM/2020/117

An Integrated Management Response to the spread of Fusarium wilt of Banana in south-east Asia – Indonesia Phase

HORT/2022/178

Livestock enhancement through ecohealth/ One Health assessment in South-East Asia (LiveHealth)

LS/2022/163

Soil Microbial Interactions with Crop Replacement Options in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

SLAM/2022/175

Policy support to the Philippines’ National Surveillance and Control Programs

LS/2022/162

Developing strategies to reduce brucellosis transmission in Timor-Leste based on One Health collaboration

LS/2022/161

Agricultural Innovations for Communities - Intensified and Diverse Farming Systems for Timor-Leste (AI-Com 2)

CROP/2021/131

Water for fish and irrigation in the Mekong

WAC/2021/135

Retaining the jewels in the crown: Kalimantan peat forest remnants

FST/2021/145

Preparedness and management of huánglóngbìng (Citrus greening disease) to safeguard the future of citrus industry in Australia, China and Indonesia (Phase 1)

HORT/2022/160

Global Animal Health Governance: High-level Consortium

LS/2021/157

Planning and establishing a sustainable smallholder rice chain in the Mekong Delta

AGB/2019/153

Piloting digital monitoring of VietGAP compliance and quality in Vietnam vegetable value chains

AGB/2021/153

Global burden of animal disease initiative: Indonesia case study

LS/2020/156

Managing risk in South-East Asian forest biosecurity

FST/2018/179

Institutional effectiveness of coral reef restoration

FIS/2021/112

A nutrition-sensitive approach to fisheries management and development in Timor-Leste and Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia

FIS/2017/032

Agribusiness-led inclusive value chain development for smallholder farming systems in the Philippines (IVC Philippines)

AGB/2018/196

Increasing the sustainability, productivity and economic value of coffee and black pepper farming systems and value chains in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam

AGB/2018/175

Weed management techniques for mechanised and broadcast lowland crop production systems in Cambodia and Laos

CROP/2019/145

Regional coral restoration networks and appropriate technologies for larger-scale coral and fish habitat restoration in the Philippines and Australia

FIS/2019/123

Investigating and developing interventions to mitigate food borne parasitic disease in production animals in Lao PDR

LS/2014/055

Asian Chicken Genetic Gains (AsCGG): A platform for testing, delivering, and improving chickens for enhanced livelihood outcomes in South-East Asia

LS/2019/142

Building an effective forest health and biosecurity network in South-East Asia

FST/2020/123

Crop health and nutrient management of shallot-chilli-rice cropping systems in coastal Indonesia

SLAM/2018/145

International Mungbean Improvement Network 2

CROP/2019/144

Improving adoption and scaling of proven beef production technologies in Nusa Tenggara Barat and Kalimantan Selatan

GMCP/2020/149

FishTech: Integrating technical fisheries solutions into river development programs across South-East Asia

FIS/2018/153

An Integrated Management Response to the spread of Fusarium wilt of Banana in South-East Asia

HORT/2018/192

Farmer options for crops under saline conditions in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam

SLAM/2018/144

Evaluating zoonotic malaria transmission and agricultural and forestry land use in Indonesia (ZOOMAL)

LS/2019/116

Assessing upstream fish migration measures at Xayaburi Dam in Lao PDR

FIS/2017/017

Establishing sustainable solutions to cassava diseases in mainland South-East Asia

AGB/2018/172

Developing vegetable value chains to meet evolving market expectations in the Philippines

HORT/2016/188

Land management of diverse rubber-based systems in southern Philippines

SLAM/2017/040

Development of area-wide management approaches for fruit flies in mango for Indonesia, Philippines, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region

HORT/2015/042

Increasing technical skills supporting community-based sea cucumber production in Vietnam and the Philippines

FIS/2016/122

Inclusive agriculture value chain financing

AGB/2016/163

Improving community fire management and peatland restoration in Indonesia

FST/2016/144

Safe Pork: Market based approaches to improving the safety of pork in Vietnam

LS/2016/143

Half-pearl industry development in Tonga and Vietnam

FIS/2016/126

Developing and promoting market-based agroforestry options and integrated landscape management for smallholder forestry in Indonesia (Kanoppi2)

FST/2016/141

Improving maize-based farming systems on sloping lands in Vietnam and Lao PDR

SMCN/2014/049

Management practices for profitable crop livestock systems for Cambodia and Laos

SMCN/2012/075
Regional manager
Ounheuan (Oun)

Mr Ounheuan Saiyasith (Oun)

Oun is based in Vientiane, Laos. Before joining ACIAR as a Regional Manager for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, Oun served as a Program Manager based at the Australian Embassy in Laos, working on national and transboundary water, energy and climate issues across the Mekong countries. Oun brings extensive professional and management experience in program development, policy analysis, multi-stakeholder engagement, monitoring, and evaluation in natural resources and governance sectors. Oun has a Bachelor of Arts (Language) and a postgraduate degree in Development Studies from a joint program of Chiangmai University (Thailand) and the National University of Laos.

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