Asia Hub and CIAERA Annual Meeting 2025 at IPB University: Approaching Water-Energy-Food Security in Asia using Interdisciplinary Sciences

Bogor, September 29th, 2025 – IPB University hosts the Annual Meeting of Asia Hub and the Consortium for Innovations in Agricultural Education and Research in Asia (CIAERA). In collaboration with Michigan State University, USA (MSU) and Nanjing Agricultural University, China (NAU) as co-organizers, this event consists of a series of programs in three days, spanning September 29th – October 1st, 2025, conducted at IPB University campus.

IPB University, MSU and NAU are three higher education institutions with a strong core competence on agriculture, in a broader sense. They are collaborating under the Asia Hub and CIAERA network in the field of research, education and community development. As public universities, these institutions have an important mission to connect research results and education to empower and develop the community. Through the network built within the Asia Hub and CIAERA, various institutions in Asia are working together to address global issues.

The theme of this year’s Asia Hub and CIAERA Meeting is “An Interdisciplinary Approach to Water Energy Food (or WEF) Security in Asia”, and attended by more than 200 participants, representing 73 institutions in 17 countries, It is also supported by the Future Earth Water-Energy-Food Nexus Knowledge-Action Network, and the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Tropical Biology or SEAMEO BIOTROP.

While focusing on providing solutions to global challenges in the WEF nexus through collaborative interdisciplinary frameworks, the event is also dedicated to addressing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all. The WEF nexus requires solutions that cut across sectors and various scientific disciplines. Asia, with its vast population, rapid urbanization, and climate vulnerabilities, is at the forefront of these challenges. Food security lies at the very heart of the WEF nexus, where the interdependence of these systems is evident and urgent.

Following the opening by Prof. Arif Satria, Rector of IPB University and remarks delivered by the leaders of MSU, Dr. Titus Awokuse (the Vice Provost and Dean of International Studies and Programs), and NAU, Dr. Zhu Yan (the Vice President), the event continued with an overview of Asia Hub, and this year’s meeting theme and objectives, addressed by Dr. Jiaguo Qi, the Director of Asia Hub. Plenary session on Interdisciplinary Approaches to WEF Security featured Prof. AKM Saiful Islam (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology), Prof. Damayanti Buchori (IPB University), Dr. Amita Chudgar (Michigan State University), and Mr. James Baker (Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist, ADB), as the speakers.

After that, the participants engaged in series of parallel sessions featuring prominent experts from various institutions within the Asia Hub networks, discussing the following topics: Asian perspective on solving real-world challenges, achieving UN SDG4, climate, environment and One Health, education, communication and capacity building, resilient WEF systems, emerging issues at the land-water interface, and aquatic ecosystems and aquaculture. Dedicated workshop for junior scholars is held on the last day of the Meeting, involving young lecturers and researchers from IPB and other Indonesian universities. This activity aims to create a cohort of junior scholars engaging with Asia Hub and to improve their capacity.

CP:
IPB University, Directorate of Global Connectivity (ico@apps.ipb.ac.id)