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Features and Insights

Explore insights on solutions, case studies, best practices, and innovations addressing development challenges facing countries across Southeast Asia.  

High-value horticulture in Viet Nam
When it comes to adopting AI, education systems are still catching up. Most curricula emphasize theory over the task-based skills needed in AI-powered workplaces. Photo credit: iStock/Nutthaseth Vanchaichana.
AI for Good: Toward a Confident Digital Society in Southeast Asia

AI is no longer confined to labs or large corporations. It is quietly revolutionizing how societies function.

Mobilizing green finance to support a just transition. ADB partnered with JICA and other international lenders to provide green loans to the Lotus Wind Power Project in Viet Nam. Photo credit: ADB.
Solutions Are on the Horizon for Southeast Asia’s Hard-to-Abate Sectors

Coordinated regional action can accelerate technology adoption and interoperability and mobilize transition finance.

Shifting to hydroponic systems can save 80%–90% of water as compared to open-field irrigation. It also offers a faster growing cycle: crops grown in a hydroponic system can be harvested sooner. Photo credit: ADB.
How Hydroponics Can Help Farmers Stem Losses from Saline Intrusion into the Mekong Delta

Shifting to alternative farming systems and ensuring farmers are aware about the challenges of saline agriculture could help them protect their crops.

In October 2024, ASEAN member states endorsed the ASEAN Declaration on Plastic Circularity, signaling a regional commitment to systematic change. Photo credit: iStock/piotr_malczyk
Beyond Traditional Funding: Can ASEAN Innovate Its Way Out of the Plastic Crisis?

Resolving the problem entails aligning environmental goals with economic and financial systems capable of delivering large-scale impact.

Women are integral to coffee production. However, they are largely confined to the initial stages of the coffee value chain—production and processing. Photo credit: Courtesy of SWITCH-Asia.
Women Leading the Way: Sustainability and Economic Empowerment in Lao PDR's Coffee Value Chains

EU-funded project helps women thrive as equal participants in the coffee sector and beyond.

Across Southeast Asia, there are more than 60 million women who run micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Photo credit: ADB.
Unlocking Capital for Women to Support a Just Transition

Women play an important role in driving inclusive low-carbon development.

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