The Asia Program

The Asia Program links civil society organizations, universities, researchers, and media outlets within and between Asia and other parts of the world working on policy, knowledge exchange, and public education to support sustainable food systems. Program activities have included speaking tours and a food summit in China featuring international and Asian food leaders, multimedia research, an online resource portal, and social media on food systems, climate change, public health, animal welfare, and livelihoods.

Our program began through detailed research and policy analysis on the effects of the growth of industrial animal agriculture: in Skillful Means: The Challenges of China’s Encounter with Factory Farming, Veg or Non-Veg? India at the Crossroads, and Beyond the Pail: The Emergence of Industrialized Dairy Systems in Asia. The research was accompanied by a film on factory farming in China, called What’s for Dinner? produced by documentary filmmaker Jian Yi, and a follow-up film, Six Years On. These films have galvanized several other initiatives in China, including an active WeChat platform, a website with extensive resources on the impacts of animal factory farming in China, and yearly summits that gather Chinese and international sustainable food and farming experts and vegan chefs. You can read more about these programs here.