Enhancing the Adoption of Priority Crops for Food Security, Nutrition, Import Substitution, and Low-Carbon in Asia and the Pacific  Rationale: The Asia-Pacific region hosts many agroecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests and mountainous highlands to vast river deltas and arid plains. This ecological diversity supports various crops and farming systems, positioning the region as a vital contributor to global food production. However, unlocking the full potential of these systems requires a shift in focus toward more diversified, resilient, and sustainable agricultural practices. Crops such as maize, millet, sorghum, cassava, potato, quinoa, and a wide range of legumes and pulses—including soybean, rapeseed, cowpea, chickpeas, green gram, and groundnut—hold an enormous potential to transform agricultural systems in the Asia-Pacific region. These crops are nutritionally rich, often high in protein, fiber, and essential micronutrients, making them key contributors to improved dietary diversity and food security. Additionally, many of these crops are naturally resilient to climate stress such as drought, heat, and poor soil conditions, making them well-suited for regions facing increasing environmental pressures. These crops remain largely underutilized despite their suitability for a wide range of agro-climatic zones and their potential to support human nutrition and sustainable livelihoods. Contributing factors include limited agricultural research and development investment, insufficient policy frameworks prioritizing staple monocultures, fragmented or poorly developed market systems, and a general lack of awareness among producers and consumers. As a result, their production, trade, and consumption have not reached levels commensurate with their potential. Mainstreaming these underexploited crops into national and regional agricultural strategies is critical to unlock their full value. This involves expanding scientific research on varietal improvement and agronomic practices, strengthening extension services to transfer knowledge to farmers, and building robust market infrastructure to connect producers with consumers and value-added industries. Furthermore, supportive policies and targeted financial investments are needed to create enabling environments that encourage their adoption at scale. By integrating these high-potential crops into the broader agricultural development agenda, countries in the Asia-Pacific can enhance food and nutrition security, improve resilience to climate change, and promote more inclusive and sustainable rural economies. A comprehensive, evidence-based study coupled with a high-level policy dialogue on Asia’s priority crops is necessary      to catalyze transformative change across the region’s agricultural systems. Such an initiative would serve as a unifying platform to align regional and national efforts across multiple dimensions, ranging from public and private investment, scientific research, and pilot-scale innovation programs to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, improved extension services, market systems development, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. It would also foster stronger international collaboration, enabling the cross-border exchange of knowledge, technologies, and policy innovations tailored to diverse agroecological and socioeconomic contexts. Central to this effort will be the development of a robust policy brief that synthesizes key findings and proposes actionable, evidence-based strategies for integrating high-potential crops into mainstream agricultural policies and programs. This policy brief will serve as a roadmap for governments, donors, researchers, and development practitioners, outlining practical steps to scale up production, promote value chain development, and enhance the resilience and sustainability of food systems across Asia. By elevating these priority crops within national and regional agendas, this initiative aims to foster a more diversified, climate-resilient, and nutrition-sensitive agricultural landscape, ultimately contributing to a food-secure and sustainable future for the region. Objective: To conduct a comprehensive study on the Asian priority crops (APC) and develop policy guidelines for their effective adoption and large-scale implementation. Activities: 1.Ass ess the Current Landscape—Review the status, gaps, and opportunities for integrating APCs in the main cropping systems, focusing on gender-sensitive, climate-smart agriculture. 2. Identify and Benchmark Innovations— Stock take successful approaches that support farmers, especially women, in adopting sustainable mechanization and producing APCs. This includes innovative financial tools, digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and service models. 3. Facilitate High-Level Policy Dialogue – Engage stakeholders from governments, international agricultural and financial institutions, NGOs, and civil society to discuss strategies for scaling up APCs. 4. Develop Policy Recommendations – Conduct fact-based research and expert consultations with development partners, agricultural research institutions, and the private sector to shape actionable policy guidelines. 5. Create Knowledge Products – Produce and disseminate reports, case studies, policy briefs, and other resources to support the integration of APCs into food system transformation and digitalization efforts. By implementing these activities, this initiative aims to foster a supportive policy environment, enhance research and development, and strengthen market systems to promote the widespread adoption of APCs. Ultimately, this will contribute to a more resilient and food-secure Asia-Pacific region. Deliverables: The service provider will deliver the following outputs: Deliverable and Due date 1. A comprehensive, evidence-based study coupled with a high-level policy dialogue on Asia’s priority crops catalyzing transformative change across the region’s agricultural systems. - 30 August 2025 2. Proceedings of the high-level policy dialogue - 30 September 2025 3. A policy brief of APCs in Asia synthesizing key findings and proposes actionable, evidence-based strategies for integrating high-potential crops into mainstream agricultural policies and programs. -  15 December 2025 Budget: Thirty-two thousand US dollars (32,000 USD)