- Better regulation can expand farmers’ access to climate technologies.
- Resilience depends on options, not single solutions.
- Drones show how regulation can accelerate innovation.
While discussions around agricultural resilience often focus on breakthrough innovations, regulatory frameworks are likely to have a greater impact on whether new technologies actually reach farmers, said Duke Hipp, managing director of NarraHarvest Advisors.
“When the rubber hits the road, it’s about regulations and regulatory frameworks. It’s not sexy, but we need more regulations that allow farmers access to more technology and more options,” he told AgNavigator.
Not every technology will be suitable for every farming system, he acknowledged, but expanding the options available to producers would be a major step forward.
“Just having more tools in the toolbox is a huge step.”
Hipp believes policymakers are coming around to using regulation to support farmers’ access to more solutions, especially after the geopolitical instability this year that led to shortages of many key items, including fertiliser and energy.
“There were some fast-track processes put in place to ensure that whatever technology was needed could be made available,” he said.
The experience highlighted the importance of maintaining regulatory pathways that can respond quickly when farmers face unexpected shocks.
Drone adoption: Regulation done right
While some may balk at the idea of more bureaucratic red tape, Hipp said that countries should focus on developing practical, science-based systems that enable timely access to new technologies while maintaining appropriate safeguards.
“Many of these technologies are highly regulated for a good reason. Instead of pushing back on regulation, we should work together to ensure that the right regulations are in place.”
He added that ASEAN countries could potentially accelerate approval processes by learning from neighbours with similar agricultural conditions.
“Maybe there’s a neighbouring country that has already gone through the process. We can use that experience.”
As an example of innovation successfully scaling across the region, Hipp highlighted agricultural drones, an area where he believes Asia is setting the pace globally.
“I don’t think any other region is doing it quite the way Asia and Southeast Asia are doing it.”
Importantly, Hipp said the success of drones has not been driven by technology alone, but by the development of regulatory frameworks governing how they are deployed.
In the case of drones, farmers could engage licensed service providers to operate drones, helping reduce labour demands while ensuring compliance with aviation and agricultural regulations.
“That’s how it should work. When a farmer has a need, some of that work can move into the hands of a service provider that is licensed to do it.”
Adapting to the ‘new norm’
Hipp’s comments come after the United Nations’ latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI 2026) report.
He observed that resilience was becoming the guiding principle for policymakers as geopolitical and climate-related disruptions become the “new norm”.
“The 2026 UN SOFI report is another wake-up call for the larger region and Southeast Asia. While the report brings very encouraging progress on a number of fronts, it also confirms a sad reality: Asia remains home to almost one billion food-insecure people — more than any other region around the world,” Hipp told AgNavigator.
As countries across Southeast Asia grapple with food security concerns, climate volatility and shifting global supply chains, Hipp said they can no longer take a “binary approach”.
“There is no longer a binary approach around food security, energy security or how land is used. The big awakening is that it has to be yes to all of it. You have to be resilient, you have to have options and it has to be diverse.”
He added that dependence on any single solution, whether imports or domestic production, creates unnecessary risk.
“The biggest danger is a reactive approach where it’s all of this or all of that. Being entirely dependent on one thing is just as risky as being entirely dependent on another.”
He concluded: “Our region is at a crossroads. Ambitious targets alone won’t deliver results. Real progress calls for pragmatic policies, innovation, cross-sector alignment, and partnerships among governments, industry, farmers, and civil society. Regional food systems that improve nutrition, strengthen economies, and withstand the disruptions of tomorrow cannot remain aspirational – they can and must become reality.”
