In the 1980s, production of rice and other crops increased, and the threat of major famines receded. Economies in the Asia-Pacific region began growing rapidly. Thus the FFTC shifted its focus to crop diversification, high-value crops, satisfying demand from urban consumers, and improving farmers 'ability to respond to market forces.
到了一九八○年代，稻米和其他作物的產量都已漸趨穩定，大規模飢荒的問題已不復存在，而亞太地區經濟開始大量成長，亞太糧肥中心於是將重心轉為作物的多樣化和經濟作物的栽培，以期滿足都市消費者的需求，從而提升農民的市場能力。