Regional Perspectives on Unique

Challenges for Food Security in ASEAN

By

Suriyan Vichitlekarn Asst. Director/Head

Agriculture Industries and Natural Resources Division ASEAN Secretariat

Technical Workshop & Conference: Knowledge, Tools and Lessons

for Informing the Design and Implementation of Food Security

Strategies in Asia

14-16 November 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal

One Vision, One Identity, One Community

Background & Introduction

Food security – a long standing agenda both

in ASEAN Community building and external

ASEAN relations (ASEAN Plus)

Food security – a dynamic and cross-sectoral

issue of which the context evolves through

time.

Population growth and change of food

consumption patterns

Food-Fuel-Financial crises

2007/08 & 2010/11 soaring food prices

Impacts of climate change, including extreme

climate events i.e. floods and droughts, natural

disasters, large-scale pest outbreaks

Irregular volatility of food commodity prices

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AIFS Framework and SPA-FS

The 14th ASEAN Summit, March

2009, Thailand

Pledged to embrace food security as

high priority policy, and review ASEAN’s

commitment to the objectives of World

Food Summit and the MDGs.

Adopted the ASEAN Integrated Food

Security (AIFS) Framework and

Strategic Plan of Action on Food

Security in ASEAN (SPA-FS) (2009-

2013).

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AIFS Framework and SPA-FS

“Food security” exists when all people, at all times,

have physical and economic access to sufficient,

safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary

needs and food preferences for an active and

healthy life. (World Food Summit, 1996)

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AIFS Framework and SPA-FS

Goal: To ensure long-term food security and to improve the livelihoods

of farmers in the ASEAN region.

ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS)

Component 1: Food Security

Emergency/Shortage Relief

Strategic Thrust 1: Strengthen Food

Security Arrangements

Component 3: Integrated Food

Security Information System

Strategic Thrust 3: Strengthen

Integrated Food Security Information

Systems

Component 4: Agri-Innovation

Strategic Thrusts 4: Promote Sustainable

Food Production

Strategic Thrusts 5: Encourage Greater

Investment in Food and Agro-based Industry

Strategic Thrusts 6: Identify and Address

Emerging Issues (i.e. Bio-energy, impacts of

Climate Change) Related to Food Security

Component 2: Sustainable Food Trade

Development

Strategic Thrust 2: Promote Conducive Food

Market and Trade

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AIFS Framework and SPA-FS

Implementation, coordination and monitoring

ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in

coordination with other relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies

Consultations with stakeholders (i.e. private sector, civil

society) at regional and national levels to obtain relevant

inputs and cooperation and promote greater ownership

Partnership and cooperation with dialogue partners,

international organizations and donor agencies (i.e. ADB, FAO, IFAD, IRRI, World Bank, USAID, EU)

Regional Perspectives & Challenges

ASEAN – a food surplus region but with seasonal

and spatial food security in certain countries/areas

Food security and ASEAN Community building – a

complementary approach

AIFS Framework and SPA-FS – a regional platform

for coordination and cooperation

National, sub-national, regional and greater ASEAN levels

(inter-regional???)

Inter-sectoral – poverty alleviation, trade & investment

Need for a strong coordinating agency

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Regional Perspectives & Challenges

Food security governance

Effective knowledge sharing platform and capacity

building

PPP dialogue is a process of driving the policy

evolution and translating policy into concerted

actions by relevant stakeholders.

Agricultural investment - growing opportunity and

concerns i.e. contract farming, land grabbing, etc.

Nutritional aspects???

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Thank you

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Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic

access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and

food preferences for an active and healthy life.

(World Food Summit, 1996 and adopted by AIFS Framework, 2009)

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Strengthen Food Security Arrangements

Strengthening national food security policy and

initiatives and refraining from any market distortions

that may affect food trade

Formalised a permanent regional rice reserve

scheme - the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice

Reserve (APTERR) - in response to disaster

situations, humanitarian assistance and poverty

alleviation in order to build confidence in

encountering food shortage.

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Promote Conducive Food Market and Trade

Policy Reforms, Private Investment in Food Supply

Chains and Cross-Border Trade Facilitation”

Establishing agricultural product standard and certification

procedures

Strengthening whole value chain systems

Encouraging greater private sector participation in food

import and distribution programs

Promoting sustainable contract farming and post-harvest

loss reduction

Promoting development of commodity/futures exchanges

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Promote Conducive Food Market and Trade

ASEAN Rice Trade Forum

To be initiated in 2012

Extreme rice price volatility & lack of policy coordination

Information/Communication/Dialogues

Strengthen sustainable regional market information

services

Private Sector in Food Security

Promoting PPP in food security and dialogues with

ASEAN policy-makers

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Strengthen Integrated Food Security Information

Systems

ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS)

Databases and half-yearly Agricultural Commodity

Outlooks (ACOs) on rice, maize, sugar, soyabean,

cassava

ACOs Supply, demand, forecast, self-sufficiency ratio,

food security ratio, crop calendar/ planting seasons, areas

of yield losses by damage types

Food security analysis and forecast (by major food

commodities)

G-20 – Agricultural Marketing Information System (AMIS)

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Promote Sustainable Food Production

On-going activities

Efficient utilization of resource potential for agricultural

development

PPP to promote efficient and sustainable food production,

food consumption, post-harvest practices & loss reduction

Implementation of GAPs

Improving agricultural productivity

Strengthening regional networks for R&D, technology

transfers and farmers organisations/cooperatives

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Encourage Greater Investment in Food and Agro-

based Industry

Strengthening greater investment by the public and

private sectors in food and agro-based industry

Planned agricultural investment study

Joint agriculture-investment sector consultation

PPP

Promoting ASEAN-Dialogue Partners investment

cooperation on food security

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Key ASEAN Initiatives

Identify and Address Emerging Issues Related to

Food Security

Food security and climate change ASEAN Multi-

Sectoral Framework on Climate Change:

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry towards

Food Security (AFCC)

Food security and bioenergy development

ASEAN Plus Three Comprehensive Strategy on

Food Security and Bioenergy Development