"Regional perspectives on the unique challenges for food security in Southeast Asia" presented by Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), at the ReSAKSS-Asia Conference, Nov 14-16, 2011, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

1. 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

2. 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
One Vision, One Identity, One Community 2

3. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 3
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).

4. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 4
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)

5. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 5
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

6. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 6
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)

7. 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
One Vision, One Identity, One Community 7

8. 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???
One Vision, One Identity, One Community 8

9. Thank you
One Vision, One Identity, One Community
9
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)

10. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 10
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.

11. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 11
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

12. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 12
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

13. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 13
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)

14. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 14
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

15. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 15
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

16. One Vision, One Identity, One Community 16
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