Kuala Lumpur, 4 October 2023. The ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) met in Kuala Lumpur, on 4 October 2023, for the 45th AMAF Meeting. Under the theme Growing Together: Advancing ASEAN Agriculture and Forestry for Sustainable Development, AMAF reaffirmed its commitment to support the transformation of agri-food systems to ensure food security and address the impact of climate change towards more sustainability and resilience of food, agriculture, and forestry sectors.
Actions on the tables centered on the adoption of sixteen (16) policy guidelines, standards, and technical documents relating to food, agriculture, and forestry cooperation. AMAF agreed to develop the Action Plan for the Implementation of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture and the Strategy or Guideline for Crop Burning Reduction, which are among the priority economic deliverables for the 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship of Lao PDR. These two documents will be important in laying the groundwork for the practical implementation of sustainable and circular agriculture as well as decarbonizing the agriculture sector.
The AMAF recognizes the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality as a transformative framework that will support regional economic wealth generation. This Strategy emphasizes reducing carbon emissions and expanding efforts to remove carbon through the promotion of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) such as reforestation and carbon sequestration similar to the Mangrove Ecosystem Management Project, an UN-REDD initiative with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
With regards to the Action Plan for the Implementation of the ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture, AMAF emphasized the need to establish a conducive policy environment that incentivizes sustainable agricultural practices and ensures regulatory compliance. The Plan should likewise focus on enhancing market access and value chain development. It can take off from the results of recently completed innovative practices and solutions on agricultural value chains implemented by ASEAN to promote public-private partnerships and cooperation in CLMV countries.
On enhancing food security, AMAF welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises, which calls for concerted efforts in sustaining food supply by diversifying food production, improving supply chain logistics, and enhancing the release of emergency rice reserves. Through the Declaration, ASEAN can better respond to food security issues in the region by presenting a strategy for localized quick action to prevailing food crises by increasing ASEAN’s capacity to anticipate future food crises and strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the agri-food system.
Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn highlighted that “our agri-food system is facing multiple and competing challenges. While there is an urgent need to increase the efficiency and productivity of agriculture, additional food must be produced in a way that protects the environment, provides equitable economic growth, and ensures the health and safety of the food produced, including that of our farming communities.”
To keep ASEAN abreast of the global trend towards the elimination of the use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) and ensure sustainable production of safe, sufficient, and affordable foods for the populations, AMAF issued a Statement to Reduce the Use of Harmful Agrochemicals for Food Safety, Public Health, Occupational Safety, and Environmental Protection. The Statement underscored the need to build closer collaboration among the ASEAN Member States by setting risk mitigation measures and restricting the use of HHPs, promoting the use of proven and low-risk alternatives, sharing information on an updated list of HHPs, and improving capacity on integrated pest management, safe use of pesticides, and alternative approaches to synthetic pesticide. The Statement recognizes that by taking action on HHPs, potential significant harm to people and the environment will be minimized.
Toward strengthening the sustainability agenda and enhancing the region’s resilience, AMAF also reiterated its commitment to enhance sustainable forest management, promote efficient water management and soil health, increase the natural capital of the region, and explore the potential of the region in forest carbon sink. ASEAN conducted regional workshops that support the development of regional marketing tools for social forestry products and forest fire management.
ASEAN requires stronger activities in trade, entrepreneurship, and investment, which is an opportunity for a breadth of stakeholders, including the business community. ASEAN is moving toward the digitalization of trade through the electronic-Phytosanitary (e-Phyto) certificate developed under the ASEAN Single Window to facilitate faster, safer, cheaper, and more transparent trade of agricultural products. The ASEAN Member States and other partner countries will participate in the live operation of the e-Phyto in 2023.
Translating all these regional strategies and programs into tangible results on the ground requires commitment and investment from all partners and stakeholders involved through capacity-building programs that drive responsible agricultural investments. In this regard, the Ministers underlined the importance of enhancing public-private sector partnerships to support the sustainability agenda in the region and harness innovative solutions to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency. ASEAN will continue to mobilize resources and expertise while leveraging the collective knowledge and experience of relevant stakeholders in implementing sustainable agricultural programmes.
For further information:
Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division
Sectoral Development Directorate
ASEAN Economic Community
The ASEAN Secretariat
Email Address: Food, Agriculture Forestry Division <NRU@asean.org>
