BANGKOK, 28 November 2024 – The ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) organised the “Taskforce Meeting to Discuss the Future Strategy of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry in ASEAN” with support from the ASEAN-Japan Project for Human Resources Development in Agriculture and Food-related Areas. The meeting took place on 26-28 November.
Over 100 participants, including government officials from ASEAN Member States, Timor-Leste, Japan, USAID, and Canada, as well as representatives from academia, international organisations, and consultants both within and beyond the ASEAN region, gathered to discuss the Food, Crops, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry sectors in ASEAN.
The focus was on formulating two key documents: the ASEAN Vision for Agriculture: Toward 2045, and the ASEAN Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Sectoral Plan 2026-2030. The priorities outlined in these documents include advancing regional goals related to sustainable and regenerative agriculture, decarbonisation, and reducing the use of harmful agrochemicals in the ASEAN region, among other objectives.
ASEC encourages all relevant partners, including the private sector, to collaborate with ASEAN in advancing sustainable and resilient agriculture. This collaboration will involve the the development and implementation of regional projects and programs under the Action Plan on Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN, which was adopted by the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in October 2024.
The moderators of the taskforce meeting were Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Head of Food, Agriculture and Forestry Division of ASEC and Prof. Paul Teng, Managing Director & Dean of RSiS, Singapore.
Meanwhile the speakers included Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (Introducing ASEAN-Japan Midori Cooperation Plan, ASEAN-Japan Human Resources Development Project; JIRCAS (Introducing technology catalogue ver3); ERIA; GIZ (ASEAN Agri Trade project); SEAFDEC; Asian Productivity Organization; USAID; International Food Policy Research Institute; CropLife Asia and Mekong Institute.
For more information, please contact the Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division of the ASEAN Secretariat at NRU@asean.org
