ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (ASEAN SAS)

BACKGROUND

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. Agriculture is one of the main economic sectors in ASEAN. Food security in ASEAN requires national agrifood production systems that sustain the livelihoods and competitiveness of local agriculture and supply sufficient staple food throughout the region.
ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems aims at providing solutions for long-term food security in the region through development of regionally-coordinated policies and strategies for sustainable agriculture. This also includes promotion of cross-border value chains in concert with public decision-makers, agricultural enterprises as well as farmers’ and private associations.

Based on pilot measures, concepts are developed how farmers are best supported in the implementation of resource-saving and environmentally-friendly production technologies and practices. By this, the Project supports the realisation of ASEAN and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015 and beyond.

OBJECTIVES

To enable ASEAN Member States to implement the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework and its Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS) by focusing on the promotion of sustainable food production at the national level.

APPROACHES

Intervention Areas
Building upon the results and experiences of the ASEAN Biocontrol project (2011-2013), ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems (2014-2019) comprises three intervention areas:

• Policy framework: Development of regionally-coordinated policies, strategies and dialogue concepts for a sustainable agrifood sector
• Production techniques: Promotion of the use of sustainable inputs and crop management practices through capacity development
• Market linkages: Promotion of sustainable cross-border value chains in collaboration with the private sector

The project works at a regional level and has established six offices in the ASEAN region (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam). ASEAN Member States are being supported through the provision of (inter)national expertise and the implementation of pilot projects. In addition, various public private partnerships accompany the project. Regional communication will be enhanced through the establishment of various platforms for political dialogue between public, private and civil society actors.

Topics: Biological Control Agents, Soil and Nutrient Management, Farm Economics
Value chains: Rice, Vegetables, Fruits

FINANCED BY

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)