On 13 February 2023, AFSIS Secretariat held a meeting with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) under the Space Applications for Environment (SAFE) community with support from JAXA and MAFF of Japan in meeting room 1, Innovation building, Office of Agricultural Economics, Bangkok.
The participants were 3 representatives from JAXA: Dr. Shinichi Sobue, Dr. Kei Oyoshi, and Mr. Go Segami, 1 representative from MAFF, Mr. Ryuki Ikeda, 1 representative from SEAA Research LLC, Mr. Shoji Kimura, and the AFSIS Secretariat.
The objective of the meeting was to introduce SAFE projects and cooperation in SAFE activities i.e., the SAFE Rice monitoring (INAHOR) using ALOS-2satellite and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) with training data collection for rice mapping, a New SAFE project regarding methane emission from paddy rice (CH4Rice), and the relationship between SAFE Rice monitoring (INAHOR) project and FAO project.
In addition, there was a discussion session where the participants discussed the potential collaboration between AFSIS Secretariat and JAXA for enhancing the food security information in the ASEAN Region by using satellite technology in the future.
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On 23 April 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Ad-Hoc Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), held via a virtual platform, to discuss the implications of recent developments in the Middle East on regional food security and to identify coordinated measures to enhance ASEAN’s food resilience, in preparation for the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting.
The agricultural sector plays a vital role in supporting food security and livelihoods across ASEAN, where diverse production capacities shape the availability of major agricultural commodities such as rice, maize, sugarcane, soybean, and cassava. This report examines the SSR patterns across ASEAN to emphasize regional strengths, structural imbalances, and the implications for food security and agricultural policy in the region.
The self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) is a key indicator of food security. It shows how well Southeast Asian countries can meet rice demand through domestic production, with the region overall remaining increasingly self-sufficient despite ongoing challenges.
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On 19 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026 under the theme “Feeding the Future, Sustaining the Planet” in Manila, the Philippines, organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) . The forum aimed to promote food security policies, review ADB’s related initiatives, and support long-term food systems transformation.
