The Invitational Workshop on the Project for Establishing Real-Time ASEAN Food Security Information System and Development Human Resources in Seoul, Republic of Korea
The Invitational Workshop on the Project for Establishing Real-Time ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) and Development Human Resources, hosted by the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS) with the collaboration of the AFSIS Secretariat, was held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, during 10-14 October 2022.
On this occasion, Dr. Young-ki Hwang, the Director of EPIS and chairman of the workshop, delivered the opening remarks and Dr. Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager who attended the workshop virtually delivered the welcome remarks to all participants. The workshop was attended by representatives from 5 target ASEAN member countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as the AFSIS Secretariat.
The main purposes of the workshop were to report results and future plans of each country’s National Agri-Food Information System (NAIS), conduct a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to review the Real-Time AFSIS Projects’ accomplishments and discuss ways to further improvement, and share experiences in the utilization of spatial data and a forecasting model in the field of Food Security Information System.
In addition, the workshop provided all participants with the great opportunity to visit 3 following sites:
During the presentation session, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, Deputy AFSIS Manager, gave the participants a presentation on the AFSIS project, current achievements, and future expectations of the 3rd phase of the Real-Time AFSIS project. In this regard, AFSIS will keep on continuing to support and collaborate with the relevant organizations for the development of human resources in the ASEAN region as well as the enhancement of the ASEAN Food Security Information System.
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.
.jpg)
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.
.JPG)
On 5–6 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the 14th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Council via video conference, hosted by the Kingdom of Cambodia. The meeting brought together representatives from ASEAN Plus Three countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the APTERR Secretariat, and the AFSIS Secretariat to discuss key issues related to regional food security and emergency rice reserves.
