The Sakura Science Program 2022 – Online Training
On 18 October 2022, AFSIS Secretariat attended the Sakura Science Plan 2022 which is the Japan Asia Youth Exchange Program with the cooperation of Japan Science and Technology (JST), the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC). As this year, to avoid of COVID-19 current situation, the training was held as online training.
There was a total of 15 candidates from 6 countries of the ASEAN Member States including Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The representatives of the AFSIS Secretariat were Dr. Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager, Ms. Prodpran Lomthong, Project Coordinator staff, and Ms. Kornrawee Ungwanitban, Assistant of Project Coordinator and Administration staff had attended the opening session of this online training.
The objectives of this online training are 1) to learn about the utilization of remote sensing technology for application in the agriculture field, satellite-derived agrometeorological information for agriculture with an emphasis on image interpretation, and 2) to discuss the practical usage of remote sensing in the agriculture field.
During the opening session of the training program, Mr. Kaname IKEDA, President of RESTEC, and Dr. Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager were honored with welcoming remarks, and opening remarks respectively.
The online training will be held from 18 October to 22 November 2022, every Tuesday. Additionally, the program not only has a training section but also has been providing technical hands-on assignments with in-depth instructions by lecturers to further strengthen capacity building and help strengthen food security in the ASEAN region for the long term with great success.
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The ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), and Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), conducted the 2nd Hands-on Training Courses for Agricultural Statisticians, the Final Workshop, and the 2nd Seminar for Executive Officials under the JAIF Project entitled “Improvement of Rice Paddy Area Statistics and Damage Assessment using Earth Observation Satellites for ASEAN” in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, and Bangkok, Thailand.
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.