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.
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.
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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.
On 18 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the international event Google’s “Impact of AI on Global Agriculture,” organized by Google.org at Roseate House, Aerocity, New Delhi, India.
