On 12-13 December 2023, AFSIS Secretariat with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan held the 2nd Regional Workshop on the Project for Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency (SAFER) at The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam, Bangkok, Thailand.
The workshop was honored by the following distinguished representatives which were Mrs. Benjawan Siribhodi, Expert on International Agriculture Economic Policy of OAE from the MOAC of Thailand delivered the opening remarks and opened the event, Mr. Hosaka Masahiro, Deputy Director of the Statistics Planning Division, Statistics Department from MAFF, Japan, Dr. Kei Oyoshi, Senior Researcher, Earth Observation Research center from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager delivered the welcome remarks.
33 participants from ASEAN Plus Three Countries which were Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan attended the workshop physically and online participants from the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea along with the observers from relevant organizations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand. The workshop featured contributions from 6 lecturers representing JAXA, Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), and AFSIS Secretariat.
The workshop aims to provide comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in the INAHOR software (International Asian Harvest Monitoring System for Rice) developed by JAXA using Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) to estimate the paddy rice planted area. There were presentations regarding the overview of SAFER project, overview of INAHOR software, and INAHOR training data preparation guidance. Additionally, there were hands-on training sessions for INAHOR operations during the workshop.
The workshop successfully ended with great collaboration from all participants and appreciation toward the AFSIS Secretariat and MAFF of Japan for organizing the 2nd Regional Workshop on the Project for Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency (SAFER).
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.
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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.
