The In-Country Workshop on Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using Space-based Technologies in Lao PDR was jointly organized by the AFSIS Secretariat, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, and Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) under the Project for ASEAN Food Security Information System – Geospatial Informalization System (AFSIS-GIS) and the Space Applications for Environment (SAFE) Project. The event was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, with a hands-on training session on 9 February 2026 and a workshop on 10 February 2026.
The hands-on training was officially opened by Mr. Phonsavanh Vanmixay, Director of the Division of Agricultural and Environmental Statistics (DAES), MAE, Lao PDR. The training aimed to enhance technical capacity of DAES staff in operating the INAHOR system for rice planted area estimation. Eight staff members participated in the training.
The workshop on 10 February 2026 was opened by Dr. Boundeth Soutthavilay, Director General of the Department of Planning and Cooperation (DOPC), MAE, Lao PDR, and Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager. The program included presentations on the overview of the SAFE Project and INAHOR as well as the 2025 rainy season rice planted area estimation results in Lao PDR. The workshop brought together regional representatives from 18 provinces to discuss working methods for validating district-level rice planted area and applying the results to provincial operations.
The event was successfully completed through the strong cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Lao PDR and relevant partner organizations, contributing to the effective use of space-based technologies to strengthen agricultural statistics and food security information systems in Lao PDR
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On 13–15 January 2026, the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Thailand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, and the AFSIS Secretariat, conducted the 1st Meeting of Japan–Thailand Expert Dialogue on Agricultural Statistics. The meeting was held at the Office of Agricultural Economics and field survey activities in Chonburi Province.
On 3–4 December 2025, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat participated in the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Table Top Exercise (TTX) held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
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AFSIS and Development of Human Resources" in Cambodia On 27 November 2025, Mr. Charapon Chantorn, Deputy AFSIS Manager, participated in the Completion and Handover Ceremony of the project “Establishing the Real-Time ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) and Development of Human Resources, Phase 3 – Pilot Project on Strategic Crop Forecasting System for Food Security in Cambodia.” The ceremony was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and jointly hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Cambodia, and the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC).
AFSIS Participated in APRSAF-31 to Strengthen Space Technology Cooperation for Regional Food Security On 18–19 November 2025, in Cebu City, the Republic of the Philippines, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat, represented by Mr. Charapon Chantorn, Deputy AFSIS Manager, participated in the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-31). The Forum, a key platform for promoting regional cooperation in space technology across the Asia-Pacific region, was co-organized by the Philippines Space Agency (PhilSA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
