From 28 June to 1 July 2021, AFSIS Secretariat had participated in the Virtual Trainings on SDG indicator 2.4.1 “Proportion of Agricultural Area under Productive and Sustainable Agriculture” conducted by the Headquarter of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) via Zoom platform.
The countries were grouped based on the regions (i.e. time zones) and there were representatives from the different 25 countries namely Australia, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Iran, Japan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu that had been trained during the session of 28 June to 1 July 2021. Also, 5 representatives from AFSIS Secretariat had also participated with a commitment to the training for at least 4 hours each day.
The objective of the training is to provide detailed training on 2.4.1 methodology, to introduce the data collection tools and instruments developed for collecting and reporting data, and to help understand and evaluate the data related to SDGs 2.4.1. The purpose of the training is also to discuss the concrete plans to collect data on the indicator in the short, medium, and long term.
During the meeting, the exercises were given by the FAO for the representatives to understand the fundamental calculation of the SDGs.2.4.1 data. Moreover, FAO had opened the discussion to have Q&A sessions from time to time for the representatives from each country in order to ask the questions and be clear on the technical terms.
This virtual training ended productively and successfully on 1 July 2021.
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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.
