The goal of AIFS Framework and SPA-FS 2015-2020 is to ensure long-term food security and nutrition, to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the ASEAN region. The Policy seeks to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. To achieve the goal, the AIFS Framework and SPA-FS has identified the following objectives: a) To sustain and increase food production; b) To reduce postharvest losses; c) To promote conducive market and trade for agriculture commodities and inputs; d) To ensure food stability; e) To ensure food safety, quality and nutrition; f) To promote availability and accessibility to agriculture inputs; and g) To operationalize regional food emergency relief arrangements. In 2015-2020, the priority commodities for food security in the ASEAN region include rice, maize, soybean, sugar and cassava. Other commodities such as livestock, fishery and crops for staple food, which are important for food security and nutrition, shall be identified during the course of implementation of the AIFS Framework and SPA-FS. The AIFS Framework comprises five Components, are supported by corresponding Strategic Thrusts. Under Component 1 Food Security and Emergency/ Shortage Relief, Strategic Thrust is: Strengthen Food Security, including Emergency/ Shortage Relief Arrangement. Under Component 3 Integrated Food Security Information System, Strategic Thrust is: Strengthen Integrated Food Security Information Systems to Effectively Forecast, Plan and Monitor Supplies and Utilization for Basic Food Commodities. Under Component 5 Nutrition-enhancing agriculture development, 3 Strategic Thrusts are set up: 1. Utilize Nutrition Information to support evidence-based food security and agriculture policies; 2. Identify policies, institutional and governance mechanisms for nutrition-enhancing agriculture development; 3. Develop and strengthen nutrition-enhancing agriculture policies/programs and build capacity for their implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Policy promotes to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. Under Component 2 Sustainable Food Trade Development, Strategic Thrust is identified as: Promote Conducive Food Market and Trade. Under Component 4 Agricultural Innovation, two of the three Strategic Thrusts are: encourage greater investment in food and agro-based industry to enhance food security, and promote sustainable food production. Activities proposed include: Convene seafood forum to deliberate specifically on technical barriers to seafood trade with a view to promote movement of fish and fish products intended for human consumption; Gather data and conduct analysis thereof to support the AFSRB technical meetings, such as policy scenarios for the rice market, impact assessment of contract growing on small-scale farmers; Promote technologies and techniques to reduce post-harvest losses; Support the development of agri-based and food regional supply chain through closer public-private sector partnerships; etc. The Policy contributes to increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters. The strategic directions include: to identify and address emerging issues related to food security, and to strengthen emergency/ shortage relief arrangement, Proposed actions include: Collaboration with AFSIS Secretariat and national food agencies to periodic assessment of Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) system; Pilot testing of technologies and practices (such as conservation agriculture, SRI, integrated crop-livestock, organic agriculture, drought and flood tolerant varieties of crops and etc.) within the climate smart agriculture approach in ASEAN.
2015-01-01