This 2016-2025 Vision and Strategic Plan for Asean Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry defines a vision and goals for the food, agriculture and forestry sector, identifies and prioritises the main areas for cooperation, and proposes Strategic Thrusts and Action Programmes. The Vision is set up as: A competitive, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (FAF) sector integrated with the global economy, based on a single market and production base contributing to food and nutrition security and prosperity in the ASEAN Community. The Strategic Plan seeks to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. One of the seven goals established in the document is ensuring food security, food safety and better nutrition. Action Programmes are proposed, including: Improve food security and nutrition through diversifying food sources and strengthening the quality and variety of food production and improving the food value chains; Establish food or nutrient-based standards for healthy diets and provide information on nutrition, assist transition to more nutritious diets, paying special attention to the role and importance of women in improving nutrition; Promote nutrition education and consumer awareness; etc. The Strategic Plan seeks to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable. Two goals are established in the document: Ensuring equitable, sustainable and inclusive growth and Achieving Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). To meet the demands of present and future generations for food, agriculture and forestry, the main focus will be placed on enhancing management systems so as to increase productivity and minimise eco-system damage. It proposes to develop yield and productivity enhancing technologies and best practices that involve land use intensification in a sustainable manner, bearing in mind that expansion of cultivable land rapidly reaches its limits even in the land-abundant AMS. In 2016-2025, ASEAN will continue to enhance the sustainable management of forest resources, including protection and conservation of forests in an ecologically sound and integrated manner through regionally and internationally agreed criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. Poverty alleviation is a central strategic objective of the ASEAN Community and is inextricably linked with the growth and development of the FAF sector. One of the goals of the Strategic Plan is: Alleviating poverty and eradicating hunger. ASEAN aims to achieve the goal of an inclusive, harmonious and sustainable society that addresses socio-economic disparities and poverty, ensures gender equality, narrows regional socio-economic disparities and bridges the development gap between Member States. The Strategic Plan seeks to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. Many Action Programmes are proposed to promote and strengthen global/reginal market access, investment, food safety, incentives for PPP in R&D, etc. and eliminate non-tariff barriers, harmonize accreditation, inspection and certification. One of the priority areas is to assist resource constrained small producers and SMEs to improve productivity, technology and product quality, to meet global market standards and increase competitiveness. Credit, insurance, market information, quality control and certification facilities will be provided to enable small scale producers and SMEs to comply with food safety and quality standards in both domestic and foreign markets. In addition, the Strategic Plan seeks to increase resilience to, and contribute to mitigation and adaptation of climate change, natural disasters and other shocks. Climate change and its adverse impacts will be addressed in ASEAN Member States through the promotion of appropriate agricultural practices, building competencies, providing access to financial resources and enhancing regional and international collaboration. It proposes to integrate gender issues into climate friendly agriculture, fishery and forestry practices to reduce the higher vulnerability of women to the social and economic impact of natural disasters and climate change.
2015-09-10