Transforming Food Systems in the ASEAN Region Post-COVID-19

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD)  and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), supported by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are organizing the Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN region (ATMI-ASEAN) 2nd High-Level Policy Forum (HLPF) 2022 – Transforming Food Systems in the ASEAN Region Post COVID-19, from June 1-2, 2022 in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

The 1st ATMI-ASEAN HLPF was held in Cambodia in 2018, to discuss evidence-based agricultural transformation and market integration in the ASEAN region. The 2nd HLPF will see further deliberations on how to reshape the food systems transformation in the ASEAN region through recommended pathways of selected agricultural commodities’ value chain. The focus of these discussions is to ensure the inclusiveness of smallholders in the regional and global value chains and make them resilient to shocks. Additionally, the 2nd HLPF will reflect on the effects and strategies for mitigating the effects of shocks affecting the global economy in this current rapidly changing external environment.

The event, which will be conducted in a hybrid mode, will not only showcase the ATMI-ASEAN project‘s outcomes but also feature:

• Panel presentations on evidence-based policy analysis, research, and best practices on market integration and agriculture and structural transformation in the ASEAN region
• Roadmap recommendations on the national and regional agri-food value chain
• Recommendations and expert insights on inclusive and sustainable food systems transformation in the region
• Dialogues on the Network of Policy Advisors and Analysts in ASEAN (NePAAA) as a way forward to ensure that the significant work and knowledge produced during the implementation of the ATMI-ASEAN project are sustained over the long run and to facilitate scaling up which can happen over time
• Showcase works related to COVID effects and the policy responses in the region
• Poster presentations to showcase the key project highlights and research findings from various studies conducted during the implementation of the project

About ATMI-ASEAN

The agriculture sector in the ASEAN region is dominated by smallholder farming and is critical to employment creation and poverty reduction in the region. Structural transformation in Southeast Asia poses challenges to the region’s food security and inclusive agricultural growth agenda. The project, launched in 2016, aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the ASEAN Member States (AMS) to facilitate the integration of smallholders in the regional agri-food market and develop and implement policies to support inclusive transformation and market integration. Read more