A Recipe For Success For Food Security In Asia – Analysis – Eurasia Review

Asia’s Collective Efforts Towards Food Security and Sustainable Development

Introduction

By Parjiono and Chandra Kusuma

Asia’s collective development agenda offers an opportunity to address global challenges like food security, a pressing concern for many countries in the region. South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency, with its theme of ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’, is set to emphasize this issue, aligning with Asian nations’ food self-sufficiency and sustainable development priorities.

Food Insecurity in Asia

Food insecurity remains a critical issue for Asia, home to the largest share of the global population facing hunger. Despite adequate global food production, between 713-757 million people experienced hunger in 2023. These figures highlight setbacks in achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2, which aim to eradicate poverty and hunger respectively.

Hunger disrupts health systems, impedes educational progress, lowers productivity, and deepens inequalities, perpetuating poverty cycles in many developing Asian economies.

Diverse Approaches to Food Security in Asia

Asia is a highly diverse region with significant variations in economic development, resource endowments, and policy priorities. Wealthier economies are central to shaping regional food security strategies. These nations have pioneered technological innovations, trade agreements, and financial mechanisms that influence regional agricultural markets and supply chains. Japan and South Korea actively promote global agricultural cooperation, while Singapore’s advanced urban farming technologies serve as a model for sustainable food production in land-scarce settings.

The historical tension between trade-based and self-sufficiency-based approaches to food security has shaped Asia’s policy landscape. China, with its dual identity as a middle-income country and major global player, exemplifies this tension. While its focus on food sovereignty has driven domestic investments in agricultural modernization, China remains a significant importer of staples like soybeans and corn.

Trade has historically played a crucial role in stabilizing food supplies, particularly during crises. Advocates of trade-based approaches argue that protectionist measures can exacerbate food insecurity by distorting markets and reducing efficiency. But the 2008 global food crisis highlighted the risks of over-reliance on global markets, prompting many Asian nations to pursue food sovereignty.

The ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) exemplifies how regional cooperation can enable countries to combine self-sufficiency with trade-based resilience. By pooling resources and coordinating policies, APTERR ensures emergency food supplies while preserving the benefits of trade integration.

Addressing Food Insecurity in Asia

Agriculture is central to economic and social stability across Asia, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. Food insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable populations in countries like Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Addressing these disparities requires targeted investments in agricultural productivity, infrastructure, and climate resilience.

Indonesia’s approach serves as a case study in advancing food security. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has introduced ambitious reforms targeting food self-sufficiency within four years. The establishment of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) in 2021 by former president Joko Widodo reflected an institutional commitment to streamlining food policies.

Public investment in land intensification, irrigation, logistics networks, and farmer financing underpin Asia’s food security strategy. Indonesia’s 139.4 trillion rupiah (US$8.6 billion) allocation for food security in its 2025 budget exemplifies this. Investments in food infrastructure, strategic reserves, and agricultural technology modernization aim to reduce import reliance and bolster food sovereignty. Food diversification is reducing dependency on traditional staples and building resilience against supply shocks.

Improving nutrition through social programs like Indonesia’s free nutritious meal initiative is particularly vital for human capital development. Adequate nutrition enhances children’s learning capacities, improves workforce productivity, and supports long-term economic growth. These priorities align with regional visions like Indonesia’s Golden Indonesia 2045, which integrates food security into broader development goals.

India’s embrace of digital agriculture and precision farming, Vietnam’s focus on supply chain efficiency, and Thailand’s sustainable farming practices illustrate the region’s shared commitment to modernizing agriculture and addressing food insecurity. Wealthier nations contribute through technological innovation and financial support, facilitating knowledge transfer and capacity building.

Challenges and Collaborative Solutions

While some progress has been made, key challenges persist. Climate change threatens crop yields and growing seasons, while urbanization encroaches on arable land. Infrastructure gaps hinder the efficient distribution of food across vast regions. Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach, incorporating climate-smart agriculture, technological innovation, and regional collaboration.

Organizations like ASEAN play a vital role in fostering cooperation. Mechanisms such as the ASEAN Food Security Reserve and APTERR are bolstering regional food resilience and emergency preparedness. Sharing best practices and mobilizing resources through these platforms enhances Asia’s collective capacity to address food insecurity.

Asia’s active engagement in global forums like the G20 further strengthens its food security agenda. The G20 Finance Track offers mechanisms to promote sustainable agriculture and resource mobilization. Initiatives like the Agricultural Market Information System and the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists provide avenues to leverage innovation and data-driven decision-making in global food systems.

South Africa’s G20 presidency, with its emphasis on artificial intelligence and data governance, complements Asia’s modernization efforts. AI-driven tools for precision farming, yield forecasting, and crop monitoring can revolutionize agricultural productivity and reduce resource wastage, creating more sustainable food systems.

Conclusion

Food security is not just a policy goal but a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of sustainable development. Through platforms like the G20 and strengthened South-South cooperation, Asian nations have an opportunity to lead by example. By investing in agricultural modernization, fostering regional partnerships, and leveraging global platforms, Asia can contribute to a more inclusive and resilient global food system, ensuring the right to adequate food for all.

About the Authors

• Parjiono is Indonesia G20 Finance Deputy and Assistant to the Indonesian Minister of Finance for Macroeconomics and International Finance.
• Chandra Kusuma is Team Leader for the G20 and OECD at the Ministry of Finance.

Source: This article was published by East Asia Forum

The opinions expressed in this article are the authors’ own.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Relevant to the Issues Discussed

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses food security, hunger, poverty, health, economic growth, agriculture, infrastructure, climate change, and regional cooperation, all of which are connected to these SDGs.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
• SDG 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
• SDG 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• SDG 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births.
• SDG 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labor-intensive sectors.
• SDG 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
• SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
• SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South, and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation and enhance knowledge-sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, particularly at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

These targets address poverty reduction, hunger eradication, agricultural productivity, child mortality, economic productivity, infrastructure development, access to housing and basic services, climate resilience, and regional cooperation.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Proportion of population living in poverty
• Number of people experiencing hunger
• Agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
• Neonatal mortality rate and under-5 mortality rate
• Economic productivity levels
• Investment in infrastructure and adoption of sustainable technologies
• Access to adequate housing and basic services
• Resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards
• Level of regional and international cooperation on science, technology, and innovation

These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets, as they provide measurable data on poverty, hunger, agricultural productivity, health, economic productivity, infrastructure development, climate resilience, and regional cooperation.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: eurasiareview.com