ASEAN countries have adopted a 20-year vision to strengthen food and nutritional security, boost climate resilience and support rural development across the region, according to Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Tiu Laurel is the chair of the 47th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Annual Meeting.
The vision, which targets a population of more than 650 million people, sets a long-term framework to address emerging challenges in food systems and forestry management up to 2045. To operationalize this commitment, the ministers also approved the ASEAN-Food, Agriculture and Forestry (FAF) Sectoral Plan of Action 2026–2030, a medium-term roadmap that outlines regional priorities and initiatives for the next five years.
As part of the Philippines’ preparations for its ASEAN chairship in 2026, AMAF endorsed two key initiatives: the ASEAN Implementation Plan for Regenerative and Resilient Agriculture Systems as a priority economic deliverable, and the ASEAN One Billion Trees Initiative, an annual program aimed at advancing ecosystem restoration and climate action.
Tiu Laurel said these measures reflect ASEAN’s commitment to sustainable development and solidarity in responding to climate and market shocks.
“Rather than relying on distant partners, ASEAN members can depend on each other in times of emergencies or disruptions, stabilizing prices and ensuring supply,” said Laurel.
The ministers also reviewed the outcomes of the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation Strategy on Food, Agriculture and Forestry 2016–2025, where ASEAN, together with China, Japan and South Korea, advanced cooperation in nine key areas.
These included food security, biomass energy, sustainable forest management, climate change adaptation, disease control in plants and animals, capacity building, agricultural productivity and marketability, information exchange and research collaboration.
Tiu Laurel said ASEAN’s collective strength lies in complementing each member state’s agricultural strengths—from Vietnam’s rice production to other countries’ livestock and fisheries—creating a more resilient and self-reliant regional food system.
ASEAN, composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has also accepted in principle Timor-Leste as its 11th member state, pending formal admission at the ASEAN Summit.
