Last of two parts
IN concluding the first part of this two-part column-series, I stated that what we need is concerted and decisive action and follow-through to take the Asean Food Security Alliance (AFSA) from policy to action.
And it was on Oct. 10, 2026 when the first Asean Food Security and Agribusiness Summit 2026 was held at the LandBank Plaza in Malate, Manila, which I believe is one significant step to taking AFSA from policy to action.
Speaking of concerted and decisive action, smallholder farmers and food producers should get actively involved in the realization of AFSA. Because it is them who actually produce the food that we find in our tables every single day.
And strategic pillar No. 4 in taking AFSA from policy to action is Inclusive Smallholder Development. The objective is to ensure no small farmer or food producer is left behind.
Before I discuss Small Holder Development, let me enumerate the seven other strategic pillars: Food security, innovation, investment, sustainability, digitalization, partnerships, and food safety.
The priority programs under strategic pillar No. 4 are digital extension, affordable finance, crop insurance, farmers cooperatives, market linkage, women empowerment, and youth involvement.
The key deliverables are the Asean Smallholder Development Program, digital farmer ID system, and a regional cooperative network, while the key performance indicators (KPIs) are number of farmers reached, women participation, and youth involvement.
Strategic pillar No. 5 is Climate-Resilient Food Systems, and the objective is to build resilient communities, and secure food for the future.
The set of actions are regenerative agriculture, water efficiency, carbon-smart farming, food waste reduction, biodiversity, and climate adaptation.
The implementation partners for strategic pillar No. 5 are environment ministries, climate funds, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the United Nations.
The KPIs are reduction in food waste and carbon, and improved soil health.
Soil health should be emphasized here, as current farming practices are extractive in nature or leaves soil depleted of nutrients. This can lead to lower agricultural productivity over the long term, which can have a telling effect on food security.
Strategic pillar No. 6 is what will get youth participants in agriculture excited: Digital transformation.
The objective is to accelerate digital adoption for a prosperous tomorrow.
The priority initiatives are the Asean Agricultural Data Platform, digital marketplace, artificial intelligence (AI) policy dashboard, blockchain traceability, digital payments, and cybersecurity.
To get digital transformation going, the following technology partners will be involved: technology companies and startups, universities, and the fintech (financial technology) sector. The KPIs for this strategic pillar are interoperable data, digital farmer services, and policy dashboards.
Strategic pillar No. 7 is Region Partnerships and Implementation, of which the set of action is to launch AFSA, create working groups, develop and implement annual action plans, hold food security summits, and submit annual progress reports.
The lead organizations and institutions for this strategic pillar are the Asean Secretariat, Asean-Business Advisory Council (BAC), development partners, private sector, and the academia. Meanwhile, the KPIs are annual scorecard, regional accountability, and 5Ps expansion.
The 5Ps is Public-Private-Producer-People Partnership.
Food safety is strategic pillar No. 8, and the set of action for that is involve food safety agencies while the primary objective is to safeguard public health and level up the health of the population, from the youths to the seniors.
Enabling mechanismAFSA is also about empowering collaboration, enabling transformation, and delivering impact. And the cross-cutting enablers to get AFSA from policy to action are: 5Ps, innovation, capacity building, digitalization, policy harmonization, finance, knowledge sharing, gender advancement, and youth involvement.
The 5Ps are about strengthening partnership for greater impact, from the local level to the regional sphere. Innovation is about driving new ideas and smart solutions, which will require capacity building to strengthen skills, systems, and institutions.
Digitalization is about harnessing technology for smart agriculture to thrive, while policy harmonization is creating aligned policies for regional progress.
Knowledge sharing is what the terms connotes — sharing of knowledge — combined with best practices, and generating and applying lessons learned.
And when it comes to the numerous actors in the food production system, let us emphasize the involvement of women and the youth. Hence, we need gender equality to empower women, and involve the youth to empower the next generation.
As for the implementation roadmap, there will be three phases divided into three timelines: 2026-2027; 2028-2029; and 2030 and beyond.
Phase 1, which has started, is the Foundation and Preparation phase and is devoted to institution building, policy alignment, creation of the digital platform, developing working groups, and pushing for pilot programs.
This phase has already started and the holding of the Asean Food Security and Agribusiness Summit 2026 last Oct. 10 in Manila forms part of that.
Phase 2 covers 2028-2029, and is for Expansion and Acceleration. The components are: Regional scale-up, investment, technology deployment, 5Ps expansion, and cross-border programs.
Phase 3 is 2030 and beyond, and is for Integration and Sustainability. The components are: Asean food security integration, regional dashboard, policy review, and developing the strategy beyond 2031.
In realizing AFSA, let us all be reminded that this is not only about food security, although that is the critical or urgent issue at hand.
What we are actually doing is to launch Asean's collective commitment to transform food security into regional prosperity.
The AFSA Roadmap 2026–2030 is Asean's implementation blueprint for a resilient, competitive, and inclusive food future.
By aligning governments, the private sector, academia, development partners, and farming communities around shared priorities, measurable targets, and sustained investment, AFSA will transform commitments into action.
And by 2030, Asean will stand as a global model of regional cooperation in food security, agricultural innovation, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth — ensuring that every community benefits from a stronger, safer, and more sustainable food system for generations to come.
We, the citizens of Asean, should look forward to that, and make that happen.
