Securing the food supply: Farmers working on a paddy field in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, last year. — AFP
THE climate crisis is threatening South-East Asia’s ability to feed itself.
The 2024 South-East Asian Climate Outlook Survey, which collected responses from all 10 Asean states, reported that 70.1% of respondents experienced food insecurity, up from last year’s 59.8%, and attributed it to climate change, rising food prices and poor government policy.
Amid worsening climate impacts on the agriculture sector, it has become clear that South-East Asia cannot import its way out of food insecurity. India’s decision to restrict its rice exports last year, implemented in response to reduced yields and an erratic monsoon season, sent shockwaves throughout the continent as rice prices rose to their highest peak in 15 years.
The world’s largest rice exporter curtailing its exports resulted in pressure on import-dependent countries, such as Indonesia, which relied on India for 42% of its imported rice, as the major rice exporters in South-East Asia faced production losses due to El Niño. In the coming years, as climate impacts worsen, more countries across the world can be expected to place restrictions on their agricultural exports to meet their domestic needs.
To protect South-East Asians’ right to food, Asean governments must transition away from food systems that rely heavily on imports and take immediate actions to strengthen local production of staple food for domestic consumption.
Localising food systems will not only improve access for low-income populations, as these foster conditions for lower prices and better flexibility on pricing, purchase quantities and financing arrangements, they are also more resilient to future shocks.
In the early months of Covid-19, it was local markets – made up of street vendors, community kitchens and direct-to-consumer channels – that provided food to the communities that needed it most.
South-East Asia’s ability to feed itself in a time of climate crisis lies in food sovereignty, which prioritises the needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food over the interests of global markets and multinational corporations.
Protecting South-East Asians’ right to food will require Asean governments to support local food systems with policies and programs such as public procurement, minimum support prices, linkages with local markets and infrastructure for irrigation, food storage and seed banking.
An argument in favour of restricting imports and exports has been made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food for the purpose of strengthening domestic food production and fostering self-sufficiency in import-reliant countries.
As climate impacts result in less land for agriculture, governments must prioritise land for staple food production and stop converting prime agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, such as monoculture plantations geared toward global markets.
In Indonesia, rice fields in 2023 were estimated at 10.2 million ha, down from 10.45 million ha in 2022, while oil palm plantations stretch across 14 million ha.
Additionally, governments must shift away from unsustainable practices, such as relying on imported chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and instead promote climate-resilient farming practices based on agro-ecological principles.
The 44th and 45th Asean Summits were opportunities for leaders to rally support for policies and programs that protect South-East Asians’ right to food. It is time for Asean leaders to turn their backs on policies of import dependence, and instead build national food systems focused on domestic consumption and trade relations that augment and support local food supply.
Asean governments must develop and adopt an Asean Programme of Action on Food, Agriculture and Fisheries that centres the sustainable production of staple food for domestic needs and transitions away from industrial agriculture models that generate massive amounts of carbon emissions, pollute the soil and water, destroy biodiversity and keep land, wealth and power in the hands of elites and corporations. – The Jakarta Post/ANN
Armayanti Sanusi is a member of the Regional Committee of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and the chairperson of the National Executive Body of Solidaritas Perempuan (Women’s Solidarity for Human Rights).
