On September 23, FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AsiaDHRRA, a leading civil society organization in Asia, aimed at joining forces to advance food security in the region and accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. An important component of this three-year MoU is focused on expanding responsible investment in agriculture and food systems to end poverty and hunger in the region.

“With this MoU, we join our efforts to lead the recovery of the COIVD-19 pandemic in the region with the confidence that we can provide comprehensive solutions to rural issues and foster not only growth but sustainability and solidarity with the Asian people,“ said Mr. Jong-Jin Kim, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

The need for more and better investment in agriculture

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the agricultural sector in Southeast Asia was already suffering from serious underinvestment. With 35 percent of the working population employed in agriculture, the sector contributed only 10 percent of GDP, and credits (a proxy for investment) in the sector were below 3 percent. In the aftermath of COVID-19, increasing agricultural investment has become crucial to enable family farmers to sustain their livelihoods and ensure the food supply in the region.  

In this context, FAO and AsiaDHRRA have been by advocating for the adoption of frameworks such as the globally recognized CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS RAI), and are supporting the rollout of the ASEAN Guidelines to Promote Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (ASEAN Guidelines). The CFS RAI were endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in 2014, and the ASEAN Guidelines were adopted by the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry in 2018.

The objective of these frameworks is to ensure that investment in the agricultural sector is “responsible”, and that they contribute to sustainable development and food security. Experience shows that all investments in agriculture are not equally beneficial, and in fact, some carry significant risks for all actors involved, for instance causing degradation of natural resources or violation of tenure rights. Rather, responsible investment in agriculture calls for the integration of aspects such as decent work opportunities, respect of human rights, sustainable use of natural resources, and more.

Empowering youth to thrive in the agricultural sector

A central component of FAO and AsiaDHRRA’s work is overcoming the barriers that are preventing youth to engage in agriculture for a living, and supporting youth to become agri-entrepreneurs who thrive in the sector. This includes capacity development for AsiaDHRRA country-level organizations (national DHRRAs) on the use of FAO tools to assess needs and capacities and enhance their planning for policy interventions on youth and responsible investment.

 In parallel, FAO and AsiaDHRRA will continue promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue and sharing the challenges and lessons learned from the work done so far. The goal is to scale up advocacy to improve the use of the ASEAN RAI Guidelines in the region while equipping and engaging all actors in the process.

 “AsiaDHRRA and FAO will continue democratizing spaces for representation and participation of rural people and their organizations and promoting advocacy and knowledge sharing on key policies,” said Marlene Rodriguez, Secretary-General of AsiaDHRRA.

More information 

• Webinar: Family farmer's challenges and solutions to cope with COVID-19 in ASEAN countries
• FAO supports the rollout of the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry
• FAO conducts training of trainers to engage youth in responsible agricultural investment in the ASEAN region