Johor Bahru, 6-8 August 2024: ERIA was invited to the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 45th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SSOM-45th AMAF), the 2nd Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AJMAF), and the SSOM-23rd AMAF Plus Three Meeting, held from 6-8 August in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The meetings were hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), Malaysia.

At the SSOM–45th AMAF, the SOM-AMAF leaders discussed two Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs) of the ASEAN Lao PDR Chairmanship 2024: the Action Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN and the ASEAN Guidelines on the Reduction of Crop Burning. ERIA is supporting the development of these initiatives. Under the ASEAN–ERIA cooperation agenda, Masanori Kozono, ERIA Senior Policy Fellow, presented ERIA's contributions to the development of ASEAN’s food and agriculture sector. He highlighted two recent activities: the project on ‘Benefits and Challenges of Digitalisation in Agriculture and Food Systems for Enhanced Resilience and Improved Sustainability’ and the ‘Regional Workshop on Building Climate-Smart ASEAN’.

Firstly, Kozono outlined the current state of digital transformation in the agriculture sector, referencing ASEAN policy documents on digitalisation and findings from ERIA’s recent studies. He also introduced the study plan for a preliminary assessment of digitalisation in ASEAN and sought support and guidance from ASEAN Member States (AMS). The study aims to explore policy pathways to scale up digitalisation in ASEAN agriculture, particularly for smallholder farmers. Furthermore, Kozono explained that the ‘Regional Workshop on Building Climate-Smart ASEAN’ will be co-organised by ERIA and the government of Lao PDR from 4–6 September 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. This regional workshop, as an official ASEAN event, will address issues related to climate change adaptation, including vulnerability assessment, adaptation strategies, financing mechanisms such as carbon trading, and the development of a roadmap. The workshop will engage government officials responsible for climate change and natural resource management in agriculture, as well as representatives from the private sector, academia, and other stakeholders.

At the 2nd SOM–AJMAF meeting, Kozono shared a concept note for the ‘ASEAN–Japan Symposium on Accelerating Digitalisation in Agriculture to Promote Sustainable Agricultural Development in the ASEAN Region’, which will be held on 30 September and 1 October in Viet Nam. This symposium, co-hosted by ERIA, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Viet Nam, aims to bring together government officials and key stakeholders from within and beyond ASEAN to discuss the application of digital technologies in agriculture to promote sustainable development. The event will foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategy development to enhance sustainable agriculture in the region.

During the SSOM–23rd AMAF Plus Three Meeting, Dr Kentaro Yamada, ERIA Policy Fellow, presented ‘ERIA’s Research Project on Building and Enhancing Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in ASEAN Countries.’ This project, conducted from April 2022 to March 2025, supports AMS in implementing the ASEAN Guidelines on Sustainable Agriculture and the ASEAN Guidelines on the Reduction of Crop Burning. The project includes a study of sustainable agriculture and food systems, comprising a preliminary scoping study and an in-depth study, the development of a preliminary draft action plan for sustainable agriculture, and knowledge-sharing workshops. Yamada explained plans to conduct case studies in 2024 to identify transferable and applicable technologies and policies for reducing crop burning.

Throughout the series of meetings, the Chair and SOM–AMAF Leaders expressed appreciation for ERIA’s support to ASEAN through its various projects and initiatives. ERIA will continue to address challenges in achieving sustainable and resilient agriculture and food security in the ASEAN region through its research and other activities.