Under LAB, we work to optimise the contribution of the ASEAN business community in support of the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security (SPA-FS). 

SPA-FS was motivated by ASEAN Ministers of Agricultre and Forestry (AMAF) as part of the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) Framework as an urgent need to develop a policy framework for strategic measures and actions, including requiring common understanding among ASEAN Member States.

The strategy under SPA-FS is “to ensure long-term food security and to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the ASEAN region”.

Our work done

• On 13 September 2013, in Singapore, the ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) convened the Consultation for Food and Agriculture Business Principles (FABs Principles) that commenced at Rio +20. The Consultation addressed business as critical partner for governments and other stakeholders in designing and delivering effective, scalable and practical solutions to make food systems secure and agriculture sustainable.

• In collaboration with UNGC, we jointly submitted a proposal on LAB that focused on making real the goals articulated in the SPA-FS, specifically to: (a) increase food production; (b) reduce of post-harvest losses; (c) promote conducive market and trade; (d) ensure food stability; (e) promote availability and accessibility to agricultural inputs; (f) operationalise food emergency relief arrangements.  The proposal has been endorsed by AMAF in September 2014.

• In the context of post-2015 and beyond, the ACN, with the support of the UNGC, took the opportunity to convene a Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Meeting on 6 February 2015, in Bali, Indonesia, to introduce the Integrated Sustainable Agriculture Programme (ISAP).  ISAP will create an evidence-based registry to measure the sustainable development of farmers and SME agribusinesses  Among others, ISAP is a tool to enable more actors in food and agriculture systems to adopt sustainable policies and evidence sustainable practices.

Our next steps

There is a need for greater education, capacity-building and harmonisation of efforts between businesses, policymakers and NGOs that will under LAB create the enabling environment, partnerships and business action.  To do so

• We will continue to work with the UNGC and partners to engage, communicate and link the private sector, policymakers and other stakeholders so as to come to a common ground and understanding on the food security and sustainable agriculture agenda at the national level and as a component of regional intra-ASEAN food security agenda.

• We will work with partners, through supply chains, to deliver training and capacity building services to enhance capacities in the planning and implementation of the interventions

• We will provide a platform for coordination, cooperation and information exchange between businesses, policy makers and NGOs to implement and enforce more responsible and sustainable agribusiness practices