Agri-food supply chains and food security in Asia

Publication date: 06/05/2024
Extent: 32 pages

Contributions by: Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros and Paul S. Teng, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Chapter synopsis:

This chapter discusses agri-food supply chains in Asia from the perspective of ensuring food security, to provide consumers with their agri-food consumption requirements. Following this perspective, it takes stock of the latest food security outcomes in Asia with a focus on food utilisation (i.e. undernourishment), followed by a discussion of the key driving factors along the lines of food availability, physical food access and economic food access. These include challenges from climate change, as well as supply-chain disruptions from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Moving forward, other regions globally can take a page from the various ways by which Asian countries (and its sub-regions) have been working to address food security challenges, building on four examples cited such as China’s state-led upstream interventions; India’s digitalisation of public distribution; Singapore’s state supported agri-food tech ecosystem; and private sector-led digitalisation in Southeast Asia.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2023.0122.08