Cambodian legislator urges ASEAN to boost climate-resilient agriculture

Phnom Penh, Aug 25 (IANS) A senior Cambodian legislator on Tuesday urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen agricultural resilience to climate threats to ensure a stable food supply for the bloc’s fast-growing population.

Cheam Yeap, first vice-president of Cambodia’s National Assembly, said the world is currently facing multiple crises, including the climate crisis and food insecurity.

“Our Southeast Asian region is not immune from these risks. Indeed, it is no longer merely climate change but an acute climate crisis our global community needs to address together,” he said at the opening ceremony of a parliamentary multi-stakeholder dialogue on responsible investment for food and climate security in ASEAN.

The senior lawmaker said climate unpredictability, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation are directly disrupting regional agricultural production and straining food systems, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Climate resilience is fundamental to food security, and it demands a holistic and coherent legal, policy, and societal response, Yeap said.

“Strengthening the resilience of our agricultural and food systems is essential. It is the only way we can ensure a stable food supply for our fast-growing populations, protect the livelihoods of our communities, and sustain our long-term economic and social development,” he added.

Farmers across Southeast Asia face severe vulnerabilities from volatile weather patterns, including intensified droughts and devastating floods. To mitigate these threats, Yeap called for a strategic shift in regional funding.

“It is necessary to invest more in developing climate-resilient agriculture, climate adaptation, water resource management, and smart early warning systems,” he said.

Yeap highlighted that the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (ASEAN RAI), adopted in 2018, serve as a visionary framework.

The guidelines outline core principles to safely direct investments flowing into the region’s food, agriculture, and forestry sectors, he added.

“Crucially, the ASEAN RAI identifies food security, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation, as central pillars of responsible investment,” he said.

Yeap emphasised that passing laws is only the beginning. He urged members of parliament across the region to actively monitor executive branches and relevant agencies to ensure that national agricultural strategies and investment promotion policies actually deliver on food and climate security.

–IANS

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