October 30, 2025 | 08:58 GMT +7
Hotline: 0913.378.918
October 30, 2025 | 08:58 GMT +7
Hotline: 0913.378.918
The second ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AJMAF-2) took place on October 2 in Pasay City, Philippines, bringing together the Ministers of agriculture and forestry from ASEAN and Japan. The conference reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhancing food systems and fostering sustainable, adaptive agriculture through innovation tied to the ASEAN-Japan MIDORI Cooperation Plan, which was revised and adopted in 2025.
A series of cooperation projects between ASEAN and Japan were highlighted in the annexes of the MIDORI Plan.
According to the joint statement, the revised MIDORI Plan is considered a key strategic framework to deepen the ASEAN-Japan partnership in ensuring food security, promoting rural development, adapting to climate change, and protecting the environment. The plan also supports the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Strategic Plan 2026-2030, and the Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Sectoral Strategic Plan (FAF-SP) 2026-2030, thereby ensuring alignment with ASEAN's long-term priorities.
The meeting agreed to prioritize cooperation according to the six strategic goals of the FAF-SP for the 2026-2030 period. This includes promoting sustainable and regenerative agricultural production practices, such as encouraging responsible investment, smallholder-friendly technology, sustainable fisheries, and water security, and focusing on decarbonization and climate change adaptation in agriculture by reducing emissions and implementing climate-smart practices. Furthermore, the goals involve enhancing food and nutrition security by ensuring the availability, accessibility, and utilization of safe food through regional collaboration. The partners will also work to boost trade and market connectivity via stronger food safety standards and digital technology, advance public-private partnerships and digital innovation to support smart agriculture and empower cooperatives, and strengthen sustainable forest management in line with regional and global frameworks.
A range of ongoing and new ASEAN-Japan cooperation projects were underscored and detailed in the annexes of the MIDORI Plan. Current initiatives span technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, smart irrigation systems, circular agriculture models, sustainable wood promotion, and digital platforms for smallholders, alongside food security information systems. New projects introduced include AFSIS-Geospatial Information Support (AFSIS-GIS), management of tropical eel resources, next-generation biomass technology, digital transformation (DX) and green transformation (GX) in agricultural cooperation, and livestock technology utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT).
The conference specifically stressed the crucial role of the private sector, farmers' organizations, cooperatives, and academia in driving innovation, knowledge sharing, and responsible investment. The Ministers also acknowledged the important support from the international community, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), organizations that contribute to capacity building, research, and policy formulation in the region.
The conference specifically stressed the crucial role of the private sector, farmers' organizations, cooperatives, and academia in driving innovation, knowledge sharing, and responsible investment.
The full implementation of the MIDORI Cooperation Plan is expected to foster sustainable agriculture and forestry, secure food security, and make a significant contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting also expressed appreciation for ERIA's support in preparing the ASEAN-Japan Symposium on Sustainable Agricultural Development, scheduled for November 25-27, 2025, in Tokyo, with a focus on agricultural decarbonization and digitalization.
In addition, Japan provided updates on promoting cooperation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), encouraging plant variety protection under the UPOV Convention, and the GREEN×EXPO 2027 event.
Concluding the meeting, the ASEAN and Japanese Ministers thanked the Government and people of the Philippines for the warm hospitality and meticulous preparation for the second AJMAF.
Translated by Linh Linh
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