The 16th ICA-AP Regional Assembly held on 9 November 2023 in Manila, Philippines ratified the proposal to establish the new ICA-AP Committee on Agriculture and Environment. The newly established committee came into existence through the merger of two existing committees – the ICA-AP Committee on Agriculture and the ICA-AP Committee on Forestry.
ICA-AP member representatives and expert observers who had shown interest in the Agriculture and Environment committee came together for a brainstorming meeting (held in a hybrid format) on the same day, on the sidelines of the Regional Assembly to discuss the strategy, roadmap and next steps for the newly formed committee. The meeting was convened by Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP to receive and understand the viewpoints of ICA-AP members regarding the way forward for the committee. It was decided to create a roadmap for the committee’s operation, outline focus areas based on the discussion and hold elections for the committee in the first quarter of the next calendar year, 2024.
The meeting was attended by academics, agriculturists, forestry practitioners, members of the erstwhile committees on agriculture and forestry, and several other members of the ICA-AP from Malaysia, India, Japan, Nepal, Myanmar and the Philippines.
The former Chair of the ICA-AP Committee on Forestry, Mr. SP Singh, Managing Director, Indian Farm Forestry Development Cooperative (IFFDC) joined online and briefed the group about the activities undertaken by the committee so far, including on the ground activities on forestry, creation of a sub-group on water, various knowledge sharing exercises etc.
Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah, President, the Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA) raised the crucial issue of food security and opined that in today’s age, it is necessary to ensure that food is affordable and not just accessible. Representatives from the Japan Cooperative Alliance (JCA) highlighted the need to promote sustainable practices and improve productivity in the farm sector.
The group also discussed the importance of creating sustainable food supply chains in the present time of crises including the severe impacts of climate change as well as wars and instability in the region. Representatives from the India Farmers’ Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) also highlighted the importance of ensuring sustainable food production while pursuing higher productivity from farmland using newer methods of farming and agri-technology. Mr. Ashok Taneja, Advisor, ICA-AP and Mr. Ganesh Gopal, Lead - Entrepreneurship Development, ICA-AP also attended the meeting and provided support to facilitate the same.
The brainstorming meeting of the ICA-AP Agriculture and Environment Committee deliberated on current challenges faced due to environmental and climate change as well as the sharing of best practices on agricultural production. Several key inputs and potential solutions to the challenges raised were discussed by the interest group and were well-received by attendees from across the region.
