PHNOM PENH, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Legislators and experts on Tuesday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to boost agricultural resilience against climate threats to protect food security for its rapidly 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 a mere 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 the ASEAN region.
The senior lawmaker said climate unpredictability, extreme weather events, and environmental degradation are directly disrupting regional agricultural production and straining food systems.
"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.
"Crucially, the ASEAN RAI identifies food security, as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation, as central pillars of responsible investment," he said.
Yeap 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.
Rebekah Bell, representative of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization to Cambodia, warned that extreme heat, droughts, floods, and shifting rainfall patterns are pressuring Southeast Asia's agriculture, livelihoods, and food security.
"With El Nino conditions now present, the risks of extreme heat, water shortages, and reduced agricultural production could increase further in parts of the region," she said at the dialogue.
She added that building climate resilience is particularly critical for Cambodia, where farming remains heavily dependent on rainfall.
Echoing her concerns, ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Secretary-General Chem Widhya noted that with a combined population of over 693 million, ASEAN is highly vulnerable to climate change.
In a pre-recorded video address, Widhya highlighted how rising temperatures and erratic weather disrupt regional food systems.
"Building a climate-resilient agriculture sector is therefore urgent, whereby adequate investment is profoundly needed," he said.
He noted that directing funds responsibly would foster sustainable agrifood systems that protect both livelihoods and the environment. ■