Rethinking Food Security in ASEAN

Food security in Southeast Asia is increasingly shaped not just by crises, but by deeper structural dependencies in global trade.

Our researchers, Teoh Ai Ni and Nik Syafiah Anis highlight how countries like Malaysia remain heavily reliant on imported food and key agricultural inputs, with supply chains often concentrated in just a few supplier countries. This makes the region vulnerable to disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, and climate-related shocks. All of which can quickly travel through interconnected global systems and affect prices and availability.

The study for the discussion paper titled "The Geoeconomics of Food Dependencies in Malaysia/Southeast Asia" also situates this within broader US–China geoeconomic competition, where food trade and supply chains can become part of strategic leverage. It calls for “cooperative self-reliance” within ASEAN, strengthening domestic production while improving regional coordination and resilience rather than relying on isolation or protectionism.

Catch the full discussion on Astro AWANI YouTube channel.