Skip to main content

Harvests at Risk: Geopolitics and Food Security in Southeast Asia

A Forum on Empirical Insights on Agriculture and Food Security Amid the Middle East Conflicts

  • 7 May 2026
  • 10:00–11:30 a.m. (GMT+8)
  • Zoom and SEARCA Facebook Live

With the ongoing war in the Middle East, global geopolitical tensions are no longer just "distant news" as they are directly impacting the price of your rice, the cost of fertilizer, and the stability of our food systems.

Join SEARCA in an online forum with some of the world's leading agricultural experts as we dissect how global conflicts are reshaping food security in Southeast Asia and and beyond.

What to expect from this online forum

Our food systems are facing a "perfect storm" of overlapping pressures. This online forum moves beyond the headlines to provide empirical insights and forward-looking strategies on:

  • Supply Chain Disruptions: How conflicts are choking energy markets and agricultural trade flows.
  • The Rice Outlook: Expert analysis on the staple that feeds our region.
  • Policy Solutions: Identifying the institutional shifts needed to protect vulnerable countries and strengthen regional reserves.
  • Country Perspectives: Direct insights from leaders in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines

This online forum is essential for policymakers, researchers, agribusiness leaders, and development partners looking to turn global uncertainty into regional resilience.

Setting the Stage

Geopolitical Conflicts and their Impacts on Food Security

Dr. James Thurlow
Director, Foresight and Policy Modeling, IFPRI
Download the presentation here

Building Food Systems Resilience against the Middle East Crisis in SEA and Beyond

Dr. Kevin Chen
Qiushi Chair Professor, Zhejiang University and Head of East and Central Asia Office of IFPRI
Download the presentation here

Rice Market Outlook

Dr. David Dawe
Former Senior Economist, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
Download the presentation here

Country Perspectives

India

Dr. Samarendu Mohanty
Professor, Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Indonesia

Dr. Bustanul Arifin
Professor, University of Lampung (UNILA), Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
Download the presentation here

Malaysia

Dr. Larry Wong
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Malaysian Institute of Economic Research

Philippines

Mr. Zeno Ronald Abenoja
Deputy Governor, Monetary and Economics Sector, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
Download the presentation here

Vietnam

Dr. Bui Ba Bong
Chairman, Vietnam Rice Industry Association

Harvests at Risk: Geopolitics and Food Security in Southeast Asia