Executive Forum on Leaders in ASEAN Agriculture and Development

Description:

The global agriculture landscape is undergoing traumatic changes and challenges, driven by a multitude of factors both anthropogenic and natural—climate change, food security, the financialization of commodities, biofuels—to name a few. In the face of these challenges, leaders in the agricultural development community in ASEAN need to level up in skills and knowledge, and be familiar with the nuances associated with managing in a changing, uncertain landscape. Against this backdrop is also the increasingly multi- and transdisciplinary nature of the issues facing leaders, as well as their connectedness, all of which requires the capacity of leaders to take more holistic views and make multilateral decisions on complex matters.

In the long run, global competitiveness is inextricably linked to sustainability and global effectiveness. In the ASEAN region, agriculture and agricultural development play strategic roles in economic development. Agriculture is an area where ASEAN has comparative advantage in the global economy. To maximize its potential for growth, sustainable agricultural development requires bold and deliberate actions in trade and investment that gain the best advantage in the international market. In this light, the ASEAN region requires a unique breed of professionals who can competently lead and cooperate in programs in sustainable agricultural development against the backdrop of a highly competitive and complex global market. Considering the serious and determined efforts of ASEAN to form an ASEAN Community, this executive program will be grounded not only on the principles of sustainable agricultural development, global cooperation and competitiveness and global effectiveness; but more so on deep knowledge and understanding of ASEAN and its primordial concerns and dynamic processes.

The program’s goal is to build a community of ASEAN leaders in agriculture who are empowered with knowledge on key contemporary issues in agriculture and food security, with a focus on new knowledge, high impact technologies and innovative approaches, so that the challenges arising from a dynamic agri-food landscape may be met.

Overall, the program aims to level up all agriculture leaders in ASEAN countries with the skills and knowledge to be proactive leaders by providing updates on selected contemporary issues in agriculture and food deemed important to ASEAN.

Specifically, the program aims to: 1) provide current knowledge on important topics which influence the global agricultural landscape with respect to sustainable development, trade and livelihoods; 2) provide a comprehensive and deep understanding of factors driving the agricultural landscape in the ASEAN region, contextualized within the global milieu of factors; and 3) introduce to participants a change management paradigm of leadership beyond best practice based on complexity theory.

 

Intended Participants:

  • Senior leaders and/or their key technical staff in national agriculture, fisheries, and rural development agencies, such as Heads of Departments, with responsibility to advise the Minister or equivalent government authority on matters related to agriculture, food security, and sustainable development
  • Officials in related government agencies, with responsibility for aspects of food security
  • Leaders from private sector entities, statutory bodies, and civil society organizations
  • Key staff from international and regional bodies located in ASEAN (to be considered on a merit basis)

 

Date and Venue:

5-9 May 2014
SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippine

 

Forum Fee:

  • The forum fee is US$738 per participant, which covers forum materials, meals during the duration of the forum, accommodation (twin-sharing), and airport transfers. Live-out rate is US$505.00. Subsidized rates are available upon request.
  • All other expenses associate with the forum (international air travel, visa, airport terminal fees, local insurance, and other personal expenses) are at the participants’ own expense.

NOTE: Subsidized rates and limited training support are open only to qualified nationals of SEAMEO member countries (i.e., Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam).

 

Applications

The deadline for application with limited training support and availment of subsidized rate is 15 March 2014. Deadline for registration of all other applicants is 15 April 2014.

 

Contact Person:

Ms. Nova A. Ramos, Program Specialist

E-mail: ;

Tel.: +63-49 536 2365 to 67, local 125/417