SEARCA, in partnership with the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), held the regional policy forum entitled From Farms to Schools: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive School-Based Food and Nutrition Programs in Southeast Asia on 24–25 April 2023 at the Crimson Hotel, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. It was also available through live streaming via Zoom.
The forum gathered key representatives from ministries of education and agriculture in Southeast Asia (SEA), international and development organizations, academic institutions, and farmers’ and civil society organizations (CSOs) that share the same goal of developing and implementing sustainable and inclusive school-based food and nutrition programs (SBFNPs) in their home countries.
The event discussed potential policy interventions and courses of action to address the nutrition-education-development nexus. It also emphasized the need to include family farmers in new or existing SBFNPs in SEA. More specifically, the forum intended to: (1) provide an overview of the current state of food and nutrition security in Southeast Asia; (2) present ongoing SBFNPs being implemented in the region; (3) identify and analyze opportunities and challenges in adopting or strengthening farm-to-school models for SBFNPs in the region; and (4) develop policy recommendations, identify courses of action, and explore potential areas for collaboration to engage family farmers in SBFNPs and ensure their sustainability and inclusiveness.