Agriculture

• To verifiably apply both standards in the ASEAN region, particularly in the production of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables

SAFT is a GIZ-supported project that advises the ASEAN Secretariat on the development and implementation of regional food standards for good agricultural practices (ASEAN GAP) and organic agriculture (ASOA).

There are 4 key areas of intervention that SAFT provides support on:

• Market Linkages: matching suppliers with traders and retailers
• Implementation and Controlling Structure: training inspectors, auditors and state supervisory bodies
• Enabling Environment: encouraging suitable incentives, policy and legal environments (by public sector) for successful implementation (by companies)
• Monitoring and Learning Platform: enhancing peer to peer learning between each of the ASEAN Member States

As regional objectives require national actions, SAFT is involved in the implementation of ASEAN GAP and ASOA on both levels. At the regional level, SAFT supports the ASEAN Secretariat and its 10 Member States on strengthening regional cooperation mechanisms, and on the creation of an enabling environment for the implementation of the regional standards. At the national level, SAFT assists Ministries of five ASEAN countries (namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines) in the process of preparing their national GAP and organic programs to conform to the requirements of ASEAN GAP and ASOA.

For food standards to be implemented successfully, the private sector also needs to be involved. Therefore SAFT cooperates with the private sector through integrated Public Private Partnerships (iPPP). Eight iPPPs with SAFT have been established in five ASEAN countries, which assist selected companies with the GAP/organic certification of their fruits and vegetables. These partnerships also incorporate measures aligned with the needs of each country, including creating market access, strengthening cluster networks, and raising consumer awareness. Furthermore, each iPPP will act as a best practice to showcase their experiences with certification, in order to make this process more tangible and approachable for other fruit and vegetable suppliers.

Integrated Public-Private Partnerships

With the help of our Partners, SAFT has been able to establish 8 integrated Public-Private Partnerships (iPPP) in 5 of our focus countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines. Through these partnerships, SAFT assists companies in certifying their fruits and vegetables with selected standards for good agricultural practices (GAP) and organic agriculture. The iPPPs also incorporate measures to fill the different gaps in each country, including creating market access, strengthening cluster networks and raising consumer awareness. Furthermore, each iPPP company will act as a best practice, which showcase their experiences with GAP and organic certification, in order to make this process more tangible and approachable to other fruit and vegetable suppliers.

This activity illustrates the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors in achieving development goals, and contributes directly to our overall objective to increase the implementation of food standards across ASEAN.