This synthesis report is the result of close, collaborative research initiated by the Asian Development Bank in partnership with Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada; the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation; and the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia. Fourteen background papers were commissioned to investigate food security issues particularly pertinent for Asia and the Pacific. The report synthesizes and collates the primary findings from these papers to articulate key policy challenges and opportunities related to food security in the region.

Ensuring a secure supply of food is essential, given the world's (and especially Asia's) growing population, high and volatile food prices, increasingly scarce resources, and changing environment. This publication discusses the drivers behind food insecurity in Asia and points to ways to mitigate it.

Achieving food security is vital for any nation. But despite progress in food availability in the postwar period, food insecurity still prevails in many developing countries, with more than half the world's undernourished in Asia. This unacceptable number calls for urgent action. Differences in levels of food security across countries cannot be explained solely by conventional economic arguments, such as resource endowments, country or population size, the level of economic development, and cultural or social differences. This book approaches the issue of food security in a number of Asian and other countries by highlighting the crucial role played by government and economic institutions and by examining how they influence food availability. It lays out valuable policy initiatives for national governments and international bodies, acting through improved institutions, to reduce poverty and inequality and to achieve higher levels of food security nationally and globally.

The Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are a diverse array of countries with widely varying topographies, cultures and economies, fragile natural resource environments, and prosperity, stability, and security that can be compromised by the impacts and consequences of climate change. The Pacific island governments view climate change as a priority issue, especially in terms of its potential impacts on food security, and need clear directions in addressing both issues. This report describes the present state of food security and its contributing factors in the Pacific region, assesses its prospects amid the growing threats and likely impacts of climate change, and presents potential areas for more active assistance, investments, and interventions from ADB and other development partners. While technical and policy measures to ensure food security amid the ensuing climate change are numerous, interrelated, and complex, the successful implementation of programs and projects calls for simple and flexible designs that carefully consider the capabilities of relevant stakeholders at the regional, national, and local levels.