Southeast Asia faces food security risks from climate change

A study by the Singapore Food Agency and the National University of Singapore projects that climate change will reduce the production of key food crops across Southeast Asia. Between 2025 and 2044, rice production is expected to decline by 3 to 5 percent, corn by 5 to 6 percent, and sugarcane by 1 to 4 percent. Conversely, cassava and soybean outputs could see increases of 16 percent and 11 to 13 percent, respectively.

In Indonesia, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Saleh Mustafa highlighted the need to strengthen national food sovereignty to combat global food crises and stunting. He noted that approximately 725 million people worldwide face hunger. To mitigate climate risks like El Nino and shifting weather patterns, the Indonesian government is pursuing strategies to increase planting areas and implementing pump interventions to manage flooding in rice fields. As of October 2026, Indonesia's national rice reserves stand at 4.5 million tons, which officials believe can maintain availability for the next ten months.