A Study on International Cooperation in APTERR for Food Security

Abstract

This study is aimed at explicating the phenomenon of international cooperation and regional integration in case of a global crisis. To achieve the aim of this study, a well-structured questionnaire was conducted to participants at two different events. First, this study examines the relationship between food crises and the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with them. Second, it examines the key determining factors for the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises. This study focuses on the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) as a successful case of the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises, and examines the above two issues by administering questionnaires to two groups of individuals: agricultural officials of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Thailand (23 participants) and officials and scholars of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Vietnam (22 participants) in 2018. The results show the relationship between food crises and institutionalized international cooperation, such as APTERR, among the Asian countries. First, this study reveals that certain circumstances, such as food crises, can stimulate institutionalized international cooperation, by providing a more profound insight into the complex interplays among the governments of nation-states. Second, when nations share an understanding of a common policy alternative or solution, the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises is more likely to develop successfully. It is also confirmed that 'institutionalization of international cooperation' is possible through the sharing ofcommon policy solution under the situation of repeated and serious crises. These conditions tell us that intergovernmental cooperation such as APTERR is an exceptional phenomenon for nation-states that emphasize autonomy and independence. This study highlighted the key issues of the relationship between food crises and institutionalization of cooperation while trying to identify key determining factors in establishing an internationally coordinated mechanism for food security.