Vegetables are major crops in the global food demand next to cereals, and Asia is now recognized as the center of the vegetable production in the world. In 2012, a successful SEAVEG Regional Symposium on “High Value Vegetables in Southeast Asia – Production, Supply and Demand (SEAVEG 2012)” was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which was hosted by institutions, including Thailand Department of Agriculture (DOA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO), Asian Research and Development Center (AVRDC). The United Nation General Assembly in its 2014 “International Year of Family Farming” stressed that small-scale farms run by family play a significant role in food supply. In this context, to examine vegetable production and marketing systems of small-scale farms, promote sustainable agriculture and vegetable consumption, and review related policies, DOA, FAO, AVRDC, Horticultural Science Society of Thailand (HSST), Kasetsart University (KU), Vegetable Science International Network (VEGINET), ASEAN-AVRDC Regional Network for Vegetable Research and Development (AARNET) jointly organized the Regional Symposium on “Sustaining Small-Scale Vegetable Production and Marketing Systems for Food and Nutrition Security (SEAVEG 2014)” on February 25-28, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. About total 150 representatives from 21 different countries attended the Symposium. JIRCAS reported its research outcomes from the project of on-going Long-term Soil Experiment in Thailand.

SEAVEG 2014 session