It is projected that the global population will rise to 9 billion by 2050. To meet the needs of a vast population, food production by then has to increase by 70%. However, by the start of the 20th Century, competition for land has been on the rise as more lands are being converted and utilized for industrial and commercial uses to keep up with the demands of globalization. Moreover, the effects of the changing climate has been continuously worsening the state of land used for food production - further increasing the competition for the said resource.

Asia is home to 75 percent of the world’s farming households, 80% of whom are small-scale farmers and producers. Farmers are at the backbone of Asia’s economy and considered crucial contributors to food security and nutrition. However, many small food producers have neither ownership nor access to land and resources needed to improve land productivity. In the light of the present health crisis – the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – the state of food security and nutrition is further exacerbated through the disruption in food supply chains and markets. Without access to land, markets, and inputs, farmers’ livelihoods have become even less secure. Food producers who also rely on non-farm and off-farm work to support their livelihoods are constrained in their ability to travel to their employment. At the same time, the capacity to produce and distribute food is hampered as a result of loss of jobs and decreases in purchasing power, especially of those who are poor and vulnerable.