This is the first issue of The State of Food and Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific. Its focus on regional dimensions of food and agriculture makes it a complement to The State of Food and Agriculture published at FAO headquarters in Rome, which focuses on specific issues at a more global level. The first part of the publication is an analysis of medium to long-term trends in poverty and the role of agriculture, production and natural resources, consumption, and marketing and trade. Underlying all parts of this analysis is a concern for the food security of both producers and consumers. The second part of the publication focuses in more detail on two specific issues confronting Asian agriculture: reducing vulnerability to natural hazards and the effects of trade liberalization on food security. These topics are two of the six priority themes contained in the Regional Strategic Framework of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the document that guides FAO’s work throughout t he region.