(VOVworld)-The 31^st Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization opened in Hanoi on Thursday. Under the theme” Food security and poverty reduction in rural areas”, the conference is focused on proposals and action programs for the region over the next two years. Agriculture plays a key role in economic development in most countries in the Asia Pacific region, many of which have tilted their policies toward increased investment in agriculture and rural areas. "In recent decades, thanks to efforts by regional countries and support from international organizations, especially the FAO, world food production has obtained remarkable results, food security has been improved and many countries have become food self sufficient. Many countries have restructured their agricultural production to increase productivity, quality and efficiency to ensure more sustainable food security including nutrition security in combination with environmental protection", said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.