Food and water insecurity in the Asia-Pacific region are intensifying due to climate change, rapid urbanisation, population growth, and economic instability. These interconnected pressures disproportionately affect marginalised communities - in particular, women, children, and indigenous populations – undermining health, livelihoods, and progress toward Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). While objective measures such as food supply statistics and water quality tests are essential for national planning, they often fail to capture the lived experiences of individuals and households. Experiential tools—such as the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) scales and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS)—offer critical insights into psychosocial stress, coping strategies, and cultural dimensions of insecurity. Measuring food and water insecurity in tandem using these tools can uncover hidden vulnerabilities and identify at-risk populations that may otherwise be overlooked. Food and water insecurity are deeply intertwined, with each exacerbating the other. This paper critically examines the evolution and current uses of experiential tools, including in supporting community-led approaches to food and water insecurity, in the Asia Pacific region. By exploring how these tools can be used in tandem, scaled and adapted across diverse regional contexts, it identifies opportunities to strengthen resilience, enhance local agency, and improve program effectiveness in an era of escalating environmental and social stress. Multi-country studies which include Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, India, and China consistently demonstrate that water insecurity—across domains of quantity, quality, and reliability—is independently associated with worsening food insecurity, reduced dietary diversity, and increased hunger.(1) Research also shows that food and water insecurity are linked to broader health impacts, including depression and chronic illness, particularly when both are present. Studies in Indonesia and Vietnam highlight the compounded physical and mental health effects of concurrent food and water insecurity, reinforcing the need for integrated assessments and responses. Experiential tools are not only diagnostic but catalytic. In a remote community in Australia, combined use of HFIAS and WISE revealed that 30% of Aboriginal residents experienced both food and water insecurity, driven by high food costs, poor water quality, and supply interruptions.(2) These findings informed local program development and advocacy by indigenous organisations. In Timor-Leste, a project led by Permatil is using WISE and Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (FIES) to support nature-based water management and build local capacity for monitoring and planning, contributing to sustainable food and water systems. This paper argues that integrating water security into food security programs and embedding experiential tools into policy and program design can uncover hidden vulnerabilities, empower communities, and enable locally driven solutions. Policymakers are urged to adopt integrated, community-informed approaches that reflect lived experiences and prioritise investment in sustainable, culturally relevant responses to food and water insecurity.