Agriculture is the backbone of the Greater Mekong Subregion’s economies. With over 60% of the subregion’s 340 million inhabitants engaged in small-scale agriculture, it directly supports the livelihoods of nearly 200 million people.
The Working Group on Agriculture (WGA) has been working toward the implementation of priority projects under the Core Agriculture Support Program.
While agriculture is the cornerstone of many families’ livelihoods, it is also exacting a toll on the environment, contributing to forest and biodiversity loss, water pollution and shortages, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions.
People and governments in the Greater Mekong Subregion are working to develop agricultural practices that simultaneously conserve land and water resources, while at the same time increasing the productivity and profitability of agriculture, particularly for small-scale farmers.
Countries are pooling resources and expertise to increase the competitiveness of their agricultural products and encourage investment in agribusiness, while at the same time conserving the environment and natural resources. This involves research and technology that emphasizes climate-friendly agricultural development, including participation by the private sector with a focus on food security. This work is being guided by the Core Agriculture Support Program Phase II (CASP II) 2011-2020, supported by the Government of Sweden (Sida), Nordic Development Fund, Water Financing Partnership Facility, and Asian Development Bank.
At the 2nd GMS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 6-8 September 2017, the ministers endorsed a strategy to promote safe and environment-friendly agriculture products, and a plan to strengthen value chain integration, involving smallholder farmers, rural women, as well as small and medium-sized agro-enterprises.
Related
• Strategy for Promoting Safe and Environment-Friendly Agro-Based Value Chains and Siem Reap Action Plan, 2018-2022
• Core Agriculture Support Program Phase II (2011-2015)
• Core Agriculture Support Program Phase I (2006-2010)
• Working Group on Agriculture (WGA)
Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat.
The is the summary of proceedings from the 9th Meeting of the Working Group on Agriculture of the Greater Mekong Subregion held in Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China on 4-6 July 2012.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (7 November 2012) - The Asian Development Bank and Australian Agency for International Development will provide an $87.39 million package of loans and grants to help Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam pair infrastructure upgrades with community-based disaster risk management and enhanced regional forecasting to improve flood and drought preparedness in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Trade facilitation of agri-food products can potentially reduce trade barriers, lower transaction costs, foster efficiency along the supply chains, and reduce poverty in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
The Ninth Meeting of the GMS Working Group on Agriculture (WGA-9) was held in Nanning, Guangxi, People's Republic of China, on 4-6 July 2012, with the theme "Innovative Financing through Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Regional Investment in Low Carbon Agriculture in the GMS". The Meeting was organized and sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture, PRC, and attended by participants from the six GMS countries (Cambodia, People's Republic of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam), and ADB.
A more integrated, harmonious, prosperous, and equitable Greater Mekong Subregion requires agriculture to be the lead contributing sector. Regional cooperation in the agriculture sector is guided by the Core Agriculture Support Program (CASP), which is implemented by the Working Group on Agriculture.
Under CASP Phase I (2006-2010), GMS member countries expanded agriculture trading, resulting in sizable gains in the global market.
This paper presents the variations and implications of contract farming arrangements in three case studies - cabbage, maize, and sugarcane - in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The 8th Meeting of the GMS Working Group on Agriculture was held on 25-26 October 2011 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The Seventh Meeting of the GMS Working Group on Agriculture was held on 15-16 November 2010 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
Trade in food and other agricultural products is increasingly important across East and Southeast Asia, where high-income Asian economies have driven significant agricultural expansion, and the momentous growth of the People's Republic of China (PRC) promises more stimulus to agrofood activity in the region. The PRC is expected to become a net importer of agrofood in the coming decades, which will have significant implications within the region.
This report presents a synthesis of the results of the individual country assessment studies and sets out the subregional strategy for biofuel development in the Greater Mekong Subregion.