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.
Agriculture is the cornerstone of many families’ livelihoods, however 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 (GMS) 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.
The GMS Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030), endorsed and adopted at the 7th GMS Summit of Leaders in September 2021 to provide a new setting for the development of this subregion for the next decade, notes that in the agriculture sector, GMS-2030 will promote higher food safety and quality standards for expanding exports, for which an alignment of policies and standards will be required in the subregion. GMS-2030 will encourage climate- and environment-friendly production practices along the value chain, as well as sustain natural assets with a focus on small-scale farmers and micro, small, and medium-sized agro-enterprises. Given that COVID-19 has adversely impacted agricultural supply chains, GMS-2030 will support food security response and recovery efforts in the medium and long terms.
The GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (GMS SAFSP), implemented in 2019,has been designed to assist the GMS countries to tackle key climate change challenges to their agricultural sectors.Its three themes are: (i) climate-friendly, inclusive, and gender responsive agri-food value chains and agribusiness; (ii) climate-adaptive agriculture in the context of water-energy food nexus; and (iii) harmonized crop and livestock safety and quality systems.
The SAFSP was prepared in response to the recommendations of GMS agriculture ministers in 2017. They expressed a joint vision of promoting the GMS as a leading supplier of safe, quality and climate-friendly agri-food products. Achieving this vision depends on overcoming multiple barriers along the agrifood value chains. The ministers endorsed the Strategy for Promoting Safe and Environment Friendly Agro-Based Value Chains in the GMS at the 2nd GMS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia on 6-8 September 2017. The Strategy aims 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.
The GMS SAFSP builds on the achievements of the GMS Core Agriculture Support Program (CASP) phase I (2006-2012) and phase II (2011-2020).
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)
• GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program Newsletter
• Working Group on Agriculture (WGA)
Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank
Srinivasan Ancha
Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment Cluster
Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department
Criselda Rufino
Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office
Sectors Group
Other Concerned Staff & Consultants
Asadullah Sumbal
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department
Rafaelita Jamon
Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat
Send inquiries to GMS CCESP Secretariat and GMS Secretariat.
Food safety has a significant negative impact on economic growth and human health. As a result, more mandatory legal requirements for food safety risk management techniques and various risk management mechanisms are being adopted.
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $62.9 million package to help Cambodia enhance food security and promote inclusive economic growth by improving livestock health and value chains, and the formal trade of livestock and livestock products.
The global community has gathered at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022, for the COP27 climate conference
The COP, or Conference of the Parties, is the key decision-making forum of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change and its impacts.
Credits: Photo by Lester Ledesma/ADB.
The first webinar on the Water-Food-Energy (WFE) nexus was conducted on 24 March 2022 to introduce the Nexus concept and discuss the relevance of Nexus trade-offs – these define trade-offs between water, food, and energy security – for stakeholders in GMS countries. The latter confirmed that the Nexus is of high relevance for decision makers and planners in all GMS countries as traditional processes have occurred in sector silos often triggering substantial unintended cross-sector trade-offs.
The Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (GMS SAFSP) is a program supported by the Asian Development Bank and driven by the vision of the Greater Mekong Subregion as a leading supplier of safe and climate-friendly agri-food products.
This newsletter by the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (SAFSP) presents the latest activities and developments in GMS agriculture cooperation. Read about the 19th GMS Working Group on Agriculture Annual Meeting, the workshop on Climate-smart Agriculture in the context of the Water-Food-Energy Nexus, the training on cross-border traceability protocols for safer and more efficient supply chains, and more.
http://www.lmcchina.org/eng/The Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) of the People’s Republic of China, in partnership with the Mekong Institute and with support from the “Greater Mekong Subregion Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program (SAFSP),” is hosting the Virtual Training Workshop on Lancang-Mekong Agro-Products Quality and Safety Inspection and Testing on 15-19 August 2022.
Foreign ministers of Mekong–Lancang Cooperation member countries vowed to strengthen their cooperation in economic integration, agriculture and food security, green development, innovation, public health and people-to-people exchanges, at the 7th Mekong - Lancang Cooperation meeting.
The meeting adopted four joint statements on strengthening agricultural cooperation, disaster prevention, customs and trade facilitation, and exchanges between MLC civilizations.
The 19th Annual Meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Working Group on Agriculture (WGA) featured the theme "Adaptation of Greater Mekong Subregion Agriculture in the context of Climate Change, and the Water-Food-Energy (WFE) Nexus." It was held in-person in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, and via videoconference on 21–23 June 2022.
Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat
Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division,
Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank
Address: 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8632 4444 Fax: +63 2 8636 2226
