The Mekong Institute (MI), in collaboration with the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center (LMWRCC), is supporting countries in the Lancang-Mekong region to increase the resilience of the agriculture sector to extreme weather patterns by helping key stakeholders build foundational skills in flood and drought risk management. At a virtual training held from March 9 to 13, 2026, 29 participants from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam learned key concepts and gained practical tools for addressing climate challenges that affect agriculture and rural livelihoods across the region.
Opening the training program, Mr. Zhang Zheng, Deputy Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Khon Kaen, stressed that regional cooperation is essential in addressing shared climate challenges. “Over the past decade, the Lancang–Mekong Cooperation (LMC) has delivered tangible benefits for countries across the region. Strengthening cooperation in water management, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development will remain essential as we work together to address climate change and environmental challenges.”
Ms. Guohua Liu, Director of MI’s Sustainable Energy and Environment (SEE) Department, emphasized the role of capacity development and knowledge exchange in strengthening climate resilience. “Building climate resilience in agriculture requires not only data and technology, but also the capacity of institutions and practitioners to apply them effectively. Through this program, we aim to help bridge the gap between climate information and real-world agricultural planning.”
LMWRCC Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Dong Yanfei, through his welcoming remarks, reminded participants that “The Lancang–Mekong basin is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, with increasing flood and drought risks affecting millions of people. Strengthening regional cooperation and technical capacity is essential to support resilient water management and sustainable development.”
The five-day online program is the first component of a broader regional capacity development initiative aligned with the LMC Framework and the LMC Five-Year Plan of Action. It brought together government officials, agricultural practitioners, and technical specialists working in climate, water resources, and agricultural development. Training modules covered climate and hydrological data analysis, flood risk mapping, drought monitoring indicators, and early warning systems. Technical experts from the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) and Khon Kaen University (KKU) guided participants through practical demonstrations and hands-on exercises using climate datasets and analytical tools.
The second component of this regional capacity-building initiative will involve a learning visit in Thailand, where participants will observe practical examples of climate-resilient agriculture and early warning systems. The third component will require country teams to develop institutional action plans to apply climate information in agricultural planning and advisory services. The program will conclude with a regional workshop to review, synthesize, and evaluate lessons learned and share results among participating countries.
