To enhance the capacity of participants in developing two-pronged approaches that could reduce poverty while promoting food security, Mekong Institute (MI), funded by the People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China, organized the Regional Training Program on “Targeted Poverty Alleviation and Strengthening Food Security in the Lancang-Mekong Countries for Post-pandemic Recovery” from April 24 – 28, 2023 at the MI Training Centre in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Although connectivity, trade and investment, industrialization, and advanced technologies have brought about rapid economic growth, some of the population remains hindered by unequal access across the region. This was particularly during the pandemic which has triggered the incremental rate of hunger. One of the contributing factors impeding productivity of agricultural production is climate change,
The five-day course was attended by 24 government officials from relevant ministries and academic institutions in 6 Lancang-Mekong countries. The resource persons covering three learning modules were from China and Thailand on the topics of food security governance, technological utilization and social inclusion in farming, and food security programming. The highlight was a structured learning visit to a cricket farm and a corn farm to learn about the support each farm received from the local government.
After the training, the participants are required to implement an action plan within a 3-month period in their respective organization, attend a webinar, and join the synthesis and evaluation workshop to share the results of the action plan implementation. The next activities are expected to take place between May – October 2023.
