Poverty and food security are intricately linked. Without income or resources to grow food, people experiencing poverty are vulnerable to high food prices resulting from external shocks like the ongoing pandemic and are prone to be chronically undernourished. Thus, reducing poverty is critical in policy development for food security. During COVID-19, the Lancang-Mekong (LM) Countries, Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, have also developed targeted policies and measures to support vulnerable households. Despite the progress made in the sub-regional countries at varying degrees, poverty alleviation, and food security remains intertwined challenges to be tackled. In the CLMV countries, rural poverty and inequalities remain alarmingly prevalent.

Notably, the complications from the pandemic that severely hit the world for around three years caused a reversal in progress made in SDGs, including poverty and hunger-reduction. The ADB report mentioned that COVID-19 pushed 4.7 million more people in Southeast Asia into extreme poverty in 2021. Furthermore, the report FAO in 2022 also estimated that COVID-19 disruptions could drive an additional 13.6 million children into acute malnutrition. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution as a recovery model from the pandemic, it is recommended that all the countries work together and learn good practices from each other to weather the adversity of the crisis.

In continued support of global efforts in achieving sustainable development goals and regional cooperation, Mekong Institute (MI), funded by the People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China, is embarking on a regional learning program on “Targeted Poverty Alleviation and Strengthening Food Security in the Lancang-Mekong Countries for Post-pandemic Recovery”. The learning program will include four (4 ) phases:

• Training in Khon Kaen, Thailand (April 24-28, 2023)
• Action Plan (May-August, 2023)
• Webinar (July 2023)
• Online Synthesis and Evaluation Workshop (August 2023).

The project’s ultimate goal is to contribute to regional cooperation in poverty alleviation and promoting food security through sharing good practices and lessons learned. It is expected that the participants will be able to

• Reflect on challenges and opportunities over poverty alleviation and food security in recovery efforts;
• Enhance the capacity of participants in developing two-prolonged approaches that could reduce poverty while promoting food security; and
• Identify the forward-looking recovery actions that could facilitate the resilience of national and regional food supply chains.

Module 1: Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Food Security Governance in the Lancang-Mekong Countries
This module will articulate success stories and lessons learned in hunger reduction in the Lancang-Mekong Countries. The discussion will lead to the nature of sectors and stakeholders involved in food security governance. It will pay attention to national plans for recovery from the pandemic concerning building resilient food systems. The good practices and lessons learned will include utilizing innovative technologies and mainstreaming social inclusion in policies and measures.

Scope

• Food Security Governance in the Lancang-Mekong Countries
• Good Practices and Lessons Learned in Safeguarding Food Security
• Utilization of Innovative Technologies and Integration of Social Inclusion
• Resilient Recovery Plan for the Future of Food Security in the Lancang-Mekong Countries

Module 2: Strategic Food Security Programming
This module will examine the principles of food security programming in crises such as during the pandemic or natural disasters through a case study. It will introduce the tools for risk assessment, monitoring, and evaluating the programs. At the end of the inputs, the trainer will let the participants design the emergency food security interventions.

Scope

• Inter-Agency Coordination and Involvement in Food Security Programming
• Tools For Food Security Assessments
• Formulation of Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Module 3: Action Plan Development
This module will expose participants to develop action plans which aim to disseminate the knowledge acquired from the training in their home countries.

Structured Learning Visits
The training will integrate the learning visits to the food security programs and projects in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Twenty-Five (25) Participants: The target participants are government officials and representatives of academic institutes, businesses, and NGOs directly working on food security programs; rural development programs; and agriculture, livestock, and forestry sectors from Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.