Developing capacities in agricultural innovation in Laos

Wit the support of the DeSIRA Project, TAP-AIS Lao DPR organized successfully a dissemination workshop of AIS assessment report and findings during last week.

Press article accessible here https://www.vientianetimes.org.la/sub-new/Business/Business_Developing_133.php

Link to the full AIS assessment report: http://www.fao.org/3/cb5205en/cb5205en.pdf

Innovation is critical to the future of the Lao agriculture sector but limited functional capacities to monitor, analyse, and evaluate related economic opportunities and market conditions remain barriers to sharing the benefits of innovation nationwide. This was among the insights aired when the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the EU Delegation and the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute jointly organised a workshop on the findings of the AIS Assessment under the EU-funded project “Developing Capacities in Agriculture Innovation Systems: Scaling up a Tropical Agriculture Platform Framework (TAP AIS)”.

The workshop took place in Vientiane last week and was co-chaired by the Deputy Director General of the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Dr Chansamone Phongoudom, FAO Country Representative to Laos, and Representative of the EU Delegation to Laos, Ms Assunta Testa.



The TAP-AIS is a global project funded by and a part of the larger European Union Initiative “Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture: Towards climate-relevant agricultural and knowledge innovation system”.

The workshop was attended by almost 80 (55 online) representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and stakeholders in Laos. The workshop was also attended online by members of the FAO Technical Research and Extension Unit and colleagues abroad.

Participants discussed the findings and recommendations of the participatory AIS Assessment, and publication of the assessment report. The workshop featured a panel discussion with representatives from key departments, farming and private sector organisations on how to promote and accelerate agricultural innovation in Laos.

“Agricultural innovation is not just about technology, which on its own may simply remain on the shelf,” Ms Akiko Inoguchi said.

“Most importantly, it is about social, economic, institutional/organisational and policy processes, and having an impact on the lives of farmers.”

In Laos, the project works with multi-stakeholders, aiming to contribute to promoting climate-relevant, productive and sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems by developing capacities to innovate at national level.

The project is working to strengthen innovation at global, regional and national levels in nine countries from August 2019 to July 2024.

The Agriculture Innovation System Assessment in Laos is an important process that cements the foundation of the project and points to important entries for the project activities moving forward.

The assessment was conducted by a team of national experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, National University of Laos, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, and CSOs, with technical and methodological support from FAO’s technical team.

The assessment emphasises ways in which the agriculture sector can adapt to promote innovation to improve productivity.

Highlighted were two examples of Lao agricultural innovation via the Lao Farmer Network and Thong Mang Agricultural Cooperative.

The workshop heard that Lao agriculture innovation partnerships have been established in different forms but need more support from development projects and local authorities for coordination and to strengthen capacity to develop new services and products.

Developing the capacities of key organisations and improving the policy environment could serve to strengthen Lao agricultural innovation systems and drive the positive transformation of agri-food systems.