Mekong countries share experience in agricultural extension

DA NANG, Sep 12, 2019, NDO. The 5th meeting of the Mekong Extension Learning Alliance (MELA) opened on September 11 in the central city of Da Nang with the participation of 60 delegates from five member countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, reported the Nhan Dan Online.

The four-day event aims to share information, knowledge and experience in agricultural extension and advisory services between regional countries, as well as research within agriculture and rural development.

At the meeting, representatives from MELA member countries presented many reports on the implementation of national policies on climate adaptive smart agriculture, green agriculture and the development of farmers’ organisations.

According to Nguyen Anh Tuan, an official in charge of international cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, MELA will provide farmers with opportunities to have better access to information technology, market development and funding in order to deal with current challenges.

Cooperation between agricultural extension organisations in the Mekong region is also important in the areas of food security, food safety, plant and animal health control, and sustainable agriculture.

At the meeting, measures will be introduced to promote cooperation between regional agricultural extension organisation so as to enhance the capacity, technology transfer and agricultural innovation in each country.

The Mekong Extension Learning Alliance was established in 2015 as a network for its member countries to learn from and share experience with other countries about knowledge and best practices in agricultural advisory services, marketing and sustainable rural development.