Episode 6: Lao’s Policy Pathways

Discover the challenges and solutions for sustainable development in landlocked Laos with Policy Pathways’ penultimate episode.

Landlocked Laos 

The penultimate episode of Policy Pathways brings you to landlocked Laos; a country surrounded by large economic powers and replenished by the mighty Mekong River. Laos is home to over 80 different ethnic groups who make up a population of roughly 7 million people. Many of these people rely heavily on agriculture to support themselves, even as crops and livestock are imported into the country, undercutting the viability of the agricultural sector. Episode six of Policy Pathways hopes to illuminate the path towards reforming Laos’ food, land, and water policies, envisioning a future where coherence fosters resilience and sustainability. 

Who are our Laos experts?

Joining us this week is Souphalack Inphonephong, IWMI National Researcher and lead report author of the NPS initiative Laos country report, Sengphachanh Sonethavixay, Country Coordinator at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. Together with special guest Latsamy Phounvisouk from the National Agriculture and Forestry Institute, they highlight the sustainable development challenges confronting Laos and advocate for the transformative power of policy coherence. 

Don’t miss Episode 6! 

Listen to episode six now by searching for Policy Pathways on your favorite streaming platform or find the whole series on the Policy Pathways Podcast Page.  

This article was first published on IWMI’s website 

Author:

Luisa Edmond, IWMI

This work is part of the CGIAR Research Initiative on National Policies and Strategies (NPS). CGIAR launched NPS with national and international partners to build policy coherence, respond to policy demands and crises, and integrate policy tools at national and subnational levels in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. CGIAR centers participating in NPS are The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International Potato Center (CIP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and WorldFish. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.