Background and Principles
The Agricultural Working Group under the GMS Program focuses on enhancing food safety and quality standards to expand exports, which requires the development of consistent policies and standards across the subregion. Under the GMS 2030 Strategic Framework, it also promotes climate-friendly and environmentally sustainable production practices throughout the value chain, as well as preserving natural assets, with a focus on smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises.
Furthermore, the GMS 2030 Strategic Framework will support approaches to address food security and efforts to restore such security in the medium and long term, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected agricultural supply chains.
Recent Progress
The Agricultural Working Group is currently advancing the GMS Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Project to help member countries respond to increasing demand for safe and high-quality agricultural products and food, both within and outside the subregion. In 2023, the Agricultural Working Group continues to focus on subregional cooperation to make agricultural and food value chains environmentally friendly and climate-resilient, and on green financing for small and medium-sized agricultural businesses.
