Updates from each SSWG: To be included in the RTIM Reporting Discussion this Afternoon SSWG-Forestry SSWG-Agro-Biodiversity SSWG-Farmers and Agribusiness SSWG-Rural Development Policy Think Tank

Report of the SWG-ARD to the Round Table Implementation Meeting Fall 2017

Report from SWG to RTIM Drafted based on input from all the SSWGs as just seen today Includes SWG discussion and presentations Draft to be submitted 29 September, with opportunity for editing and comment. Draft distributed today.

SWG-level reporting Overall Progress Overview of Sector Performance Restructuring and TORs (reported this morning) Special dialog topics Overview of Sector Performance Reporting against the ‘follow-up actions’ Communications Partnership for Effectiveness ( Reporting against the Vientiane Declaration Country Action Plan (VDCAP))

Overall Progress Special Dialog Topics LDC graduation and SDG integration: the SDG’s have been integrated within the SWG objectives and reporting framework. Meetings include frequent discussion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, a major contribution towards realizing the criteria for LDC graduation. Realizing quality private sector investment for development: The Chair of the SWG has pushed this agenda to the front of discussion, reflecting the importance and ongoing challenges. SSWGs also report on related dialog. Specific presentations deal with elements of the topic: contract farming, and agro-biodiversity and pesticide use. Investing in Skills for Human Development: The SSWG-FAB discussed efforts to involve youth in agriculture through improved opportunities and skills. The sector’s World Food Day agenda includes addressing migration through improved support for rural development and opportunities to engage more advanced technologies and modernization in rural areas.

Overview of Performance: A. RTIM follow-up actions Progress 4.02: Multi-sectoral approach to managing livestock disease outbreaks. 4.03: Research into the policy, practice, and impact of contract farming found. 4.04: Health and environmental impact of pesticide use, need for better regulation, and IMP farmer field schools. 5.02: Rural Finance: use of diverse financial services to reach the 45% of Lao population distant from banks and ATMs. 7.01: discussed the support to sub-national coordination, planning, reporting capacities for NSA within the NNS-PA. 7.03: discussed technical support to NSA services 7.07: Integrating FS & N concepts into sub-national planning and reporting practices. 7.08: Nutrition sensitive agriculture as a cross-cutting theme for discussion within all SSWG and SWG meetings. 7.09: revised impact pathway for NSA to address accessibility and consumption. 7.12: Developing an M&E system for NSA to integrate with the NPIN. 9.08: Farmer field schools to promote application of integrated pest management.

A. RTIM follow-up actions (continued) Opportunities and Challenges Balancing commercialization with nutrition: (Overall food security production and local needs for nutritious foods) Policy, sub-national planning and M&E, services, and investment Partnership with many agriculture-related ODA projects Not a case of either or, but both: food systems and nutrition-sensitive commercial agriculture. Critical for graduating from LDC; integrating SDGs; Frameworks for private sector engagement Policy and processes Legal framework for Contract Farming High value—needs certification, guarantee systems, good extension, and farmer organization Voluntary guidelines for agriculture value chains.

B. Communications The SWG-ARD uses the following shared folder to disseminate agendas, minutes, and presentations for its general meetings: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzTaYIoitEIHdWtBdzg1UFhtZ2c The SWG is in negotiations with several service providers for redesign and hosting of the sector web site.

C. Partnerships for Effective Development Cooperation (VDCAP) 1. Greater aligning and tailoring …of development finance to the national development agenda and context through results-based planning practices. The RTM Focus Areas adopted by the SWG-ARD Used to structure planning and reporting Development partners recognize areas as being priorities Relates to NSEDP and sector strategies and plans. Room for improvement in alignment of development support Needs continued engagement of Government agencies and DPs. 5. Programme-Based Approaches (PBAs) and Sector Wide Approaches (SWAp) …to support the implementation of the NSEDPs including SDGs The Northern Upland Development Programme (NUDP), (closed in March 2016), was the most recent ARD programme-based approach The continuation of the NUDP has been financed by only one Development Partner. There are no prospects for adoption of PBAs or SWAp in the ARD sector.

C. Partnerships for Effective Development Cooperation (VDCAP) (continued) 6. Coordinate and Simplify Under Government leadership, providers of development cooperation coordinate their strategies and actions, simplify procedures vis-à-vis the Government and enhance collaboration to avoid duplication. Development partners have been designing and structuring support to address government priorities, The SWG-ARD has fostered synergies between programmes where appropriate. Systematic gathering of intelligence on future programming of development partners will be difficult to implement. 8. Evolution of the Round Table Process - moving towards greater partnership for effective development cooperation The SWG-ARD promotes policy dialogue on a wide range of strategic development programming questions and challenges Focuses on evidence gathered from specific studies and ongoing priority programmes supported by development partners. Approach can be further developed with closer links between the policy debate and programming challenges. Opportunities to link with new MAF Department of Policy and Legal Affairs

C. Partnerships for Effective Development Cooperation (VDCAP) (continued) 13. South-South cooperation Improving understanding on the nature and modalities of south-south cooperation partners and their significant participation in development cooperation management through a clear coordination and reporting mechanism There are many examples of South-South collaboration with ASEAN and regional partners in the ARD Sector Links also fostered by international development organizations in tripartite partnerships. SSC linkages could be monitored periodically in a more systematic way if that was felt to be valuable. 14. Private Sector Engagement Improving engagement of private sector in national and provincial development planning and coordination, including the implementation, reporting and oversight of development results and outcomes through a proper analytical framework/mechanism. No organized or structured approach to increase the engagement of private sector stakeholders in the SWG-ARD process Many private-sector stakeholders do participate actively, especially in SSWGs. A more structured process of engaging private sector stakeholders in the SWG-ARD could be explored, LMCCI could assist, Informal consultation to explore opportunities