Working Group on Agriculture

	Components
p. 5 of 5 BACK | NEXT Component 1: Facilitating Cross-Border Agricultural Trade and Investment Component 2: Promoting Public-Private Partnerships for Sharing Agricultural Information Component 3: Enhancing Capacity in Agricultural Science and Technology Component 4: Establishing Emergency Response Mechanisms for Agricultural and Natural Resource Crises Component 5: Strengthening Institutional Linkages and Mechanisms for Cooperation

Strengthening Institutional Linkages and Mechanisms for Cooperation

• Institutional cooperation is the glue that makes the Core Agriculture Support Program (CASP) work. It provides the synergies among the GMS countries needed to accelerate progress in pro-poor agricultural development. Institutional partnerships, linkages, operation systems, protocols, and other mechanisms need to be developed to enhance productivity, growth, and equity in the GMS agriculture sector.
• This component will promote various forms of cooperation in priority areas identified by the Working Group on Agriculture (WGA). Particular emphasis will be placed on promoting partnerships with international and regional organizations, the private sector, and civil society groups.
• Priority institutional linkages and forms of cooperation to be undertaken include
  • promoting partnerships with multilateral and bilateral donors, specialized agencies, regional organizations, and nongovernment and private sector organizations;
  • developing alliances and partnerships with interested private sector groups to seek innovative approaches for closer cooperation between farmers and small-scale processing, marketing, and business units;
  • harmonizing the activities of the WGA with those of the other GMS sectoral working groups – environment, trade facilitation, transport, and human resource development;
  • sharing best practices, research results, and information with stakeholders in the private (including farmers), public, and nongovernment organization sectors, as well as with development partners and international centers of excellence;
  • creating opportunities for dialogue for participatory planning, design, and knowledge dissemination;
  • establishing communities of practice among GMS countries and development partners for reducing rural poverty;
  • supporting special studies and preparation of an operations manual;
  • preparing training programs on specific subjects to be identified by the WGA; and
  • communicating information to all stakeholders through publications, newsletters, sourcebooks, and flyers.