Successful ASEAN Regional CSA Workshop in Laos
December 2023
At November’s International Conference on Sustainable Animal Agriculture for Development meeting (SAADC2023, November), participants from across ASEAN came together for the first time to share their experiences on improving livestock greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories at a workshop of the CSA Initiative. Co-sponsored by JIRCAS and CGIAR.
Under the CSA Initiative, with support from the Government of New Zealand, 6 ASEAN countries are working to improve their agricultural GHG inventories. This work is key to identifying effective policies and strategies to improve agricultural productivity, reduce emissions, and to meet their Paris Agreement commitments.
Participants from each of the 6 CSA ASEAN countries and NZAGRC consultants Andreas Wilkes and Roger Hegarty
Over a 2-day workshop, 25 inventory compilers and researchers heard about the latest research in the region on livestock emissions and exchanged experiences in improving their own national inventories.
Andreas Wilkes, of the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, said participants were excited to meet others from the region for the first time.
“Participants were keen to continue informal exchange and communication among themselves to keep abreast of what others are doing and potentially to help resolve issues they face.”
Through the workshop, the NZ CSA Initiative is continuing to build cooperation across ASEAN and develop research priorities specifically to meet the region’s needs for inventory development. These will be supported by the regional measurement hubs being established by the CSA Initiative in Viet Nam and the Philippines.
The workshop was a key step to building a stronger regional network and ‘community of practice’ where participants can partner to work on issues together. It also discussed how the work started by the CSA can continue as a regionally supported Phase 2 with anticipated external funding.
Workshop participants also visited the NZ CSA work underway at the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute. Pictured is lead NAFRI scientist Mr Phoukham demonstrating a pig emissions study. Research like this empowers the Laos government to measure and report their own livestock emissions. It also promotes the long-term development of agriculture, which is the main livelihood in rural Laos.
