VIENTIANE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Laos has made significant progress towards achieving food security and reducing rural poverty, and has strong potential to move towards sustainable food systems, according to an assessment report released on the website of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on Wednesday.
The assessment was carried out through a food systems profile of Laos following a Food Systems Assessment conducted in 2021 as part of the support provided to the Lao government by the European Union (EU), FAO and the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD) and facilitated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
"The Lao government has been trying to make progress in tackling the challenges facing our country, some of which are outlined in the Food Systems Assessment," Permanent Secretary of the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Sypaphay Xaisongkham said at a meeting in Lao capital Vientiane on Wednesday to discuss the sustainable and inclusive transformation of food systems in Laos.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Lao government, EU, FAO, and CIRAD.
Xaisongkham said "We can each spur meaningful action in order to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all while protecting our environment."
"We have witnessed a range of challenges, from a significant disruption of agri-food systems and a global economic recession to an increase in food insecurity and inequality."
This is creating added pressure on world finances, and further putting at risk food security and livelihoods, Xaisongkham added.
"As part of the process to better address and transform our agri-food system, the Food Systems Assessment report presents a summary of the main challenges of food systems in Laos and, above all, possible solutions to make them more sustainable and inclusive," Xaisongkham said.
The main challenges of food systems in Laos are acknowledged, while possible solutions to make them more sustainable and inclusive could be realized with a real transformation of the country's food systems, the assessment concluded.
