In an attempt to improve the country’s food and nutrition system, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) adopted the Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) which aims to develop an inclusive, competitive, food- and nutrition-secure, and sustainable agricultural system in Myanmar. The implementation of a programme such as the ADS, taking into account its magnitude, requires coordination between numerous different agencies and stakeholders, as well as policy, legal, planning, monitoring and analytical capacities – capacities which at present are limited and dispersed in Myanmar.
Under the European Union’s support for Sustainable management of Natural Resources and resilience, the European Commission (EC) has committed itself to support the implementation of Myanmar’s Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) and strengthen the capacity of the Myanmar government in agriculture and nutrition sectors, with special emphasis on poor and vulnerable rural people and in due consideration to the environment / climate change and gender sensitive principles.
As such, AETS has been awarded an EC-funded contract that will support the government of Myanmar in the implementation of the ADS and related policies (Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan [MSDP] and the MS-NPAN); as well as support the EU Delegation to Myanmar in the coordination, provision of inputs and formulation of upcoming programmes and projects in agriculture and nutrition sector in the country.
In more specific terms, the AETS team will be responsible for:
- Providing advisory services for enhanced strategic leadership, policy dialogue and coordination to the Leader and members of the ADS Implementation Support Unit (ADSISU)
- Providing technical assistance to members and support staff of ADSISU for efficient and effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the ADS
- Supporting the EU Delegation to Myanmar to enhance the coordination of EU support to MoALI and other instances of government on agriculture and nutrition.
AETS is now working to develop a work plan and will deploy the methodology in agreement with MoALI and the EU Delegation.