Background and Rationale

Many countries have joined the march toward globalization and are becoming industrialized. However, many Southeast Asian countries continue to feel the effects or impacts of economic transformation. Hence, they realize the major role that agriculture plays in socioeconomic growth, particularly in ensuring food security and reducing poverty in the rural areas. The greatest challenges to developing countries remain to be improving human welfare and the food security situation, and preventing further degradation of the natural environment.

To address this common problem among transition economies in the region, a network that seeks to strengthen agricultural sustainability was formed. The network's focal point is CLMV because:

1. These countries are still very much affected by globalization pressures;
2. Agricultural sectors are very much affected by concerns for food security and safety; and
3. They need to pool their resources and operate as one whole organization to be able to strengthen their position to solve their problems.

Objectives

Established in November 2001, the network's main goal is to share information on sustainable agriculture for curriculum development. Specifically, CLVM-NAS aims to:

• Share information on sustainable agriculture
• Improve knowledge on sustainable agriculture
• Exchange resources, materials, faculty, students, and others on sustainable agriculture
• Assist institutional members in sustainable agriculture curriculum development
• Increase collaboration, resource sharing, problem solving, and technical support on sustainable agriculture

Members

CLVM-NAS has the following members:

• Hanoi Agricultural University, Vietnam
• Thai Nguyen University for Agroforestry, Vietnam
• Hue Agroforestry University, Vietnam
• Nong Lam University (formerly Ho Chi Minh University of Agriculture and Forestry), Vietnam
• Can Tho University, Vietnam
• Royal Agricultural University, Cambodia
• National University of Laos, Lao PDR
• Yezin Agricultural University, Myanmar

Secretariat

The CLVM-NAS Secretariat is located at the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Development Center (SARDC), Hanoi Agricultural University, Vietnam. For more information, send e-mail to Dr. Dao Chau Thu at chauthu-hau_at_fpt.vn or to SEARCA at ecc_at_agri.searca.org.