MRLG’s Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI) workstream promotes responsible and sustainable agro-investments in the Mekong region on the basis of the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN-RAI). The RAI workstream operates at both regional and national levels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, engaging government agencies, civil society organizations, and private sector actors. Nationally, activities under the RAI workstream are tailored to addressing country-specific priorities, including facilitating policy dialogues, conducting research on land-based investments, and advocating for legal reforms that protect smallholder farmers’ rights and promote sustainable agricultural practices. At the RAI regional level, MRLG supports a platform for knowledge exchange and collective action across national alliances based on their experiences of implementing ASEAN-RAI and other shared policy priorities, particularly on contract farming and cooperatives. The regional alliance also has a focus on supporting more environmentally and socially sustainable investments in the rubber sector, given the large regional footprint of this crop, often through cross-border investments among the Mekong countries. As is the case under the CT theme, gender equity is a key concern in improving the social performance of agricultural investments, as well as understanding the implications of climate change adaptation and mitigation for smallholder land tenure security.
By harmonizing efforts at both regional and national levels, MRLG partners with governments, international organisations and the private sector to promote responsible agricultural investment, ensure equitable outcomes, and improve land governance and agricultural practices in the Mekong region.
