First ever workshop held to bring smallholders together with private sector

"The markets are there, but how do we organize smallholders to meet the market's demands?" asked Mr. Le Viet Tam, the Regional Project Manager for WWF's Greater Mekong Subregion Office, at the recently completed workshop, "Connecting Smallholders in Mekong Region: Create Opportunities for Smallholders and Support Sustainable Production."

Hosted from 12 - 14 June 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, this workshop connected approximately 40 smallholders from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam with different private sector actors, making it the first ever to do so in the region. Through connecting the participants, the goal was to share and learn business practices on timber and rubber latex production. 

After three days of presentations and activities, it became clear that unity is necessary if smallholders are to gain access to certain markets. Overall, the workshop was deemed a success by many of the participants, who noted that they were confident in their ability to speak with company representatives on their priorities and expectations, while also listening to additional recommendations. 

Company participants included IKEA, Michelin, Burapha and Sri Trang.