BACKGROUND

The 3rd Annual Meeting of the Mekong Extension Learning Alliance (MELA) was held from 30 October to 1st November, 2017, at Angkor Paradise Hotel in Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia. It gathered participants from every country in the Mekong region MELA brings together agricultural extension and rural advisory service providers from five countries linked by the Mekong River. The Mekong River passes through Yunnan province of China and five countries in South East Asia: Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Agricultural extension and rural advisory services in the Mekong Region have many features in common. This network was established in 2015 following discussions at the meeting held in Hanoi in 2013 on ‘Reaching the Millions’ in Hanoi. The main objectives of the MELA meeting were: to share information, knowledge, experience, and best practices in advisory services among Mekong Region countries and institutions involved in agricultural and rural development; and to provide a space for reflection, hands-on peer support and learning.