20 Years of SSWG-FAB: Reflection on Achievements, Lessons Learned, and Remaining Gaps
June 11, 2026, the Sub-Sector Working Group on Farmers and Agribusiness (SSWG-FAB) held a landmark workshop in Vientiane under the theme “20 Years of SSWG-FAB: Achievements, Lessons Learned, and Remaining Gaps.” The event was co-chaired by Mr. Souvanthong Namvong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Cooperatives (DAEC), Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and Mr. Björn Schranz, Head of Programs at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This important session brought together 70 participants in person and 15 participants online, representing a diverse multi-stakeholder group from government, NGOs, NPAs, research institutes, and the private sector working closely with the sub-sector. Together, they gathered to review the platform’s 20-year history, connect national policy with field realities, address private sector engagement gaps, and navigate a major leadership transition as Switzerland concludes its long-term role.
Established in May 2006, the platform has spent two decades transitioning from a basic coordination mechanism into a highly trusted multi-stakeholder dialogue space that champions the “voice and choice” of smallholders. Over its 20-year history, the working group has hosted more than 40 meetings, commissioned over 37 policy studies, and directly fostered the creation of the Lao Farmer Association (LFA), which now legally represents 256 organizations and over 61,000 small producers nationwide. The platform has also been instrumental in shaping national policy, including key contributions to the 2025 Contract Farming Decree and improving transparency in farmer-buyer relations.
Reflecting on these two decades of partnership, the Swiss Cooperation Office highlighted that the true value of the working group goes far beyond individual outputs. They shared a vital perspective on the platform’s enduring sustainability, stating, “The key achievement is not individual outputs but the existence of a sustained and functioning platform over time. The strength of the SSWG-FAB lies not in any individual co-chair but in its collective ownership and continued relevance to the sector.”
During the innovative “Pitching Space” session, ALiSEA in Laos delivered a concise presentation mapping out its interventions to support smallholders and promote agroecology. The pitch specifically showcased the ALiSEA Knowledge HUB, a centralized digital knowledge management platform that empowers local farmers, researchers, and extension agents with open access to technical briefs and ecological best practices. By participating, ALiSEA successfully aligned its digital networking and field monitoring efforts with the working group’s broader conversations on modernizing agricultural extension systems.
In conclusion, the workshop marked a major turning point as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) officially steps down after 20 years of dedicated support, leaving the working group actively looking for a new co-chair to step into this vital leadership space. Moving forward under full national ownership, the platform will link with the broader restructuring of the ministry’s working group system to ensure smallholders always have a dedicated space to stay central to national development.
Access to all the presentations here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1HnjnlpOlzpDG_LCfQ1BV2ThGCdCnsvhQ