IFRDMD visited the Department of Livestock and Fisheries of Lao PDR, in Vientiane, on March 13, 2023. The team was welcomed by Mr. Kaviphone Phouthavong, Ph.D., Director General of the Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Lao PDR.
IFRDMD also visited the Department of Fisheries of Thailand, in Bangkok, on March 17, 2023. The team was welcomed by Mr. Choltisak Chawpaknum, Director of Fisheries Foreign Affairs Division of the Department of Fisheries, Thailand.
On that occasion, IFRDMD introduced the Smart Fisheries Villages (SFV) program launched by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. SMART stands for Sustainability, Modernization, Acceleration, and Technology. So, SFV is a concept of developing fisheries villages and work units based on applying high-quality seeds, information and communication technology, proper management, sustainability, and economic growth in line with the aquaculture village program and Innovation Village/Partner Village. SFV is also an integrated, innovative fisheries village development model through collaboration with various relevant stakeholders, including central and local governments, academia, industry, and communities.
Besides, SPEECTRA, or fish conservation, one of the flagship programs of IFRDMD, was also presented. In this program, IFRDMD collaborates with the Research Institute for Inland Fisheries and Extension to develop a Smart Fisheries Village based on fish conservation implemented in Patra Tani Village, South Sumatra, Indonesia.