A ground-breaking collaboration between Khon Kaen Province, Khon Kaen University, and researchers from the Lao PDR has successfully positioned cricket farming within the GMS action plan, elevating the ‘protein of the future’ to an international platform to foster knowledge transfer and sustainable food security.
Khon Kaen, Thailand – At the 27th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok, Khon Kaen Province, in partnership with Khon Kaen University (KKU), successfully advocated for a pioneering project focused on cricket farming. During the Governors’ Forum, Mr. Yutthaporn Pirunsarn, Deputy Governor of Khon Kaen, presented “A Thai-Lao Partnership for Developing Sustainable Cricket Farming for Food Security,” a initiative designed to forge a significant collaboration between Thailand and the Lao PDR.
The project aims to upgrade and develop the value chain of cricket farming—recognised as a high-potential “economic insect” and a rapidly growing alternative protein source. This achievement is the result of an integrated effort between Deputy Governor Yutthaporn Pirunsarn and Dr. Anuwat Srisawat, Deputy Director of KKU’s Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development.
With the primary objectives of strengthening the grassroots economy and enhancing regional food security, the project is strategically aligned with the GMS Regional Investment Framework (RIF) 2030. It supports the framework’s goals of fostering inclusive, sustainable economic connectivity and ensuring food security by driving the green economy through the transfer of modern agricultural technology and innovation.
As crickets are a highly nutritious protein source, the development of a comprehensive value chain across the GMS—from upstream (farming) to midstream (processing) and downstream (marketing)—will be a critical mechanism for boosting the competitiveness of Thai and Lao farmers. This initiative is poised to become a vital driver of the bio-economy in the Mekong subregion, focusing on the exchange of knowledge, modern cricket farming techniques, standardised farm management, the creation of high-value processed products, and the expansion of market channels to regional and global levels.
The project has now been officially incorporated into the GMS Regional Investment Framework 2026–2028: Investment Pipeline under the GMS Program. Dr. Anuwat Srisawat will serve as the project leader. This success solidifies the roles of Khon Kaen Province and Khon Kaen University as leaders in agricultural innovation and as key facilitators of sustainable economic cooperation in the region.
