In June 2012, the Government of the Lao PDR, with the support of development partners, established a Policy Think Tank as part of the Sector Working Group on Agriculture and Rural Development. The Policy Think Tank is led by NAFRI, the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The aim of the Policy Think Tank is to engage government ministries and private sector stakeholders in dialogue and consensus building to address critical national policy issues that impact actions at the provincial and district levels to support the improvement of livelihoods among the rural poor