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RICE CHAIN WORKSHOP AT BANGKOK

Subhashini and Sridevi at the meeting hall.

A workshop on 'Organising the Organic Fairtrade Rice Chain, Building Grassroots Competency' was held in Thailand between 8 - 25 June 2005. This was an eighteen day long comprehensive training and exposure on the different components of organic and fairtrade rice chain. The training was for the Non-governmental organizations in South and South-East Asian nations working largely on rice.

The overall goal was to improve the livelihood of the rural producers through organic and fairtrade rice chain activities. The specific objective of the project was to capacitate and increase the competency of grassroot organizations in the Asian region in organising organic and fairtrade rice chain projects.

About 20 participants, from 13 organisations in 5 Asian countries participated in this training programme. The various organisations include CIKS, Green Foundation, Kudumbam and SNS Foundation from India, IPPHTI, FIELD, KSPPM and Veco-Indonesia Indonesia, CEDAC from Cambodia, MASIPAG and SEARICE from Philippines, Isura Development and MPIS Srilanka. Mrs. Subhashini Sridhar and Ms. R. Sridevi, from CIKS, participated in the workshop.

Presenting the rice development plan

The curriculum included theory sessions, practical training and study visits of actual rice chain activities operated by grassroot groups in Thailand as well as other institutions working on different aspects of rice chain. eg. Researches, Policy advocacy, business. For the first six days the participants gathered in Bangkok and there were theory sessions on various topics. The next eight days were spent in Yasothon province, a few hundred kilometers northeast of Bangkok. Here the participants had an opportunity for taking up practical field exercises and were given several demonstrations.

During the course of the first two weeks, the participants were given assignments, held group discussions and made country level presentations. During the last week the participants returned to Bangkok (Kasetsart University) where they undertook participant planning, group work and development of a plan for rice chain activities for their respective locations.

Participants were guided to make an analysis of their own rice chain project's weaknesses, and to develop intervention measures to improve its operation. The respective development plans were shared with the other participants and commented on by resource persons to facilitate comprehensive learning.