As part of Support for Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation Programme (Himalica), an orientation workshop was organized on Value Chains and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) on 15 April 2015 for partners in Bhutan. A total of 16 students, along with the study team leader, Dr Thubten Sonam, Assistant Professor of Economics and Co-team Leader, and Dr Tulshi Gurung, Assistant Professor of Horticulture, from the College of Natural Resources in Lobesa, Bhutan, participated in the orientation session.

Both the sessions on value chains and PRA covered the concepts, objectives, methodologies, tools and outputs expected from the studies. After the interactive sessions on the rationale and methodologies, participants conducted group exercises on value chain mapping and PRA tools in the context of climate resilient value chain development. Specific methodologies and checklists for value chain analysis and PRA tools were separately discussed with the team leaders to make the study context-specific. More time was given to make sure that participants will be able to use value chain and PRA tools in capturing climatic changes in pilot villages and their impacts on livelihoods and local environment.

A final meeting was held with the team leaders to clarify the project’s expectations and ensure that the studies would serve as the foundation for the interventions to be made in the pilot site in Bhutan. The teams then proceeded to the pilot site in Tsirang district to conduct value chain analysis and PRA exercises.

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