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ATMI-ASEAN holds back-to-back Focal Points & Researchers Meeting and Training-Workshop on Rapid Value Chain Assessment

By Bernice Anne C. Darvin FANSSEA News

BANGKOK, Thailand. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in cooperation with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) will conduct the Focal Points & Researchers Meeting and Training Workshop on Rapid Value Chain Assessment under the project "Agricultural Transformation and Market Integration in the ASEAN Region: Responding to Food Security and Inclusiveness Concerns" (ATMI-ASEAN) in Bangkok, Thailand on 31 October to 3 November 2017. 

The Focal Points & Researchers Meeting aims to provide a venue for the project implementers, country focal points, and selected research organizations to discuss and finalize the selection of their priority commodities for the conduct of the national-level policy studies based on their respective country action plans. Moreover, the establishment of the National Project Steering Committees (NPSCs) will likewise be discussed during this event.

The Training-Workshop on Rapid Value Chain Assessment, on the other hand, will be based on the 2007 Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) "Guidelines for rapid appraisals of agrifood chain performance in developing countries."Dr. Carlos A. da Silva, one of the authors, will serve as the technical coordinator cum facilitator of the activity. The primary goal of this training-workshop is for all target AMS (i.e., Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and the Philippines) to learn and employ a common, cost-efficient, research methodology for the conduct of the national-level policy studies under the ATMI-ASEAN project. The activity generally aims to improve the knowledge and capability of the participants in conducting rapid appraisals of agrifood systems in order to identify possible areas for value chain performance improvement.

Around 20 representatives from the ATMI-ASEAN focal agencies and partner research institutions, IFAD, IFPRI, and SEARCA are expected to participate in these back-to-back events.