The Inception Workshop for the technical assistance on climate–smart agriculture (ADB TA–9993) was held virtually using Zoom application on 27 May 2021 owing to the restrictions imposed by the COVID–19 pandemic. This workshop was organized with an aim to inform the key stakeholders at provincial and local levels of the activities and plans in the TA implementation.
The workshop, conducted in English and Thai simultaneously, was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Technical and Provincial subcommittee, provincial level organizations, private sectors, universities, and NGOs in Nan Province. Also present at the virtual workshop were participants from 8 other highland provinces, community leaders and farmers from Bua Yai and neighbouring districts, in addition to ADB representatives and the consultant.
Participants in general understood and endorsed the outputs and activities of the TA and especially with respect to pilot demonstrations on climate-smart agriculture as presented and discussed during the workshop.
The stakeholders believed that this TA in Bua Yai Subdistrict can be a role model for other areas in the province and other highland provinces in Thailand. They strongly iterated that local government offices, village leaders, and women stakeholders should be focal points for successfully implementing this project. They highlighted the importance of continuous dissemination of information to the stakeholders to ensure a smooth operation of the TA.
In light of the ongoing COVID–19 pandemic and its severity, local stakeholders were on board with the idea of alternative channels for communication, and agreed that the initiative should move forward despite such setbacks.