20 - 22 October 2011 SRD held a Staff Retreat in Yen Bai city, to begin the process of developing SRD's next Strategic Plan, and to learn from Professor Liu Jinlong, Director of the Centre for Forestry and Natural Resource Policy Study at the Renmin University of China. Professor Liu has travelled to Vietnam to spend 11 days with SRD staff, to visit project sites and learn more about how SRD operates, and to contribute his experience to how SRD can operate more effectively and focus direction for the upcoming strategic plan.
On the first day of the staff retreat, staff participated in a site visit to SRD's "Development and Conservation of Traditional Remedies and Indigenous Medicinal Plants" project. We visited three villages in Cam An commune, Yen Bai province, to see gardens where indigenous herbal and medicinal plants are grown. We met with local farmers to hear how they are sustaining traditional healthcare and livelihoods through conserving these traditional remedies, and saw the process of growing and preparing the herbal plants.
On the second and third days, a two day workshop was attended by 35 people, including SRD's staff; both ongoing and new members, SRD Advisory Board Members, local project partners from Yen Bai, and four international volunteers.
SRD staff hard at work during brainstorming session
The workshop included a series of presentations: New policies on Agriculture and Rural Development relevant to SRD's strategic plan by Advisory Board Member Mr Vu Van Trieu, Mainstreaming Gender in Strategic Planning by Advisory Board Member Mrs Nguyen Thu Linh. Professor Liu presented on Development and Forestry, with case studies from China, and ran a mini workshop on Action Research. Staff were also involved in a series of brainstorming and discussion sessions, including reviewing SRD's Strategic Plan 2008 - 2012, evaluating successes and existing issues against each outcome.
The workshop marked the start of a comprehensive and inclusive process to prepare for the development of an ambitious strategic plan for SRD. The plan will be completed next year, and apply from 2013 - 2017.
-SRD-
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)
Room 301, 3rd Floor, Building No. 25 Truong Han Sieu, Tran Hung Dao Ward, Hoan Kiem District Hanoi.
Phone: +84 24 3943 6676/78 | Fax: +84 24 3943 6449
