Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University Hosts Workshop on “Synthesizing Lessons for Agricultural Value Creation to Address Poverty”

On April 26, 2023, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, in collaboration with its network partners, organized a workshop titled “Synthesizing Lessons for Agricultural Value Creation to Address Poverty” at ITECH2 Conference Room, Building 14. Assoc. Prof. Chakrit Chanachitprecha, Acting President of the university, presided over the opening and welcomed the participants.

The event included a special lecture by the Sakon Nakhon Provincial Agricultural Office and a discussion panel on “Agricultural Value Creation: Challenges in Improving the Economy of Poor Households.” In the afternoon, group discussions and a meeting for the exchange of ideas among stakeholders were held to promote the concept of “Agriculture Creating Value, Creating Wealth.”

This workshop is part of a sub-project under the Comprehensive and Accurate Poverty Alleviation Research Project supported by the Area-based Development Fund  and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI). The project involves research teams from four provinces: Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Mukdahan, and Amnat Charoen, along with partner organizations, enterprises, and about 70 target households in Sakon Nakhon.

The main objective was to extract lessons learned and synthesize knowledge from research conducted in these four regions, using the concept of agricultural value creation within the operating model for poverty alleviation. The workshop aimed to connect this model with the concept of integrating poor households into the Pro-poor Value Chain, finding ways to upgrade the poverty alleviation models through the use of technology and innovation, and creating value-added products that generate income for poor households. Additionally, the workshop aimed to propose policy recommendations to relevant agencies on how to implement agricultural value creation strategies to address poverty at both the household and community production/organization levels.