!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: Training in Case Writing in Bhutan

Friday, September 07, 2007

Training in Case Writing in Bhutan

Bhutanese bamboo products
(Source: http://www.bhutan.gov.bt)

Helvetas — the Swiss Association for International Cooperation — provides assistance with execution of Swiss aid programs in Bhutan. Those programs include work in the area of renewable natural resources.

Helvetas' work in Bhutan came to may attention because one of the organization's activities, the Participatory Forest Management Project (PFMP), includes training Bhutanese in case writing, seen as "[c]rucial for measuring and assessing the project impact." The training aims to strengthen the students' analytical and writing skills, while at the same time providing decision-makers with practical, reliable information.

An example of what the training produced in 2007 — its second year — is "Bamboo: The Golden Opportunity for Wamanang," (pdf) by Karma Dorji and Tenzin. The abstract for the case explains:
This paper highlights the group formation process and steps undertaken for the development of the management plan for bamboo (Borinda grossa) and the group bylaws to support the rural livelihood of the Wamanang community in the multiple and buffer zones of the Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary. The main purpose of this paper is to show the positive impact of the management plan for bamboo on community development and the generation of income both at community and household levels. Based on sustainable harvesting amounts defined through a participatory inventory of the resource, annually the group can earn up to about Nu. 540,000 from the sale of bamboo culms. At the household level, farmers can earn about Nu. 200 per day by producing and selling mats and baskets. This is almost double the income they would generate through daily wages from labour contribution to government work. However, there is even much more potential if new technologies for product development and diversification are introduced. Therefore, the authors believe that Borinda grossa has good potential to meet farming subsistence needs and income generation needs, without compromising the resource’s sustainability. (links added)
Helvetas report that the authors of the case studies have gained confidence about their ability to critically analyze data, to develop logical arguments, and to report their findings and recommendations clearly. You can form your own opinion of the quality of the work the training produced by having a look at the case write-ups. (Note that the Bhutanese students did receive editorial assistance from native English speakers.)

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