A two-day brainstorming, sensitization and planning meeting of the ICRISAT-IRRI-Bangladesh-India VDSA project was held on 25-26 April 2009 at NCAP, New Delhi. Samarendu Mohanty and Thelma Paris from IRRI; PK Joshi, Anjani Kumar and other scientists from NCAP; UK Deb from the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD); Alamgir Chowdhury and GM Chowdhury from Socioconsult, Bangladesh; BVJ Gandhi from IRRAD; partners from six states of India; along with MCS Bantilan, KPC Rao, VR Kiresur, P Parthasarathy Rao, R Padmaja and the RP-MIP team from ICRISAT-Patancheru participated in the meeting. Besides recapitulating the work done in VLS since 1975, the objective was to exchange ideas and draw upon the expected outputs of the project.

Participants at the sensitization workshop.

The first day was devoted to planning the project, mainly selecting target districts and villages in SAT India, East India and Bangladesh. For the new 12 villages each in SAT India, East India and Bangladesh, households would be identified that would be representative of landless, small, medium and large landholder households in equal proportions (ie, 10 each from each group) while for the old six villages in SAT India, the existing sample households would continue. The poverty indicators based on secondary data were discussed and finalized.

Dr Bantilan makes a point while Dr PK Joshi looks on.	A discussion within the sub-groups.

The second day was devoted to discussions on the use of qualitative tools; identifying strategies, methods and tools to ensure that the VDSA are inclusive of the sampling process; innovations; identification of the roles of men and women in household and farm production system; and realization of men and women empowerment. These tools and applications would be complementing VLS' quantitative methods. It was reaffirmed that the qualitative component not only complements but also validates quantitative methods. Survey questionnaires were distributed to the partners for their feedback, enhancement and implementation in the respective regions. Work plans were developed by each partner. Earlier a sub-group from NCAP, ICRISAT and regional partners met to discuss details of activities and outputs under objective 2, ie, meso level database development. NCAP and its partners agreed to implement the plan for selected states in North India and eastern India while ICRISAT would cover southern, western and central India. The meeting ended with participants eagerly looking forward to project rollout starting 1 May, 2009.