Dr Hemant Dabadi, Research Director, SAWTEE and Mr Govinda Sharama, Agriculture Expert of Nepal, conducted sessions on the impact of national and international trade, mainly the WTO, on the rural livelihoods. Issues such as tariff and non-tariff barriers, intellectual property right and access to seed, product diversification were the main focus of the programme. The implications of Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty and South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) were also discussed at the programme.

During the programme, the participants representing the local organisations and media expressed their strong desire to make the local communities aware of the impactions of trade on their livelihoods. They also called for SAWTEE and MS Nepal to continue to extend their support in developing the capacity of the local organisations.

The programme was conduced under the three-year Grassroots and Policy Linkage in WTO Issues (GRAPOL) Project, which is being implemented by SAWTEE and MS Nepal in Western Development Region of Nepal since December 2005.