Tainan, Taiwan
November 27, 2009

Source: Newsletter of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC)

Two training workshops on HORTIVAR, a database managed by the UN Food and  Agriculture Organization, were conducted recently at RCA. At the first workshop, held 17-18 September, 16 participants—two from private seed companies Rijk Zwaan Afrisem Ltd. and Suba Agro Traders and 14 AVRDC scientists and research assistants—learned how the database can be used to evaluate cultivars. The second workshop coincided with a training course on Strategic Seed Business and Marketing Management from 26-31 October, and involved participants from more than 20 seed companies from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

HORTIVAR is a versatile tool to locate varieties for promotion with the traits demanded by the market. Upcoming HORTIVAR training sessions will be held in Madagascar, Cameroon, and Mali.

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AVRDC’s Vegetable Breeding and Seed Systems (vBSS) project hosted an intensive training course, Strategic Seed Business and
Marketing Management, from 26-31 October at RCA. The course was designed to help private seed sector partners gain a foothold in Africa’s nascent seed industry. Through hands-on sessions and lectures, marketing personnel and executives from locally owned African seed businesses explored seed production and regulations, and developed management and
marketing strategies for sustainable seed businesses. Thirty-four participants from 10 eastern and southern African countries were trained and received certificates. Based on positive course evaluations, the same training may be offered in Central and West Africa next year.

Website: https://avrdc.org/

Published: November 27, 2009