ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: www.icarda.cgiar.org
10 June 2004
For more information contact:
Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
Afghan Farmers Trained in Seed Enterprise Management
Mr Saddiqi from ICARDA's Kabul office explaining seed production practices in Jalalabad.
ICARDA's Seed Unit organized two training courses on 'Seed Production Technology and Enterprise Management' under the umbrella of the Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program (RAMP) for Afghanistan. The courses were held in Jalalabad on 18-20 May, and in Kunduz on 25-27 May. Fifty-three participants, including farmers, staff from ICARDA's regional office, and technical staff from the Department of Agricultural Extension of Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL), attended the course in Jalalabad. Forty-seven participants attended the course in Kunduz. Farmers from Baghlan, Ghazni, Helmand, Kapisa, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Parwan, and Takhar provinces attended the course, as did staff from district agricultural extension offices in Helmand, Ghazni and Nangarhar provinces. The trainees will be involved in providing technical support to farmers engaged in village-based seed enterprises.

These courses were designed to train farmer seed producers in seed production technology and enterprise management in order to operate small seed enterprises at the local level. The practical course focused on simple and illustrative guidelines relevant to the needs of small-scale farmers. Training included introductory lectures on technology and financial management, as well as practical sessions, exercises and group discussions with the participants. Dr Sam Kugbei, FAO, conducted the lectures with Dr Tony van Gastel, Dr Zewdie Bishaw, and Mr Abdul Aziz Niane of ICARDA. Dr Nasrat Wassimi of ICARDA office in Kabul, and his staff, also participated in the course.

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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