Within the framework of the ATAC and the Development of Commercial Agriculture projects, funded respectively by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank in Congo Brazzaville, 12 officers from the ministry of agriculture, the National Research Institute (IRA), the National Center for Improved Seed (CNSA) and the National Center for the Management of Crop Diseases (CNLMC) were trained across four IITA stations in DR Congo, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia, with the objective to strengthen the capacity of the Agricultural Officers so that they could train others in their home country, the Republic of Congo.
The workshops in DR Congo, Nigeria, and Zambia covered various themes and incorporated presentations and interactive discussions. The trainees were familiarized with sustainable seed systems to raise awareness on seed quality, explaining different approaches to produce cassava planting materials, maize and soybean seeds, and the integrated management of seed multiplication fields. They also received practical instruction on operationalizing seed certification standards, including quality declared seed (SQD), protocols, and quality control mechanisms. Additionally, participants visited fields where maize, soybean, and cassava planting materials for the ATAC/PRODIVAC project would be sourced for introduction to Congo-Brazzaville for multiplication.
In Tanzania, participants were trained in cassava pest and disease diagnostics in both the field and lab and in methods to improve the quality of cassava seed systems. They learned about cassava pests and diseases, how to identify their symptoms, and the damage they cause in the field. The trainees learned how to apply digital tools in the field to identify pest and disease damage, the laboratory methods for detecting and identifying cassava viruses and their whitefly vector and the methods applied at country level to strengthen cassava seed systems.
By the end of the training, the field and classroom tests demonstrated that the trainees had absorbed a large amount of new information. Trainees expressed their enthusiasm for the training provided and were keen to continue to interact with the team of trainers. The capacity-building initiative also required follow-up training to be conducted locally in the Republic of Congo to ensure that the training elements were being implemented and reinforced.
Contributed by Dr Apollin Fotso
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