Quality seed production course for African researchers opens at IRRI

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Researchers from six member countries of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) are attending the Quality Breeder and Foundation Seed Course to develop their technical capacity for improving the rice seed value chain.

Sixteen participants (photo) from Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda and one participant from Nepal are attending the three-week course (26 April-13 May) at the Training Center of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

The group will be introduced to the principles and crop management practices needed to produce breeder and foundation seeds in different rice ecosystems. They will also study postharvest practices and seed processing activities to lessen contamination and optimize the quality and quantity of breeder and foundation seeds. The course also covers standard procedures and modern techniques used along the rice seed value chain.

The opening ceremony was led by Kenji Terada, first secretary, agricultural attaché of the Embassy of Japan; Yuko Tanaka, senior representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippine office, Noel Magor, head of the Impact Acceleration Unit and Training Center, and Matthew Morell, IRRI director general. Also in attendance were Corinta Guerta, IRRI director for external relations; Jason Beebout, IRRI-JICA project leader; Kumiko Ogawa from the JICA Philippine Office; and Lea Abaoag from the Philippine Rice Research Institute.

The course was developed by IRRI in collaboration with JICA. Now in its second phase, the IRRI-JICA collaboration is part of the Extension Capacity Development for Rice Food Security in Africa that aims to amplify the impact of rice research through capacity building and the development of the seed sector.

For more information on IRRI-JICA collaborative training courses, please send an email to JICATraining@irri.org.


Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).