WorldVeg hosts a group from the African Elite Training Program

In order to assist African countries in nurturing high-level talents and strengthening Africa’s understanding of friendly farming practices and resilient agriculture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education commissioned the University of Science and Technology to launch the ‘Short-term Training Course for African Elite Talents’. As part of this, on 17 July 2024, 25 participants from eight countries: Eswatini, Kenya, Libya, Namibia, Nigeria, Somaliland, South Africa, Tanzania, including researchers and lecturers from academic institutions, agronomists and officials from agricultural ministries, visited the World Vegetable Center. The visit focused on vegetable diversity, food security and nutrition in Africa, integrated pest management (IPM), stress-tolerant varieties, and sustainable production systems.

The Head of Genetic Resources Maarten van Zonneveld Taiwan shared the achievements of the Taiwan Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI), funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighting the importance of traditional African vegetables. And he expressed that the World Vegetable Center aims to cooperate with more partners to implement the new African Vegetable Biodiversity Rescue Plan, to address food security.

Head of Genetic Resources Maarten van Zonneveld shared the implementation of a project funded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Foreign

Stephen Othim from Kenya explained how to effectively apply integrated pest management in crop production, including pest and disease resistant varieties, disease resistant rootstocks, trap crops, pheromones traps, biopesticides, mesh chambers and other technologies.

Tomato breeder Assaf Eybishitz used the WorldVeg tomato breeding programs as an example to explain how to design breeding programs to meet farmer and market demands. Before developing a new variety, it is necessary to consider the needs of producers, consumers and traders to identify target traits. For example, fresh tomatoes and those for processing require different qualities. He also introduced the theory, procedures and practical cases of how to introduce resistance to abiotic stresses.

Tomato breeder Assaf Eybishitz uses tomato breeding programs as an example to illustrate how to design a program to meet market demand

Lukas Pawera, an agroecologist, focused on sustainable production systems, with a special emphasis on the importance of healthy soils. He introduced the physical, biological and chemical properties of a healthy soil, such as high organic matter content being one of the most important factors determining productivity, the effects of organic and chemical fertilizers, effects of green manure, and of different land preparation methods and mulch on crop production. He also explained the benefits of biochar application, how to reduce greenhouse gases emissions from the soil, and the benefits of intercropping, and composting.

Visit to the vegetable demonstration, guided by Alex Gi

During the full day of courses, participants took notes, asked questions, and communicated enthusiastically. In addition to the lectures, they were also given a tour of the demonstration garden, where they saw many different vegetable crops, and were excited to share the food culture of their own countries. They were particularly curious about water spinach, sweet potato leaves, asparagus, and lettuce that are not common in Africa. After visiting the World Vegetable Center, participants have a deeper understanding of farmer friendly practices and resilient agriculture. The World Vegetable Centre also looks forward to taking this opportunity to develop more cooperation and exchanges with other African countries in the future.

Translated and adapted from:
25 elites from eight African countries visited the World Vegetable Center to focus on friendly farming practices and resilient agriculture (pinview.com.tw)

https://www.pinview.com.tw/News/29389.html

18 July 2024, Reporter Lai Junxin