FAO Capacity Development Programme on enhancing NWFP Value Chains in the Republic of Korea

23-31 October 2024, Republic of Korea – Fourteen technicians from seven countries representing both forest and agriculture sectors convened in the Republic of Korea for a Capacity Development Programme on enhancing Non-Wood Forest Product (NWFP) value chains. The on-site training marked the end of a two-month programme which also included online technical workshops and self-paced training. Sponsored by the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Programme was organized in collaboration with FAO’s Forestry Division (NFO) and the National Forestry Cooperative Federation, with the on-site training designed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the FAO-Republic of Korea partnership. The aim of the training was to support countries to strengthen forest sector contributions to sustainable agrifood systems, with a specific focus on non-wood forest product value chains.

During the week, technicians from Cameroon, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam traveled through Incheon, Yeoju, Pohang, Yeongyang, Bonghwa, Yeongju, Suwon and finally Seoul to participate in training sessions and demonstrations on NWFP harvesting, production technologies, post-harvest management and marketing. Participants visited key sites such as the Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, Agricultural Product Processing Center, and Forest Cooperatives to observe management practices and innovative technologies from a range of production systems – from wild to forest farmed to more intensively cultivated.

“Investing in research like ROK has done not only increases revenues but also contributes to food security and combating climate change,” said Sol Nadege,  Sub-Director at the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife of Cameroon (MINFOF), who participated in the training.

The programme also showcased ROK’s success of building partnerships between government, private-sector actors, and local communities to create resilient value chains. By fostering these collaborative approaches, the programme provided practical insights and solutions that participants could adapt to their own contexts.

“Of all the sites visited during the Programme, Pohang is the most appreciated. It was truly an example and inspiring," remarked Engr. Hansruedi Castroverde from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Philippines. Pohang Sabang Memorial Park celebrates 100 years of the “Sabang movement”, ROK’s heroic effort to restore bare, denuded lands into forests, mobilizing approximately 3.6 million people to plant 24 million seedlings, with positive impacts on the environment as well as agriculture and food security.

The Training Programme sponsored countries currently engaged in FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme Project on Strengthening forest-sector contributions to healthy and sustainable agrifood systems, in addition to countries looking to scale up work on non-wood forest products and associated value chains.

Demonstration of wild ginseng site and harvest in Yeongju ©FAO/Giulia Muir