7 November 2022 – A virtual international training curricula consultation workshop, focusing on rice value chain, was successfully organized by FAO under the framework of the “Capacity Development and Experience sharing for Rice Value Chains through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC)” project, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Republic of Korea (MAFRA).

In response to the increasing demand of SSTC assistance in the development of rice value chains, the project has been implemented in the three participating countries, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Philippines, since 2020, in close collaboration with the government of the respective countries. 

The project targets the development of competitive and inclusive rice value chains, thus enhancing local capacity in the three countries, by focusing on strengthening national research and training institutions, holding consultations on related policies, and developing curricula for rice value chain experts in the countries, training of trainers in the countries, as well as rice value chain stakeholders in the countries.

In order to further build on the knowledge gleaned from previous activities, the virtual consultation workshop agreed on the contents of the training to be conducted at international level, targeting all the three countries. 

The workshop discussed the content of the training curricula, in order to meet the specific needs of each country. In particular, the workshop presented the outline of FAO’s sustainable agricultural mechanization strategies and Small-scale agricultural mechanization hire services as a business enterprise, respectively presented by Mr. Karim Houmy, sustainable agricultural mechanization consultant and Mr. Joseph Mpagalile, agricultural engineer of FAO.

The event was attended by representatives from the International Rice Research Institute, AfricaRice, key government officials relevant to rice sector mechanization training from the three countries, and agricultural officers from FAO.

Ms. Makiko Taguchi, agricultural officer of FAO, concluded the workshop by stating that, detailed online trainings will be provided to the selected officials of the three countries during December 2022, building on the workshop discussions. She also clarified that subsequent to the international training, national training courses will be designed and conducted, to apply the knowledge gained and strengthen national capacities.