18 September Rome—The opening ceremony of a 10-day training course for 10 Nepalese experts on crop production techniques and practices, under the Framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) South-South and Triangular Cooperation, was held in Chengdu, China on 11 September 2023, in hybrid format.  

The 10-day training was agreed to in October 2022 by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, during his meeting with the Honourable Dr Dil Bahadur, Member of the National Planning Commission of Nepal. The FAO Director-General appreciated Nepal’s valuable support to FAO-led initiatives, and in the spirit of collaboration, he promised that FAO would train 10 Nepalese experts through South-South and Triangular Cooperation during the coming two years.

At the opening ceremony, Mr Ye Anping, Director of the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST) of FAO, thanked the organizer of the training, the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS), as well as FAO-Nepal and FAO-China, for their active collaboration in preparing the training. He also mentioned that this would not only be a training course to share innovative technologies and experiences through South-South Cooperation, but also a good opportunity to enhance the long-term partnership between the relevant institutions of Nepal and China.

Building the capacity of individuals and institutions is critical to achieving long-term sustainable development, and South-South and Triangular Cooperation is a key mechanism in this process.

FAO has been working closely with a large number of developing countries to overcome common challenges by sharing knowledge, experience, practices, technologies, and development solutions.

Mr Zhang Xiong, the Vice President of SAAS, also gave an introduction of the Organization’s technical capacity, and its existing collaboration with Nepal on high-land agriculture, including horticulture. In his closing remarks, he thanked FAO for letting SAAS host the training and promised to offer high quality lectures and demonstrations on potatoes, Sichuan pepper and ginger. 

Mr Rajendra Mishra, the Joint Secretary of Planning, International Cooperation and Coordination Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, also participated the meeting virtually. On behalf of the Ministry, he thanked the government of China and FAO for their continued support in agriculture development. He also mentioned that Sichuan pepper, ginger and high-land potato are important crops, as they are resilient to natural hazards, attract private sector investment, thus ultimately support farmers’ income. Mr Mishra considered this training crucial for the development of the selected crops in Nepal.  

The 10-day training has been tailored to respond to the Nepalese government’s specific requests and interests. Activities include in-door lectures, on-site demonstrations, laboratory visits and seminars. All participants showed great interest in the arrangement, and they are eager to explore and exchange more with SAAS experts. 

FAO has been at the forefront of South-South and Triangular Cooperation for more than two decades, getting extensive experience, establishing wide networks and a large portfolio of cooperation initiatives.