Training Course of Community-based Seed Production & Business Management

With financial support from the British Department for International Development (DFID) through FAO, ICARDA organised a three days training course on Community-based Seed Production & Business Management.  The course aimed at improving access to knowledge and skills in seed production of cereals and legumes for the agriculture technical members of the Syrian Agriculture Engineering Syndicate (SAES) and other relevant FAO-DFID Innovation Platforms as well as vulnerable farmers at community levels.

A total of 19 SAES members in the targeted project areas of the DFID funded seed program implemented by ICARDA participated in the training course. 

The course aimed at providing the target groups with skills and knowledge on quality-assurance based procedures and practices covered in the course agenda (Annex 2) and listed below:

• The national seed program components and functions
• The principles and procedures of seed production covering the technics and procedures of variety maintenance and early generation seed production
• Standard operation procedures on crop management in quality and healthy seed production
• Standard operation procedures on crop inspection and certification
• Standard operation procedures on post-harvest seed operations (processing, storage and marketing)
• The basic concepts on seed business development, operation and management