Published: November 18, 2021

On October 28 and 29, 14 technicians from 4 Partner Organisations of HORIZONT3000 in Mozambique met to learn more about “Seed Production and Commercialization for smallholders”. The training was organized and funded by the KNOW-HOW3000 programme and it was a great success!

The main objectives were that the participants get to know the basics of seed production, the classes and varieties of seeds, the cultivation methods and fieldwork as well as post-harvest operations in order to transmit the new knowledge to their target groups (smallholders and their associations).

The first day, the Mozambican Consultant Rodrigues Vilankulo, who has 15 years experience in that area, gave valuable inputs about the topic. With open questions and two group works, he created an interactive and participative environment, where the participants exchanged their ideas, challenges and experiences from their daily work. The training centre of the Red Cross in Chimoio offered with its facilities a perfect location for the training.

On the second day, two learning visits were organised. First, there was a visit to the Provincial Seed Laboratory, which belongs to the government of Mozambique. The participants got practical insights about their work there and after the first day of theory, this was a welcoming change of environment. Secondly, one of the biggest seed producers in Mozambique, called Phoenix Seeds, was visited. The participants got valuable insights about the seed production on the fields and about how the seeds are processed.

The feedback from the participants was very positive, already shown in the active participation. The participants especially enjoyed the exchange with the colleagues from the other partner organisations. The evaluation of the content was very positive as well, indicating that they gained more knowledge that can be applied in running and future projects with their target groups. Common synergies were found between the NGOs among themselves and between the NGOs and the company as well as the lab, and a base for further cooperation was created. A second agriculture training is already included in the KNOW-HOW3000 planning for 2022 so that more events like that will follow!