Muscat: Two training courses concluded today in Ibb Governorate in the fields of community agricultural extension and Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) methodology, as part of the agricultural extension and studies and research programs.
According to Yemen News Agency, the two courses, funded by the Agricultural Financing, Projects, and Initiatives Unit in the governorate and in cooperation with the Offices of Agriculture, Social Affairs and Labor, and the branch of the Agricultural Cooperative Union, aimed to provide 68 trainees, including agricultural extension workers and researchers from eight cooperative associations in the governorate, with information that contributes to raising their efficiency and enabling them to use modern field work tools.
The two courses also aimed to enhance the participants' capabilities to diagnose agricultural problems and develop appropriate solutions in cooperation with local communities, and to qualify them in participatory planning, field data collection and analysis, thus contributing to improving the quality of extension and research programs and directing them towards the actual needs of farmers, and supporting sustainable agricultural development in the governorate's districts.
At the conclusion, the Governorate's General Mobilization Official, Abdul Fattah Ghallab, explained that these courses come within the framework of interest in building local capacities and enhancing the role of agricultural cadres in serving the community, affirming that investment in training represents a fundamental pillar for advancing the agricultural sector and achieving productive self-sufficiency.
He pointed out that involving agricultural cooperative associations in such programs contributes to expanding the circle of benefit and transferring expertise to villages and farmers, noting the importance of continuing such activities that enhance partnership between official and community bodies in the agricultural field.
In turn, the Director of the Social Affairs and Labor Office, Nabil Al-Murtada, affirmed that the implementation of the two courses reflects the integration of efforts between sectors concerned with development, and embodies the role of training in enabling agricultural cooperative associations to perform their tasks with higher efficiency in serving their members and the local community.
He explained that cooperation with the Agricultural Financing, Projects, and Initiatives Unit, the Offices of Agriculture, Social Affairs and Labor, and the branch of the Agricultural Cooperative Union contributed to the success of the training program and providing trainees with practical skills that will have a direct positive impact on the field performance of the associations.
At the conclusion, certificates of appreciation were distributed to the participants in the presence of the Bonyan Foundation Coordinator, Naji Jassar, and a number of concerned parties.