A Course in Nepal on Plant Genetic Resources and Resilient Seed Systems for Sustainable Food Security

The training organized by the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, Bioversity International, LI-BIRD (Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development, Nepal), and GrowInnova, ran from 22 October to 9 November 2018. International professionals from 17 countries (mainly from Africa and Asia) met to bring their own experience and knowledge to the one provided by the senior experts of the partner organizations. The main areas covered by the course were: 1) Understanding and empowering the community; 2) Genebank and Resilient seed systems; 3) Learning from the field and integrating into own reality; and 4) Creating a supportive policy and legal environment to unleash the potential of communities. Yet, the most innovative aspect of the training was the central role given to farmers, as key stakeholders and decision-makers.