Training for SE Asian region

Approach

The goal of UGA 37T was to contribute to the continued expansion of peanut production and use in the Asia/Southeast Asia region, through support of and cooperation with Thailand. Thailand became a graduate country in 1993 by USAID standards and no longer was a full participant in CRSP projects. The project was established to enable Thailand to conduct training courses, workshops, and by electronic and other means transfer Peanut CRSP and other sources of technology to customers in the region.

Achievements

Funds provided to Thailand were supplemented by leveraging from the Thai Government and FAO regional office. Activities were as follows. 1) Technical consultation – “Gender Roles in the Peanut Sector for Household Food Security”, June 19, 1998. Seven SE Asia countries represented for training in agricultural production, processing, and consumption; emphasized research, extension, and development. 2) A training workshop on “Quality Evaluation and Utilization of Food Legumes was held April 20-May 22, 1998, with 20 participants from 12 countries in Asia and Africa. 3) Technology on methodology to minimize aflatoxin in peanut product was transferred to a pilot village in Khon Kaen Province in Thailand and was benefitting farmers, processors, and consumers. Good agricultural practices were vastly improving harvest and postharvest techniques of farmers participating in the project. An important result was low levels of aflatoxin contamination in peanuts produced under the pilot project. 4) Ten years of food technology research were collected and placed on an English-Thai language webpage.

Focus

Training, information, and program support