Students from Amoud University, Borama, receiving practical training at the ABIC Afgoi

SATG has been offering practical training to students from various universities in Somalia for many years. This year a total of 16 students (six from Amoud and ten from Zamzam Universities) received training on various subjects related to agriculture. The training period lasted from May to September 2017. Generally, students pay their own transportation to ABIC, Afgoi while SATG provides them with the hands-on training. In order to admit the students to the training program, the only requirement is to submit a verification letter from the University that they are attending. This may change as the demand for this service from the various universities is growing beyond the capacity of SATG.

Students from Zamzam University, Mogadishu, receiving practical training at the ABIC Afgoi

This year, students participated in the field activities during the Gu 2017 season, which mainly focuses on technology testing and the transfer of major crops species like cereals, legumes, and fodder crops. They were also able to participate in the use of good agriculture practices and application of machine planting and inter-row cultivation to reduce the labour cost.

The students have acquired knowledge and practical experience on:

  • Seeds and seed technology (seed treatment and sowing methods)
  • Soil fertility, fertilizers (synthetic and natural), and the rate and methods of fertilizer application
  • Seed bed preparation for the various crop species (maize, sesame, legumes (cowpea/mung-beans), and forage/fodder crops)
  • Irrigation methods, water management, and water use in crop production
  • Climate smart agriculture, including the identification of early maturing crop varieties (maize/sorghum, cowpea/mung-bean) that withstand drought and environmental stresses, and the application of conservation agriculture
  • Crop mechanization in Somalia and the use of agricultural machinery and implements
  • Weeds and weed control methods
  • Pesticides and safe use of pesticides
  • Pre-post harvest losses for maize/sorghum/mung-bean/cowpea
  • Experimental design, field layouts, and protocols
  • Sampling methods of experimental data
  • Data collection of field trials and demo crops at ABIC and at private seed production farms
  • Analysis and interpretation of the experimental data
  • Production practices of horticultural crops (fruit trees/vegetable) at Afgoi commercial farms

2017 Training period:  24 July – 05 Sept |18 May – 05 Sept

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