Prolinnova National Workshop in Sudan
The Prolinnova National Workshop was convened on November 29, 2004 at the Meridien Hotel – Khartoum in Sudan. This was attended by people from
- Agricultural Research and Technology Corporation (Wad-Mdani Rearch Station, Kassala Research Station, El-Obeid Research Station and El-Fashir Research Station);
- Academic Institutions: (University of Juba, University of Sudan for Science and Technology, University of Khartoum and University of Gezira);
- Technolgy Transfer and Extension Administration;
- Pastoraists Union Representative;
- Three farmers;
- Representatives of three Local NGOs;
- A representative of Save the Children UK Organization;
- Humaniterian Aid Commission;
- Director General of the Natural Resources Section of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry;
- 10- Representative of the daily local news letters.
Among others, the State Minister of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. El-Fateh Mohammed Saeed, attended the opening session and addressed the workshop participants. He mentioned that, coming from a family who practice agriculture he knows that the farmers have their own local ideas that should not be ignored, but we should rather build on their ideas and try to supplement what they start or what they observe. The programme idea is acknowledged by all the Scientists from the Agricultural Research and Technology Corporation who attended the workshop. Dr. Hassan Osman El-Awad from El-Obied Research Station mentioned that the idea of involving the farmers and pastoralists in the research ideas is applied at their research station and also at El-Fashir Research Station. Therefore one of the workshop recommendations was to apply the idea of the Farming Systems Research in all other research stations. This approach will enable the farmers and scientists discuss the research topics together and come up with what the farmers suggest for the scientists to work on in order to solve their problems. Dr. Sami Ali Hamid from the Sudan University of Science and Technology recommended adding another member to the steering committee from the Academic Institutions. A full report of the workshop will soon be available on the website.
