Benchmarking the latest efforts to enhance cross-sector cooperation to sustain the supply of quality seeds in the face of critical challenges, the Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA) has signed the first of several memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreements with partnering agriculture academic institutions and national seed associations.
The first of these agreements was signed on March 4 – in Delhi, during the Indian Seed Congress – by representatives of APSA, the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) and Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology.
This was followed on March 14 with a virtual MoU signing ceremony in which reps from APSA were joined with counterparts from the Thailand Seed Trade Association (THASTA), and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Business Development Unit of Khon Kaen University (AG-KKU)
Entitled “To Develop Skills and Knowledge for Future Career in Seed Sector in the Asia Pacific Region” the agreements were signed following several months of multilateral discussions to ensure proposed partnerships address the needs of academia, industry and society as a whole.
This will primarily be achieved through the exchange of information, capacity building and training initiatives, as well as other initiatives to support and sustain seed sector development in the Asia-Pacific region.
The agreements establish a basis to engage in cross-sector cooperation aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture, with a focus on technology, breeding, seed production and trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
The agreements will also facilitate collaboration on conferences, workshops, training programs, human resource development, and partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, including, for starters through APSA’s University Connect Program and communication channels to bridge gaps in the industry regarding knowledge and skillsets.
APSA is planning to sign its third such MoU on April 2, which will be with representatives from the Northwest A & F University in China and China Seed Association (CSA).
This is anticipated to be followed by the signing of 10 more similar agreements with other NSAs and academic institutions in the region, within quarters 2 and 3 of this year.
Full quotes from the signatories, as well as details of the other partnering organizations will be featured in the upcoming issue of Asian Seed and Planting Material.