From October 16 (Mon.) to December 15 (Fri.), 2023, Ehime University’s Institute for International Relations (IOR) Asia-Africa Center conducted a training program “Food Value Chain Development for Regional Agribusiness Promotion” for young people from Central and South American countries as part of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s training program in Japan, as it did in the previous two fiscal years. The Center for Asia-Africa Exchange conducted an issue-specific training program, “Food Value Chain Development for Regional Agribusiness Promotion,” for youth from Latin American countries.
This year, 14 trainees from 8 Spanish-speaking and 1 Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America participated in the training. Due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection, the training was conducted online in the previous and current fiscal years, but this year we were able to conduct face-to-face training in Japan in addition to the online pre- and post- training. The trainees who came to Japan participated in classroom lectures at Ehime University and visited Uwajima City, Seiyo City, and Kouijima Island, where they learned about successful examples of food value chains* in Ehime Prefecture through on-site experience and walking tours of the cities. As in the previous tour, the participants received the cooperation of government agencies, companies, and organizations involved in the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries industries in Ehime Prefecture.
The synergistic effect of the online pre-training in addition to the training in Japan made this training very meaningful for the participating trainees. It also provided the participants with an opportunity to experience Japanese culture and traditions. Based on the experiences and knowledge gained through the training in Japan, the trainees created an achievable activity plan for their home country. After returning to their home countries, the participants exchanged opinions with Ehime University faculty members in an online post-training session to confirm the continuation of their activities and future implementation plans.
It is expected that the trainees will continue their activities so that they can apply the knowledge and experience they gained about the food value chain in Japan through this training to solving issues in their home countries.
Food value chain: The linkage of added value generated in the distribution process from production to consumption related to agricultural, forestry, fisheries, and fishery products and foods.
＜nternational Relations Office＞