Training in IPGRI is a generic term which covers a wide range of activities aiming at imparting knowledge, skills and attitude that will “expand human capabilities and access to opportunities in the social, economic and political arenas”. IPGRI was born in 1993 with already 20 years of past experience inherited from IBPGR.

Initially its main objective in training was to ensure the availability of personnel with the required technical skills to carry out genetic resources activities effectively in Institutions and National Programmes. Since then, IPGRI’s Training Programme has evolved into a Training and Capacity-Building Programme and its strategy moved from skills training to a capacity development focus, with emphasis on building individual competencies in order to strengthen institutions’ organizational capacity to manage their genetic resources. Without a context of capacity building at the institutional level, individual human resource development will not be effective. From IBPGR to IPGRI, over 6,000 scientists have been trained in a wide range of topics on PGR conservation and use, through group and individual training across regions. Concurrently, relevant reference manuals and training materials were produced and distributed using various formats and media. Management and decision-making tools for National Programme establishment and strengthening were developed and made available for use. IPGRI’s Training and Capacity-Building Programme includes short-term training courses, postgraduate (MSc, PhD) training, study tours, individual on-the-job training, and fellowship and internship schemes. Over time, IPGRI’s response to the need for training has changed as a result of increased awareness of the importance of genetic resources conservation and use worldwide, the experience and knowledge accumulated by National Programmes’ scientists and the evolution of the science of PGR. The thematic areas covered by IPGRI’s training programme reflect the evolution of the science over time. Training has expanded from collecting and ex-situ conservation , to new areas that reflect the broadening of IPGRI’s research strategy e.g. transfer of technologies for sustainable production and use of specific crops, complementary conservation techniques, in situ conservation, PGR law and policy, indigenous knowledge documentation and molecular approaches to diversity analysis, to mention just a few. The programme will strive to use modern communication technologies to develop e-learning materials and to reach wider audiences.

Objectives

Five main objectives form the basis of IPGRI’s work in training and capacity-building :

To develop a knowledge base of PGR learning resources in support of training and capacity building activities.
Develop and promote options for institutional frameworks, and decision-support tools to strengthen national PGR programmes
To develop and promote effective and sustainable delivery of knowledge, training methods and materials using information and communication technologies (ICT) to reach wider audiences
To assist National Programmes build adequate human capital in the various aspects of PGR conservation and use
To influence the development of PGR curricula in formal education programmes and other institutions of education and learning.

Guiding principles

Work with National Programmes and relevant regional/ international bodies

Give priority to developing countries

We intend to strengthen and empower partners to deliver; ultimate priority is given to activities that contribute to building sustainable institutional capacity at a national level (through local, regional and global approaches)

Be pro-active to capture emerging new PGR issues and incorporate them in training curricula

Capacity-building activities should respond to identified needs of target audiences

Adopt participatory, learner-centered approaches with target groups in whole process from planning to implementation, to monitoring and evaluation

Work in areas where we can add value and for which we have a comparative advantage and seek partners with complementary strengths

Leverage and increase impact of training and capacity-building through ICT, networking and other approaches

Develop materials for re-use and upscale them to reach a wider audience.

The Strategic Framework addresses Training and Capacity Building across all IPGRI Groups, CWANA Office is one of these groups.

Strategies and Achievements

On-the-job training

Post-graduate teaching, distance learning and supervision

Production of under-graduate material in local languages

Group training and short courses

Archiving all training data (Training Courses, trainees and participants),

Planning and organizing 70 training courses and workshops,

Training of 776 trainees and participants from more than 47 countries (20 from CWANA).

Impact

Trainees apply knowledge to achieve better conservation and use of PGR,

PGR national programs gain self sufficiency,

Increasing qualification of experts in NP increases competitiveness of researchers and credibility before the donor community,

Trainees are the best ambassadors to raise awareness on PGR.

Some examples are given as following:

Vavilov-Frankel Fellowships for 2003 awarded Dr Parvin Salehi Shanjani of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Iran to carry out a study entitled "Analysis of genetic diversity and gene flow of Oriental Beech (Fagus Orientalis Lipsky) populations as the basis for development of silvicultural and gene conservation strategy in Iran". The work will be undertaken at the Plant Genetics Institute, National Research Council, Florence, Italy, under the supervision of Dr Giovanni G Vendramin.
Attempt to domesticate the Capparis spinosa (caper) species was carried out in Tunisia. In order to shed more light on the potential of this species a study was conducted by Ms Sondos Khouldi of the Institut Nationale de la recherche Scientifique et Technique in Tunis, to assess the genetic variation in natural populations of the species using molecular techniques. The work was conducted at the Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo with the assistance of IPGRI. The molecular analysis revealed a relevant amount of genetic polymorphism that could not be detected otherwise.
Mr. Amer Ibrahim Basha MSc. Student from Aleppo University, Syria was supported and supervised by IPGRI-CWANA to carry out his study during 2002-2003 entitled “Ecogeographic survey, socio economic and genetic diversity assessment of Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) in Syria”. The work was carried out in collaboration between the University of Aleppo and the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Adnan Hadj Hassan and Dr. Stefano Padulosi.This work was aimed to shed more light on Syrian pistachio, currently properly studied with regard to number of existing varieties under cultivation, their distribution, agromorphological variability, extent of uses and conservation status. This research was carried out during 2001-2003. The assessment of the pistachio genetic variation using molecular techniques. An AFLP analysis was conducted at the Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo- Italy with the assistance of IPGRI. Nowadays Mr. Ibrahim Basha is preparing his PhD in the same field of complementary conservation strategies of this species at the Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry, University of Tuscia, Viterbo – Italy, in collaboration with IPGRI under supervision of Dr. E. Dulloo, S. Padolusi, E. Porcedo and M. Pagnotta. Also, he is working as a lecturer at Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Aleppo – Syria.