Title: Training courses on ‘Techniques For Sustainable High Yields’ for staff of CotonTchad / Olam , Coordinated by the ICAC Funded by GIZ & AbTF,
Project funding: German Agency for International Cooperation or (GIZ); Eur. 75,000.
Project administrative staff: Mr. Kai Hughes
Project technical coordinator: Keshav Kranthi, Chief Scientist, ICAC
Beneficiaries: Olam, Chad and SECO, Ivory Coast
The project was completed successfully. The ICAC conducted three training programs for 124 officials of Olam/Seco and provided technical guidance to conduct field trials for yield improvement.
In February 2020, Dr. Kranthi visited Chad and conducted a two-day workshop on “Four Simple Steps to Double Cotton Yields,” attended by 20 trainees and technical staff from Olam and CotonTchad.
In June 2020, the ICAC supplied protocols for field trials, which Olam implemented by initiating 51 experimental field trials, consisting of 34 trials in SECO, Côte d’Ivoire, and 17 trials in Chad, following ICAC guidelines. These trials revealed significant yield improvements of up to 38% through effective canopy management techniques.
Later, in August 2020, the ICAC organized and led a two-week online training program titled ‘Techniques for Sustainable Yields’, held from August 3-14, 2020, with 54 trainees, including 36 from CotonTchad and 18 from SECO Côte d’ Ivory, along with the core cotton project team of Olam. The program featured 30 presentations across 10 sessions by 17 international expert presenters, covering topics such as seed technology, soil and plant health, canopy management, water and nutrient management, weed and pest control, and adaptation to climate change.
In April 2023, the ICAC conducted a one-day practical training program in Côte d’Ivoire to introduce the ICAC open-earth-cone-pit biochar production technology, attended by about 50 participants, including staff from ESA, Yamoussoukro, SECO Côte d ‘Ivory, and Ivory Cotton. SECO, Ivory Coast, used the technology in 2023 to produce 630 tons of biochar and registered 2,648 farmers who produced 4,100 tons of biochar in 2024.
