During July 3-16, 2016, government officials from Solomon Islands will receive training at Konkuk University (KU) as part of a fellowship program with the Korea International Cooperation Agency. In early July, 15 officials visited KU’s Global Agricultural Development Center to study improving accessibility in agricultural markets as well as public health and safety inspections related to agricultural products in order to increase the income and enhance the quality of life of farmers in the South Pacific country.
“Measures to improve Solomon Islands’ agricultural sector will be examined during the training program,” said Professor Doo-Hwan Kim of the Department of Bioresources and Food Science, who also heads the Global Agricultural Development Center. “It serves as an opportunity not only for Korea and Solomon Islands to strengthen cooperation, but also for KU to gain further experience in providing agriculture-related training to developing countries and to advance its development projects both quantitatively and qualitatively.”
The training program involves many activities. The officials are expected to attend lectures on Korea’s economic development and the New Village Movement, then visit Canaan Farmers School for case studies. They will then go to the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Sciences, Garak Market in Seoul, and the flower market by Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation. The goal is to survey issues related to post-harvest handling of agricultural products, such as cooperatives, marketing, distribution, and exports. Furthermore, the officials will tour the National Institute of Animal Science, Konkuk Dairy & Ham, and KU labs on veterinary science and public health to gain a deeper understanding of Korea’s policies on livestock and hygiene- and safety-related measures for food.
“Solomon Islands is implementing various policies so that farmers can harvest high-quality products, which could then be distributed effectively in the market,” aid Mr. Peter Rarahabura, who is in charge of capacity building of government officials at the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. “Through the two-week training program, we will review how Korea’s outstanding agricultural policies as well as distribution and inspection systems could be applied to Solomon Islands.”