Training seeks to enhance research efficiency in Sudan

A training course for scientists on the statistical analysis of agricultural field experiments, recently conducted at Sudan’s Agricultural Research Corporation, demonstrated ICARDA’s on-going commitment to raising the capacity of Sudanese agricultural scientists and strengthening the country’s food and nutritional security. Many of those trained were young researchers who will go on to manage research institutions and initiatives in the future.  

The purpose of the course was to share knowledge on statistical concepts and methodologies for designing field experiments and applying biometrical techniques using GenStat software, said Mr. Khaled El-Shamaa, a Research Database Manager and Senior Analyst at ICARDA.

Thirty-eight researchers from 20 ARC stations in Sudan attended the five-day training course to enhance their skills in designing and analysing breeding and agronomic on-station/on-farm trials, as well as analysing multi-environment trials to identify high yielding varieties and production technologies.

The training course was provided by the project ‘Enhancing Food Security in Arab Countries,’ funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). 

GenStat is a comprehensive statistics package that is used in demanding real-life applications, which contains the broadest range of leading-edge statistical tools in an easy-to-use package, underpinned by a powerful and flexible high-level programming language.