The Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance (APSA) and Kasetsart University, Thailand, have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Projects to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Exchange Information for Capacity Building in the Asia Pacific Region Seed Sector”.
Due to the prevailing lockdown in many countries due to COVID-19, the ceremony of signing the MoU took place remotely. Looking at the current situation faced by the world, food security and developing farmer livelihoods and agriculture have a greater significance more than ever. Hence, despite the uncertainties in the date for the ceremony, APSA and KU’s remained committed to moving forward with the MoU and signed remotely by representatives of the organizations early in April.
The agreement centers on initiating “collaboration in the form of projects to promote sustainable agriculture and information-exchange for seed-sector capacity-building in the Asia Pacific region.”
APSA’s Vice President Wichai Laocharoenpornkul said, “Forming partnerships among like-minded organizations is precisely what the last, perhaps most important, Sustainable Development Goal – SDG number 17 of the United Nations – represents.”
Elaborating on the MoUKasetsart’s Dr. Chongrak Wachrinrat said, “I am confident that this MOU will expand the subject areas of focus and provide more educational opportunities that will benefit our faculty and students. Moreover, I am certain that our strong and healthy partnerships will enable us to generate more and more research, innovation, and achievements that will contribute to the well-being of the wider public sector.”
Both companies have earlier collaborated on a number of events. Some of them include the 2nd Asian Solanaceous Round Table in February 2017 and the inaugural Asian Cucurbits Round Table conference in July 2018 held on the university’s Bangkhen Campus.
The MoU states that both organizations agreeing to the collaboration is beneficial and both companies have established connections throughout the world and now wish to expand their knowledge base and develop mutually beneficial cooperation and exchange.
