Japan International Cooperation Agency
Share
  • 日本語
  • English
  • Français
  • Espanol
  • Home
  • About JICA
  • News & Features
  • Countries & Regions
  • Our Work
  • Publications
  • Investor Relations

Project News

2008-10-17

Extension Worker Participates in Training Course in Kanra-machi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan

Mr. Hector Rodriguez, one of Alhajuela Project's extension workers, was invited to Japan as a JICA trainee to participate in a training program for nearly 1 month (Sept. 9 – Oct. 4), primarily in Kanra-machi, Gunma Prefecture.  He was apparently a little tense during his first days in Japan because it was his first trip outside of Panama and he was suffering from jet lag.

The subject of this training course in Karna-machi was organic farming techniques used in Japan; the program included visiting real examples of regional development, seeing the distribution and processing of agroforestry products and participating in environmental education.  Through the tours and practices he learned techniques that could be applied to group activities implemented by our Project in Panama.

He was worried whether he could get used to the food and lifestyle in Japan because he would be staying for nearly one month in a rural hotel.  Fortunately, the farmers in Kanra-machi frequently brought him fresh food and the nature school in charge of the training program occasionally had a "Central American Dinner".  By the end of the training course, he said he really had no problem with the food and even learned to use chopsticks and speak some words in Japanese.

At the JICA Tokyo office, on the last day of the training course, he presented his Action Plan, which is his plan on how to apply what he learned in Japan, once he returns to the Project.  There was also time for the exchange of opinions among the personnel related to Alhajuela Project.  By analyzing issues related to agriculture in Japan and in Panama, he came up with concrete and viable proposals on how to implement Japan's system in our Project in Panama. After he returns to Panama, the Project C/P's and Japanese experts plan to study his Action Plan together.

The group activities carried out in the Project depend greatly on the 4 extension workers, including Mr. Hector. Therefore, we have high expectations of their future contributions!

Photo

Photo

(Photo 1: left) Ceremony for conferring the Training Completion Certificate held in JICA Tokyo office. (Right: Mr. Hector, trainee, Left: Mr. Takano, Technical Advisor from the JICA Global Environment Department) (October 3, 2008)
(Photo 2: right) In front of the Nakano family home, producers of "shii-take" mushrooms in Kanra-machi. (Front row from left: trainee Mr. Hector and Mr. Soichi Nakano; back row from left: Mr. Wakao from the nature school, Ms. Saito (Coordinator) and Mrs. Nakano.) (September 18, 2008)

(Mr. Takao NAGUMO, Forestry and Environmental Conservation Team II, Global Environment Department, JICA)

PAGE TOP

Copyright © Japan International Cooperation Agency