Embrapa offers free courses on cassava through e-Campo.

Two free strategic training courses for those who work or intend to work with cassava for table consumption are available on the e-Campo platform, designed to offer online training developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation – Embrapa, linked to the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa), and its partners. 

The course “Business Planning for Family Farming” aims to help identify the importance of business planning, differentiating between strategic and operational planning and identifying concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as the necessary precautions for developing a good business plan. It is taught by researcher Gilmar Souza, from the Strategic Actions Center of Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops (BA), and has four hours of content.

The course “Good practices in harvesting and post-harvest handling of cassava for processing” is presented by researchers Luciana Oliveira and Fabiana Sasaki, also from Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Crops. They explain how to avoid mechanical damage, show general aspects of post-harvest physiological deterioration, and provide knowledge about cyanogenic compounds present in cassava, guiding more efficient processing for the elimination of these compounds.

The two courses are the result of a partnership between Embrapa and the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA) and are aimed at Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Ater) agents, producers, students from technical schools, federal institutes and undergraduate programs in general, and members of cooperatives and associations. They are directly related to legislation and public policy supporting family farming, in accordance with Law 11.326/2006, aligned with the National Policy for Assistance and Rural Extension (Ater) and with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture), 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure: building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production).

Access to the courses is available for a period of 30 days from the date of registration, and participants are entitled to a certificate. More information can be found on “Business planning for family farming” (https://ava.sede.embrapa.br/enrol/index.php?id=688) and on “Good practices in harvesting and post-harvest handling of cassava for processing” (https://ava.sede.embrapa.br/enrol/index.php?id=687).