D 2.3.2 c Training of women- and youth driven community enterprises as seed enterprises

Access to high quality seeds in remote mountain areas is often difficult. A strategic solution is to ensure the establishment of community seed enterprises. The procedure to commercialize locally high quality technical seeds is not simple. It requires to first produce G1 seeds obtained from individual spikes, then to bulk these into G2, G3, and G4 seeds, while maintaining homogeneity, and finally to produce commercial R1 and R2 seeds that satisfy the clients in terms of purity and germination. In the MountainHER project we propose to engage women and youth in the seed business through in situ trainings performed in the living labs of the 5 countries involved and the development of audio visual and written material. Trainings In order to develop a seed enterprise, the most critical regulatory, field and storage practices must be mastered. For it, training regarding relevant field and storage practices are being delivered in 4 of the 5 countriesin 2024. In addition, trainings in developping commercial spirit and a bussiness model were carried out to ensure that the cooperatives have comprehensive information of what building a seed enterprise would entitle.