Taking advantage of its broad experience in all aspects related to oil palm cultivation and plantation management, ASD Costa Rica offers the following training activities:

Training Courses in Costa Rica for Agronomic Engineers

This program was initiated in 1977. To date, 25 courses on oil palm cultivation have been offered, with a total attendance of 336 professionals from some 18 countries in the Americas and Asia. These courses either in Spanish or English are organized at ASD's facilities in Costa Rica. Their duration is four weeks and cover the following topics:

• Morphology and growth
• Ecology
• Breeding and seed production
• Seed processing
• Clonal propagation
• Nursery layout and management
• Plantation layout and infrastructure
• Land preparation
• Planting and maintenance of young palms
• Weed control and cover crops
• Nutrition and fertilization
• Integrated pest and disease management
• Harvesting, pruning and quality control
• Infield collection and fruit transport
• Oil extraction mills and effluent treatment
• Aspects about plantation management
• Business prospects for vegetable oils on a worldwide level

 

From 1988 to the present, 11 courses have been given in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Honduras, with a total attendance of 209 participants. These courses have a duration of two weeks and the topics are similar to those covered in the courses given in Costa Rica.

In-service training in specific areas

This is a practical training. Here, the participants learn by doing and sharing experiences with the personnel incharge of a plantation in Costa Rica. The duration of training varies according to the area of interest and the previous experience of the trainees. In-service training is offered in the following areas:

• Nursery management
• Field planting and management of young palms
• Leaf and soil sampling; preparation of samples for analysis Water management, conservation, and evacuation
• Harvesting quality control