The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture is kicking off a series of nine webinars focused on professional development for researchers, students, practitioners, and others interested in the intersections between horticulture and international development.

Participants are invited to select individual webinar sessions to attend—or join all nine live webinars as active participants to earn a Horticulture for Development Professional Series certificate.

Increased awareness of horticulture’s double-duty impacts

Horticulture is an increasingly critical field within international development, as it offers double-duty impacts to alleviate poverty and malnutrition, while providing opportunities for women and youth in particular.

“After 10 years of working at the nexus of research and development for horticulture, we have learned what practitioners need to know about this crucial field—and crafted these webinars to cover those gaps,” explained Erin McGuire, associate director of the Horticulture Innovation Lab. “This series will educate early-career professionals on horticulture’s value, but also on how to be a great practitioner and researcher in the field.”

Explore webinar topics, registration, and other details

Webinars are scheduled for Thursdays, starting at 11 a.m. EDT and will last approximately 90 minutes. The first webinar is scheduled for Thursday, July 25. Webinar topics include:

1. How to find funding and grants - July 25 (Register)
2. How to conduct horticulture value chain assessments - Aug. 1 (Register)
3. How to use participatory research methods - Aug. 8 (Register)
4. How to apply best practices in project management - Aug. 15 (Register)
5. How to engage youth in horticulture value chains - Aug. 22 (Register)
6. How to host an effective agricultural extension workshop - Aug. 29 (Register)
7. How to use monitoring and evaluation tools to guide project success - Sept. 5 (Register)
8. How to improve postharvest handling for horticultural crops - Sept. 12 (Register)
9. How to integrate gender equity strategies in horticulture value chains - Sept. 19 (Register)

Registration for each webinar is free, but required.

Join the Twitter discussion about this webinar series with the hashtag #Hort4Dev.

Information about each webinar, including speakers, topics discussed, registration links, and more are available on the Horticulture for Development Professional Series webpage.

Video recordings and materials from each session will also be shared on the Horticulture for Development Professional Series webpage after the webinars are completed. For questions, please contact [email protected].

The Horticulture Innovation Lab is a global research network that advances fruit and vegetable innovations, empowering smallholder farmers to earn more income while better nourishing their communities. The program is led by UC Davis, where it was first established in 2009 with funding from USAID as part of the U.S. government’s global Feed the Future initiative.