Registration now open for BayG.A.P. online training on Good Agricultural Practices

The BayG.A.P. online training helps farmers all over the world increase productivity and profitability by implementing sustainable practices.
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Die BayG.A.P.-Online-Schulung hilft Landwirten weltweit, ihre Produktivität und Profitabilität durch die Einhaltung nachhaltiger Praktiken zu steigern.

• Free online course in English starts on May 28 2018. Registration open now
• Portuguese and Spanish version planned for second half of 2018
• BayG.A.P. online training in Integrated Pest Management, residue management and pollinator health helps farmers comply with international standards on Good Agricultural Practices

Monheim, Germany, 23-May-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Following last year’s successful launch of the Spanish BayG.A.P. online training aimed at supporting farmers in Latin America, Bayer is now also offering an English version, for which participants can register with immediate effect. The virtual self-learning course is free and available worldwide. It will last from May 28 until July 16, 2018. Further training sessions in Portuguese and Spanish are planned for the second half of 2018.

The seven-week training course was developed in cooperation with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)and provides farmers, auditors and agronomists all over the world with guidance in Good Agricultural Practices. In this way, the course helps farmers increase productivity and profitability, while reducing their environmental footprint, and comply with international certification standards, such as GLOBALG.A.P. “This online training is a crucial step towards ensuring new economic opportunities for smallholder farmers and the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices,” says Ronald Guendel, Global Head of Food Chain Relations at Bayer.

The BayG.A.P online course comprises eleven modules including Integrated Pest Management (IPM), safe use of crop protection, application technology and food safety. Due to the fundamental importance of pollinators for agriculture, the online training also includes a module on bee health.

BayG.A.P. benefits farmers and consumers

As part of the Food Chain Partnership business model, the BayG.A.P. online training is an advocate for change. The program supports farmers in meeting the growing demand for safe food. “More and more produce buyers require third-party certification,” says Jose Fabio Morera, Stewardship Manager for Central America and the Caribbean at Bayer and virtual tutor for the BayG.A.P. online training. “Our long-term training objective is to help farmers and traders attain international food safety standards such as GLOBALG.A.P.”

The online training also addresses key challenges in the agricultural industry. “We have a major responsibility to provide an increasing amount of food for an ever-increasing population, ensuring that this food is also increasingly safe,” says Dr. Franklin Marín, Coordinator of the IICA Center for the Promotion of Technical Skills and Leadership. “At IICA we promote initiatives in pursuit of sustainable agricultural development and, through partnership with Bayer, we provide excellent training opportunities for farmers with these needs.”

Get more information on the BayG.A.P. online training.

Register for the BayG.A.P. online training, which starts on May 28, 2018.

About BayG.A.P.
In 2014, Bayer successfully launched its BayG.A.P. program to train farmers worldwide in implementing Good Agricultural Practices. In collaboration with the global certifier GLOBALG.A.P., the program helps farmers acquire certification standards to better access local or global markets. It enables the sustainable production of crops by focusing on the safe use of crop protection products, pollinator heath, water management, and other important measures to protect the environment and biodiversity while ensuring productivity and profitability.

About the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Building on 75 years of experience, Costa-Rica-based IICA supports the efforts of its 34 member states to promote agricultural development and rural well-being. The collaboration between Bayer and IICA aims to coach farmers, extension workers and supporting staff through online training, enabling them to increase productivity and profitability by implementing sustainable practices. Last year, more than 140 participants, among them growers, auditors, agronomists, and consultants from various Latin American countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Costa Rica, obtained BayG.A.P. certificates. Learn more at: http://www.iica.int/en.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2017, the Group employed around 99,800 people and had sales of EUR 35.0 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.4 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.5 billion. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.