IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course (RTC) on ‘Selecting Breeding Gene Technologies’ will be held from 3-7 April 2006 at Rural Development Administration (RDA) in Suwon, Korea. The purpose of this RTC is to provide training on breeding and molecular genetic techniques that could be used for genetic selection of animals and/or management of animal genetic resources.

The main objective is to transfer technologies that can be currently used to identify the most valuable breeds and animals within breeds by using radioimmunoassay techniques plus conventional techniques and to educate the participants on how gene technologies can complement and augment the effectiveness of these approaches.

These approaches are beneficial in that indigenous breeds of livestock are uniquely adapted to the conditions where they developed. They thrive in conditions where modern “high-performance” breeds quickly succumb to drought, hunger and disease. They are vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and livestock keepers throughout the developing world. They are also an undervalued resource for the outside world, since they represent a wide range of genetic diversity on which animal breeders can draw.

To this effect, most of the RCA Member States wish to use these methodologies for developing and using strategies to effectively breed indigenous livestock and increase their productivity.

For further information, Wong-Kyung CHANG at changwk@rda.go.kr