Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

The project, entitled “Organisation of Exchange Study Visits for Armenian Sector Stakeholders on Plant Breeding and Seed Production Technologies in EU Member States,” is managed by Woodstock, a company based in Budapest. At SUA, the project is coordinated by Professor Miroslava Kačániová from the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering.

Three Training Visits for Armenian Experts

The main objective of the cooperation is to share Slovak expertise and practical experience with groups of 9–10 Armenian experts through intensive training visits. Participants include representatives of Armenian government institutions, university professors, researchers, and managers of agricultural enterprises.

Of the three planned training cycles, SUA has already successfully completed two: the first in mid-September and the second in early October. The third and final phase of the project is scheduled for spring next year (April–May 2027).

From State-of-the-Art Laboratories to Agricultural Practice

The training programme was designed to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the entire production chain, from academic research to finished products on supermarket shelves.

During their visit to SUA, the Armenian delegation visited the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, where they learned about modern teaching methods. They also toured selected laboratories of the AgroBioTech Research Centre, the Food Incubator, and the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Automation, Informatics and Physics at the Faculty of Engineering, which demonstrated technological innovations in practice.

Theoretical knowledge was complemented by practical demonstrations of advanced agricultural management at leading Slovak agricultural companies.

The visitors toured the seed production company SEDOS in Krakovany, AGROMAČAJ in Kostolná pri Dunaji, a leading vegetable producer, Vita-Zel in Marcelová, and the University Agricultural Enterprise of SUA in Kolíňany.

“The Armenian experts were particularly impressed by the level of automation in our agricultural enterprises. They showed great interest in innovative technologies covering the entire production process, from precision sowing, crop treatment and harvesting to high-tech post-harvest handling, sorting and packaging of products using modern information systems,” said Professor Kačániová.

She added that the participants also expressed considerable interest in the implementation of the Slovak Republic's National Lifelong Learning Programme, SUA's programmes and activities in lifelong learning, and the methods used by the university to effectively communicate new scientific knowledge gained from research projects to farmers and the wider public.