2019 – 2020 Eleven Rivers Growers Annual Training Program

From October 2-25 this year, the Eleven Rivers Growers Annual Training Program was carried out for Season 2019-2020 in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, Sinaloa.

Year after year, at the beginning of the Growing Season, technical personnel from companies involved in the Eleven Rivers Growers scheme attend the training program, in order to reinforce their knowledge and skills in terms of food safety and social responsibility, so that they are better prepared for the challenges that both domestic and foreign markets demand in the fresh food industry.

Such training program consisted of the following courses:

Risk Analysis Development

This course discussed the general principles and steps for the development of a risk analysis: Identification, assessment, and control at an acceptable level of risks in farming company operations.

Participants carried out an activity where they developed the identification of hazards to assess risks, and with this, to define preventive measures needed to reduce them.

The course was held in both cities, with an attendance of about 30 people, and it was taught by QFB. Elvia Rosa Martínez Bueno – Technical Advisor at Eleven Rivers Growers.                             

                                                       

HACCP Basic Methodology

This course consisted of having participants learning about the purpose of the HACCP system, as well as the application of tools based on hazard analysis and critical control points within the production process of a farming company.

Participants carried out an activity by developing HACCP methodology in parts, covering the five preliminary steps and the seven principles.

This course was held in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 30 people in each city, and it was taught by QFB. Elvia Rosa Martínez Bueno – Technical Advisor at Eleven Rivers Growers.

Good Agriculture and Good Manufacture Practices

This course focused on having participants identifying the main pollutants which may affect crops; how to avoid, reduce or control them, from the planting process to the shipment; so that, they were able to convey this information within the organization.

At this course, participants reviewed some actions that are carried out in terms of Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacture Practices, so that they could replicate them in their workplaces in accordance with the certification scheme they are currently developing. Some examples reviewed at the course were triple wash of empty containers from plant protection products and proper hand wash, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) methodology to prevent contaminating food. On the other hand, they carried out a fun activity called “Jeopardy”, consisting of making teams and taking turns answering some questions related to good practices.

This course was held in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 40 people, and it was taught by IBQ . Edgar Saúl Ramírez Guerrero – Technical Advisory Coordinator at Eleven Rivers Growers.

Federal Labor Law Applicable to the Farming Sector

This course was about identifying and interpreting articles of the Federal Labor Law and the regulatory framework being applied to the farming sector; also, about how to manage and implement the necessary improvements and how to replicate the knowledge within the organization.

Assistants carefully reviewed each article of the Law, and for each of them, they had to give an example of how these were applied; at the end they obtained feedback from the professor and the rest of the participants.

The course was held in the city of Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 40 people, and it was taught by IBQ . Edgar Saúl Ramírez Guerrero – Technical Advisory Coordinator at Eleven Rivers Growers.

Leadership and Communication Tools

This course consisted of having assistants learning about the basic tools to communicate ideas, directions, and tasks effectively, with the personnel in their environment.

The course was full of fun activities, where participants teamed up and each of them shared examples on how to use the tools in their everyday life and work.

For one activity, a team member had to talk about a subject in particular, and the others listened to the team member by standing out one of the leadership tools: Being a good listener.

This course was held in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 40 people in each city, and it was taught by Mr. Georgius Ricardo Gotsis Fontes – Eleven Rivers Growers CEO.

Document Quality in the Management System

This course consisted of learning about the basic tools to implement a quality management system in the farming sector; from the development and update processes of documents, to control and safekeeping of them.

Participants had the opportunity to analyze examples of documents being carried out daily on the farming companies they are working at. An example of the above was filling out a record, which intentionally had errors in it, and attendees had to find them. Also, they carried out an activity in teams, in order to stand out the importance of effective communication in the organization. In this activity, each of the players had a leader and four shapes ; the leader had to start passing down the shapes just by following the directions written in a document, and could not speak to anyone not indicated in the directions. In the end, each member had to have the same number of shapes.

This course was held in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 30 people in each city, and it was taught by Eng. Ricardo Calderón Ramírez – Technical Advisor at Eleven Rivers Growers.

Standard of Fresh Commodities – Produce Safety Rule (PSR)

This course consisted of having participants identifying the minimum requirements requested by the Produce Safety Rule, and implementing the most adequate preventive measures in their facilities to comply with it.

Some of the activities that IQ. Carlos Gastélum reviewed with attendees during the course were as follows: origin of the standard, requirements needed and some tools available online to learn more about it. On the other hand, he stood out the importance of the use of water for harvest and post-harvest activities of fresh commodities, and the importance of following the guidelines of commercial schemes, as these, in most cases, are stronger than the standard itself.

This course was held in the cities of Culiacán and Los Mochis, with an attendance of about 30 people in each city, and it was taught by IQ. Carlos Adonay Gastélum Barreras – Technical Advisor at Eleven Rivers Growers.

Integrated Water Management

This course was about learning more about the domestic standards for the safe final destination of wastewaters coming from farming operations, including those generated in shelters.

This course was held in the city of Culiacán, with an attendance of about 50 people, and it was taught by Eng. Francisco de Asís Picos Morales.

Integrated Waste Management

This course was focused on learning more about the regulations to classify special management waste, and determining which of these are subject to a management plant.

This course was held in the city of Culiacán, with an attendance of about 50 people, and it was taught by Eng. Francisco de Asís Picos Morales.

Human Rights in Social Responsibility

This course was about identifying and recognizing human rights, as well as the guiding principles of the Global Compact.

In the same manner, the purposes of Sustainable Development were reviewed as business opportunities, and how to develop them while respecting human rights, based on the tool and guidance for companies. 

This course was held in the city of Culiacán, with an attendance of about 20 people, and it was taught by Eng. Paúl Eduardo Ahumada García.