Events

All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture & Food for Development is pleased to invite you to this first of a series of seminars. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 30 per cent of global food harvests are lost, equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes of food (FAO, 2012).  The magnitude of the problem of postharvest losses and waste is undeniable. Food losses along the postharvest  chain, including in harvesting, drying, storage, processing and distribution, and wastage close to the consumer have an impact on global food and nutritional security, farmer livelihoods, water availability and agricultural sustainability.

Tuesday 25th June, 10:00 11:30. Houses of Parliament, Committee Room 1. Enter via Cromwell Gate and allow time for security clearance. http://www.appg-agdev.co.uk/

RSVP to Dominic Foster, Coordinator, APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development.

This will be a joint meeting with the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society and the International Society for Horticultural Science. The first initial meeting announcement will be sent out shortly.

Attendance by TAA members would help to strengthen the linkages between TAA and CFCS. TAA has strong historical roots in Trinidad, this would be a good opportunity to reignite links. 

Any member who would like to attend, please contact Bruce Lauckner, our representative in the Caribbean. A registration fee applies.

Food from here is a one day conference being hosted by the Centre for Agroecology and Food Security, Coventry University. Within the context of current EU policy interested in short food chains, the aim of the conference is to exchange knowledge from European countries regarding the opportunities and threats for food chains.  The intention is to facilitate critical debate amongst a wide variety of stakeholders in food: all interested parties are invited. Should more be done to make food chains shorter, and if so, what would the implications be? Several speakers will present papers (from UK, Hungary, EU Commission, Netherlands and France).

Coventry University, Priory Street, 
Coventry, United Kingdom 
CV1 5FB; Telephone: +44 (0) 24 7688 7688 or click here for more details.

For further information, contact Moya Kneafsey. Registration £30.00 (£15.00 concessions), including local food and wine lunch. Click here for registration.

Westminster Forum Projects, a private organisation co-ordinating informative and impartial keynote seminars on a wide range of topics, is holding a senior-level keynote seminar under the banner of Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum. Click here for details.

Central London, (Houses of Parliament, 08.30 registration, 9.00 to 13.00.

Contact Marcin Kaczmarek, Senior Contact Strategy Executive, Westminster Forum Projects, 01344 864796. Go to above website for fees and booking form. Includes a PDF transcript of the papers.

The probable cost will be about £120.00. Register now with Tim Roberts  or George Taylor-Hunt .

21-26 July 2013, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

The 2^nd World Association of Soil and Water Conservations World Conference (WASWAC-WCII): The Threats to Land and Water Resources in the 21^st Century: Prevention, Mitigation and Restoration. There will be a post-conference excursion to the Eastern part of the country,  September 8-10. The conference topics will cover fields of management and conservation of soil and water resources, to be circulated in the near future. Deadline for abstracts to April 15, 2013. For full details click here.

Chiang Rai, Thailand, September 4-7, 2013.

Please complete registration forms and send to the Coordinator (Khun Samran)  or the conference administration. 

Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in tropical and subtropical drylands of Sub-Saharan Africa to boost sustainable livelihood. This international symposium aims at creating a forum for those conducting research in dry highlands of Africa as well as in comparable regions around the globe to discuss results and to exchange experience during paper and poster sessions as well as during field excursions. Themes will be: Water harvesting for improving livelihood; Soil conservation and forestry; Technologies for improved rural welfare; Aquatic ecology; Crop productivity; Socio-economics of sustainable livelihood. Visit website for details.

The congress will be hosted by Mekelle University, Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia (about 780 km north of the capital Addis Ababa). Daily air links with Addis.
The symposium will be held in the Axum Hotel in the centre of Mekelle city, 17^th to 21^st Sept 2013.

For more info, contact

This international conference will bring together natural scientists, social scientists, farm advisors and policy makers to discuss and debate vital issues and explore how we can feed the rapidly expanding world while saving the environment. The conference will focus on maintaining global food security in order to feed a growing population, a topic  now high on the political agenda. But this needs to be achieved in ways that are consistent with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and adapting to a changing climate.  This conference will explore the concept of Sustainable Intensification and the extent to which it contributes to multiple challenges. More details 

Edinburgh 25-27th Sept 2013. Venue: the John McIntyre Conference Centre ("JMCC) at Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh campus.  JMCC is easy to access by car, from the city centre by bus or taxi, click for directions coming from Edinburgh Airport or Waverley Station

Early bird registration (£300 + VAT for 3 days; Students £200) is available until 1st August. 

The Conference aims to deliver state-of-the-art analysis, inspiring visions and innovative research methods arising from interdisciplinary research. Join us in this exciting opportunity to ensure that the best science is garnered to support the emergence of the Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving global food security whilst reconciling demands on the environment is the greatest challenge faced by mankind. By 2050 we will need to feed 9 billion people. The urgency of the issue has led to huge scientific strides forwards; making it difficult to keep up with the rapidly expanding volume of scientific research. We aim to better understand economic, social, biophysical, technological and institutional drivers of current and future global food security.

29 September - 2 October 2013, Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands

Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Africa: How can land and water management contribute to enhanced food security and address climate change adaptation and mitigation?

Soil Science Society of East Africa (SSSEA) in collaboration with African Soil Science Society (ASSS) invite participation at a conference intended to critically analyze Land and Water Management (LWM) technologies, innovative products and services; and strategies benefiting small-scale agriculture in Africa. A particular focus of this joint conference deals with the contribution of LWM in the Agricultural Production Value Chains, addressing threats and opportunities associated with climate change, and scaling up of proven technologies for transformational impact on the livelihoods of African small-scale farmers. In addition, land use planning and policy will be addressed during this conference. In line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADPs) goal of eliminating hunger and reducing poverty through agriculture, the conference touches on the pillars relating to sustainable land management; market access; increasing food supply and reducing hunger

Nakuru, Kenya 20-25 October 2013 

For further information: Barrack Okoba.

Central London, (Houses of Parliament), 08.30 registration, 9.00 to 13.00.

Contact Marcin Kaczmarek, Senior Contact Strategy Executive, Westminster Forum Projects, 01344 864796. Go to above website for fees and booking form 

To be held at 5:00 pm at the Royal Over-Seas League Club, Park Place on Wednesday 27th November, 2013. 

The 6^th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (WCCA). Growers, researchers, policy makers and others interested in conservation agriculture are encouraged to attend the WCCA to network with peers from around the world, discuss policy affecting adoption of conservation practices and review the application of the latest research in the field.

With an anticipated audience of more than 600 people, the Congress program will maximize networking and interaction among presenters and attendees. The focus will be on dialogue, information exchange and exploration of new ideas. Concurrent session tracks will explore the following areas of conservation agriculture: Growing more with less the future of sustainable intensification; Weatherproofing agriculture - the adaption of farming practices to address climate variability; Increasing conservation adoption - how innovative technology and approaches can drive greater adoption of conservation systems around the world

Registration is now open