Events

See below a list of up-coming events scheduled by TAA or by our partner organisations:

Event Title Date Time Subject Details Venue Details Contact Details
Plan Bee - the future of pollination
 27 May 2013 19.00 Mike Brown, Head of the National Bee Unit at DEFRA, will be giving a talk on "Plan Bee-the future of pollination", organised by CSAR (the Cambridge Society for Applied Research). (Posted by Cambridge Conservation Forum (CCF)  The Wolfson Lecture Theatre at Churchill College, Storeys Way, Cambridge CB3 0DS. A charge of £3 will include tea or coffee beforehand. 
The Bath and West Show.
 29 May 2013 10.00 The TAA South West Branch will be presenting TAA at the Bath and West Show from 29 May to 1st June. Please visit us and find out all about the Association and membership

Bath & West Show Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QN 

Details from George Taylor-Hunt 

 
What can the UK do to help put an end to the current nutrition crisis?
 04 June 2013 16.00

Meeting jointly hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development, Development Initiatives and the Institute of Development Studies that will examine the role that the UK can play in putting an end to the current nutrition crisis.

In the week leading up to the UK-hosted Nutrition for Growth summit, this event will provide a timely opportunity for parliamentarians to come together with leading nutrition experts to discuss the political and financial commitments required to tackle the pressing challenge of under-nutrition which continues to afflict 170 million children worldwide and is responsible for nearly 3 million child deaths each year. The debate will be informed by new research from Development Initiatives, the Institute of Development Studies and Action Against Hunger (ACF), which provides fresh insights into the financial and political commitments that need to be made now and beyond 2015 to bring an end to under-nutrition. Confirmed speakers include: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Chair); Professor Lawrence Haddad, Institute of Development Studies; Mariella Di Ciommo, Development Initiatives; Sandra Mutuma, Action Against Hunger (ACF). A Government spokesperson has also been invited to provide an insight into the leading role that the UK is playing in driving the global fights against hunger and under-nutrition, as well as setting out the UK Governments hopes and ambitions for the forthcoming summit. 

Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster, 4.00 5.30pm. See APPG website  

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

 
'Let Them Eat Cake: Food Quality and Acceptance in Africa'
 12 June 2013 18.00

The University of Greenwich, Natural Resources Institute, invites you to an Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor Keith Tomlins. Following the lecture, Professor Tomlins will be available to discuss his work. Refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.

Pilkington Lecture Theatre, Medway Campus, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB

RSVP by Wednesday 5 June to Heather McAvoy-Marshall

Telephone: +44 (0) 1634 883911

 
Developing methods in agriculture and health research
 13 June 2013 0900

The Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) is proud to announce that its 3rd Annual Conference. The focus of this 2 day conference will be on methodological and integrative aspects of research on agriculture and health and will feature the work and findings of researchers in agricultural development, nutrition, public health, economics, anthropology, veterinary science and other related fields.Deadline for submission of abstracts 21.01.2013. Click here for further details regarding the conference and abstract submission.

 Royal Veterinary Colleges Camden Campus, London, on the 13-14th June 2013

Email Ibi Wallbank, LCIRAH Administrator. +44 (0) 207 958 8262 

 
3rd SWAT Workshop and Conference for South East and East Asia (SWAT SEEA III)
 16 June 2013 0900 The SWAT (Soil & Water Assessment Tool) model has been popular due to the fact that the model is in the public domain and has ability to simulate a watershed of any size, from a few ha to a large continent. Therefore there is a substantial demand from scientific communities to learn about its application in various conditions. The World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC), an agency that supports and promotes SWAT for a wide use, would like to invite you and your colleagues to attend and learn how to use SWAT in your work in relation with the care and management of soil and water resources. 
Bogor, Indonesia, June 16-22, 2013. Click for details
 For registration Visit the Indonesian conference website 
Hugh Bunting Memorial Lecture
 17 June 2013 18.00 Guest speaker Prof Dr J.D.H. Keatinge, 
Director General, AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan. The topic will be ' Horticulture The Key Ingredient in the Developing World for Nourishing Families, Empowering Women and Commercializing Small Holders'. 
Finger Buffet and Reception, free of charge, 20.00 to 21.30.

John Madejski Lecture Theatre, Agriculture Building, Earley Gate, University of Reading. 18.00 assemble, Welcome and Lecture 18.30 - 20.00. Map

 

RSVP to: Mrs Linda McCarthy (tel: 0118 378 4549).

 
Cambridge Conservation Forum Summer Symposium
 26 June 2013 0915
This one day summer symposium provides an opportunity to focus on a theme of interest to CCF members and explore ways in which we might strengthen and enhance our collaborative working.  The theme this year will be: Conservation and Sustainability. Click for details. 
Biodiversity conservation is strongly linked to broader questions of sustainability, both historically and thematically. Given the emerging threat that global climate change poses to biodiversity, these links are now more important than ever. Conservationists and their organisations carry out a range of activities to promote sustainability, such as carbon forestry, sustainable use projects and outreach to the private sector. But do we practice what we preach within our own organisations and in our own lives? The aim of this years CCF Summer Symposium is to explore these questions through a range of presentations and interactive sessions, and to identify opportunities to do more.

The symposium will include sessions on the following themes: Background to the relationship between conservation and sustainability; What can individuals do to be more sustainable? What can conservation organisations do to be more sustainable? What can conservation organisations do to encourage sustainability among others? An interactive session to explore the barriers and opportunities for change at the individual and organisational level.

The organisers welcome offers of presentations relevant to any of these themes. Please contact Roger Mitchell


 

 Judge Business School, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1AG.Registration from 09.15 and programme from 10.00 17.00. Click for details

Booking form now available as download. £40 per person if paid before 7th June 2013; thereafter it will be £45   Includes lunch and wine reception.

  
Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Food Crops Society (CFCS)
 30 June 2013 0900

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. 

 Port of Spain, Trinidad;  June 30 to July 6

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

 
Implementing the Common Agricultural Policy and the future of UK farming
 11 July 2013 08.30

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.

 
TAA SW: Summer Outing: Mendips and the Chew Valley
 17 July 2013 11.00 The  TA A SW Summer outing has been planned to take place from 17th to 19th July with a two night stay at Folly Farm, which is owned and managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. Package will include two nights at Holly Farm (near Bishop Sutton) in the Chew Valley with bed and breakfast and one evening meal. An evening meal at Woodford Lodge on the Chew Valley Lake. This is an opportunity to become familiar with this AONB only 10m miles south of Bristol. Planned visits include: Farming in the valley and the Mendip Hills, renewable energy activities, the Bristol Community Farm (next to the Lake), visits to the Alves Brothers and Farrington  Farm two highly successful farm businesses and two excellent local museums illustrating life over the last 200 years From 17th to 19th July, with a two night stay at Folly Farm which is owned and managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. 

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

 
Transforming agriculture between policy, science and the consumer
 21 July 2013 0900 The Congress will be of interest to a wide audience from both the agricultural production sector, farmers and farm managers, as well as scientists, policy makers, representatives of companies supplying agriculture with the means of production, processing and marketing firms, and organizations related to the agribusiness sector and involved in rural development. Click for programme

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

 Flyer & Contact details or email  
Threats to Land and Water Resources in the 21st Century: Prevention, Mitigation and Restoration
 04 September 2013 09.00

The 2nd World Association of Soil and Water Conservations World Conference (WASWAC-WCII): The Threats to Land and Water Resources in the 21st 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. 


 
International Congress: Livelihood 2013 Sustainable livelihood in the tropical drylands
 17 September 2013 09.00

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, 17th to 21st Sept 2013.

For more info, contact

 
Combined Heat and Power from biomass - the way ahead (Sept 2013)
 17 September 2013 14.30
The University of East Anglia is kindly arranging a visit for the TAA to see their biomass production unit (click for details) The topic will be "UEA Combined Heat and Power the way ahead. After an initial briefing, there will be a tour of the biomass generation installation, followed by a talk on, inter alia,  the production of biomass, environmental aspects, project management, costs, and the impacts of biomass use on food production.
 The date has yet to be finalised but will be during the third week of September, 16th, 17th or 18th, starting around 2.30. Meantime, watch this space ....  Click for directions Hugh Back and Carol Midmore of the East Anglian group of TAA is setting up the visit. For more information, contact Hugh Back  
First International Conference on Global Food Security
 29 September 2013 09.00

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

Applications to register, click here 
Biotechnology and Agriculture: What is the role of science in achieving food security?'
 08 October 2013 18.00 Humanitarian Centre, Cambridge, launches their "Global Food Futures" themed year, 2013. In October Prof Amir Kassam will present a keynote address on "Biotechnology and Agriculture: what is the role of science in achieving food security?" More details will be posted by the Humanitarian Centre NOTE THAT VENUE & DATE YET TO BE FIXED
Date and Venue (in Cambridge) be decided. For more information and to register, visit link
 
Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Africa - conference
 20 October 2013 0900

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.

 
Implementing the UK Strategy for Agri-Tech
 07 November 2013 08.30 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 

 
TAA AGM and Ralph Melville Memorial Lecture
 27 November 2013 17.00 TAA AGM and Ralph Melville Memorial Lecture. The guest speaker will be Sir John Beddington, presenting a lecture on 'Challenges of the 21st Century'.

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

 Contact Elizabeth Warham, General Secretary to reserve tickets for the meeting and buffet supper. Prices will be announced in due course. 
Cambridge Conservation Forum Annual Symposium
 09 January 2014 0930 15th Annual Symposium. Details to be announced Judge Business School, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1AG. Contact details to be announced. Visit the CCF website for further news  
6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (WCCA)
 22 June 2014 0900

The 6th 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

Winnipeg Convention Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba. June 22-26, 2014. Visit WCCA 

Registration is now open