IAPPS NEWSLETTER

Number I      January, 2005

NEW REPORT AVAILABLE

Realizing the promise and potential of African agriculture: science and technology strategies for improving agricultural productivity and food security in Africa

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, requested the Inter Academy Council (IAC) on 7 March 2002, to prepare a report for him providing a technological strategic plan for harnessing the best science and technology to produce a substantial increase in agricultural productivity in Africa, thus contributing to food security. He asked the IAC to engage leading scientific, economic and technological experts in the exercise. A Study Panel of 19 members was constituted for the purpose including 11 from developing countries (7 from Africa).

The Panel has met three times to plan the conduct of the study, delineate its scope, commission the drafting of resource documents, and review progress. The Panel has also been engaged in a series of consultative workshops in four regions of Africa during January and February 2003. These workshops were organized jointly with the relevant sub-regional organizations responsible for the coordination of agricultural research. The Panel has also commissioned several resource papers as complements to the consultative workshops. The purpose of the resource papers is to review the literature on subjects that the Panel felt were integral to the Study.

In the report, and particularly in the chapter 4 "Technology options that make a difference", Integrated Pest Management is recognized by the panel as one of the most important means to improve the agricultural productivity in Africa.

The report was officially presented to the Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan on June 25, 2004.

The IAC report, including a succinct Executive Summary, is available on www.interacademycouncil.net

Prof. Mohamed Besri,
Member of the IAC Study Panel
Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco,
m.besri@iav.ac.ma

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SPRAY APPLICATION TECHNIQUES
(EFSAT)
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

4-6 October, 2004 - Warsaw, Poland The Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture and in particular the EU Research Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pomology at Skierniewice, Poland held an International Conference on Environmentally Friendly Spray Application Techniques. With nearly 100 delegates, the conference focused on problems related to spraying fruit crops, but some papers also considered field crops. Six sessions and posters dealt with standards for equipment within the European Union and problems associated with cleaning equipment after a spray application; the need to reduce the environmental impact of spray applications, including use of coarser sprays, with the need to optimize dose and coverage of the crop while avoiding downwind drift. Some rather advanced sprayer designs were discussed, some used in conjunction with geographical information systems to designate distances between sprayer operations and water courses. However, it was recognized that, with the present economic situation of farmers, the adoption of these new sophisticated compute-managed systems are still far beyond the reach of general agricultural use.
Proceedings of the conference are in preparation. More information can be obtained from www.pomocentre.insad.pl

Graham Matthews

Emeritus Professor of Pest Management International Pesticide Application Research Centre
Imperial College, Silwood Park, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
g.matthews@imperial.ac.uk

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

2nd Asian Conference on Plant Pathology 2005 25-28 June 2005, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore The 1st Asian Conference on Plant Pathology was held in Beijing, China in the Year 2000. The principal aim of this conference is to create a forum for Asian plant pathologists who are interested in or related to scientific work, information or business in plant pathology. The main focus of the conference is to review of the current status and advances in plant pathology and sharing of new achievements in Asian countries, although it does not cover all of the important scientific information. Topics include:
  1. Host-Pathogen Interactions
  2. Fungal Diseases
  3. Viruses and Viral Diseases
  4. Prokaryote Diseases
  5. Nematode Diseases
  6. Epidemiology and Crop Loss Assessment
  7. Host Plant Resistance and Resistance Breeding
  8. Biological Control
  9. Postharvest Diseases and Mycotoxins
  10. Integrated Pest Management

Abstracts shall be reviewed by a peer committee. Accepted abstracts shall be notified for either an oral presentation or a poster presentation during the conference.
To submit an abstract, please visit our website: www.2ndacpp.org

Important Deadlines
Abstract Submission 15th November 2004
Abstract Acceptance 15th December 2004
Submission of Full Manuscript 15th February 2005
We look forward to seeing you all at the conference.
Conference Secretariat
ACPP 2005 Conference Manager
C/o Integrated Meetings Specialist Pte Ltd
1122A Serangoon Road
Singapore 328206
Tel: (65) 62955790
Fax: (65) 62955792
acpp2005@inmeet.com.sg

Wong Sek Man
Chairman
Local Organizing Committee, 2nd ACPP

The IAPPS Newsletter is published by the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences and distributed in Crop Protection to members and other subscribers. Crop Protection, published by Elsevier, is the Official Journal of IAPPS.

IAPPS Mission: to provide a global forum for the purpose of identifying, evaluating, integrating, and promoting plant protection concepts, technologies, and policies that are economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable.

It seeks to provide a global umbrella for the plant protection sciences to facilitate and promote the application of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to a the world's crop and forest ecosystems.

Membership Information: IAPPS has four classes of membership (individual, affiliate, associate, and corporate) which are described here.

The IAPPS Newsletter welcomes news, letters, and other items of interest from individuals and organizations. Address correspondence and information to:

Dr. Manuele Tamo, Editor
IAPPS Newsletter
Biological Control Center for Africa, IITA-Benin
08 B.P. 0932 Tri Postal, Cotonou, Republic of Benin
E-mail: m.tamo@cgiar.org