International Quinoa Research Symposium

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, in partnership with Washington State University, will be organising an International Quinoa Research Symposium, to take place 12-14 August 2013 at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.

Set in the context of the United Nations’ International Year of the Quinoa 2013 (IYQ), the symposium seeks to draw attention to quinoa’s biodiversity and nutritional value and will provide an update on the status of quinoa research. There will also be opportunities to visit local field trials.

Travel scholarships to attend the symposium are available for farmers and students. Applicants are advised to write directly to Dr. Kevin Murphy at email hidden; JavaScript is required. Please visit the official website of International Quinoa Research Symposium for more information.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is inviting concept notes for the 2013 call of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund.

The call aims to support new research on improving food production and distribution, as well as research looking into the health and nutritional dimensions of food security in developing countries.

Submissions may come from new or existing partnerships and the deadline for application is 05 June 2013. Please visit the official website of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund for more information on the full guidelines, application form, and eligibility criteria. Additional enquiries should be directed to email hidden; JavaScript is required.

By Tyson Deal/University of Georgia, USA

University of Georgia Study:

Moringa as a Solution for Nutrition and Poverty Issues: Identifying its Limitations for Adoption in Agricultural Development

Familiar with Moringa oleifera? I need your help! My name is Tyson Deal, and I am a graduate student at the University of Georgia pursuing a Master’s of Agricultural Leadership. I am very interested in Moringa’s use in agricultural development for increased nutrition and poverty reduction. I am conducting a study about Moringa and the limiting factors of its adoption and use for agricultural development. My overarching question is: Why is Moringa not used more in agricultural development?

I am looking for individuals to participate in a research study for my master’s thesis. The study involves a survey of Moringa experts. If you are interested in participating, the link to the questionnaire is: https://ugeorgia.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6Xy1dFhvC4VrQcB. It should take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. There is possibility for one follow up email for clarification or elaboration purposes. If you have questions, or would like more information, please contact me at email hidden; JavaScript is required or the primary investigator (PI) Maria Navarro at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

If you prefer to answer the questions via e-mail or to participate in an interview, please let me know by e-mailing me at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Your time, participation, and input are greatly appreciated.

Together with a number of international and Spanish partners, CFF co-organised  the “International Seminar Crops for the XXI Century”, held last December in Cordoba, Spain. The seminar resulted in the Cordoba Declaration, which calls for more diversity in agricultural and food systems, principally through greater use of neglected and underutilised species (NUS). Specifically the declaration proposes action along these lines:

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  Farmers threshing quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), near Puno, Peru.

  Improving education and awareness to ensure that the values of a much wider range of NUS are recognized by all society;

• Increasing recognition and support for small scale and family farmers, women and men, in maintaining diversified and resilient agricultural systems;
• Facilitating the conservation, access, availability, use and exchange of seeds by farmers;
• Promoting formal and informal research and plant breeding to realize the full potential of NUS;
• Improving access to markets and stimulating demand for a wider range of NUS, while ensuring that benefits are shared fairly.

3rd International Conference on Neglected and Underutilised Species

The “3rd International Conference on Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)” will take place 23-25 September 2013, in Accra, Ghana.

The conference will focus on the use of minor crops to improve the livelihoods and well being of poor farmers in Africa. It will cover such thematic areas as resilience of agricultural and livelihood systems, the upgrading of value chains of NUS, and the facilitation of an enabling environment for NUS development.

Please visit the official conference website for more information. Interested participants are encouraged to sign up for the conference newsletter to receive updates on the development of this conference.