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.

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.

International Symposium on Agrobiodiversity for Sustainable Development

Bioversity International and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences will be organising the ”International Symposium on Agrobiodiversity for Sustainable Development”,  03-04 June 2013 in Beijing, China.

The symposium will focus on the important role of agricultural biodiversity in agroecological intensification for supporting productive and resilient farming systems to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The symposium will also aim to understand the local cultural values in enhancing productivity through the use of traditional crop varieties, traditional farming practices and climate change response strategies.

Please read this PDF document or contact the organising committee directly at email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information. Participants need to submit this registration form to the organisers before 30 April 2013. The local costs of accommodation and food will be covered by the organisers for registered participants presenting scientific posters.

Proceedings of the “2nd International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species: Crops for the Future – Beyond Food Security”

We are pleased to announce that the proceedings of the “2^nd International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species: Crops for the Future – Beyond Food Security” has been published by Acta Horticulturae publication of International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS) on 31 March 2013.

The symposium was held on 27 June-01 July 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was organised by Crops for the Future Research Centre, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus under the auspices of ISHS. The event was co-convened and supported by Crops for the Future, Bioversity International, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Boustead Holdings Berhad, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Kirkhouse Trust, British Council and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa.

The follow-up to this symposium is the coming “3rd International Conference on Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)” that will take place on 23-25 September 2013, in Accra, Ghana. 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.

Archived postings of the symposium in the past:

http://www.cropsforthefuture.org/2011/08/crops-for-the-future-symposium-2011-introduction/

http://www.cropsforthefuture.org/2010/09/2nd-international-symposium-on-underutilised-plant-species-2/

Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds: Community Resilience in the Face of Change

The Wageningen University and Research Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) will be organising a training programme on “Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds: Community Resilience in the Face of Change”, from 28 October to 16 November 2013, in Jeypore and Chennai, India.

The overall objective of this training programme is to enhance participants’ capabilities to associate Community Biodiversity Management (CBM) as integrated strategies for managing Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGFRA) and building community resilience towards climate change.

Full travel, board and lodging expenditures would be provided by the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes to successful applicants. Deadline for fellowship application is 07 May 2013 through fellowships for short courses on “Scholarship Online“.

Please read this PDF document or visit the official website of CDI for more information.