Electronic-Forum On Horticulture For Development
This e-forum is being organized by the Global Horticulture Initiative, GlobalHort (www.globalhort.org), the International Society for Horticultural Science, ISHS (www.ishs.org ), and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU, CTA (www.cta.int).
It requests input from colleagues in the international horticultural community to assist in formulating a R&D strategy for GlobalHort, one that will attract funding for research in developing countries aimed at alleviating poverty and malnutrition, enhancing supply chain efficiency, and providing value added products through small scale processing of appropriate crops.
The Global Horticultural Assessment (GHA) identified 8 major research and development areas in 2005 (*), a number of sub-issues under each and some specific R&D priorities with regional foci. This e-forum aims at helping select among the R&D priorities what GlobalHort should focus on over the next three years.
(*) Primary issues shared throughout the regions and emerged from the assessment (http://caes.ucdavis.edu/IntProg/GHAPublication2005Web.pdf)
- Market systems
- Postharvest systems and food safety
- Genetic resources conservation and development
- Sustainable production systems and natural resources management
- Capacity building
- Enabling environment
- Gender equity
- Nutrition and human health
This e-forum allows your voice to be heard and your ideas considered for incorporation into a strategy that will guide GlobalHort in its four core activities (also available here):
I. promoting research for development projects through complementary grant programs
II. networking the development players of the world’s fragmented horticulture community
III. coordinating training and capacity building in both public and private sectors
IV. advocating and lobbying for horticulture and horticultural sciences
These views will be collated and presented at a meeting of the Expert Consultation workshop 20-21 June 2007, and the synthesis presented at the subsequent “Awareness Raising Conference on Horticulture [ARCH] for Development”, 25 June 2007, which aims at promoting horticulture as a unique opportunity for sector development based on high level knowledge and shared international experiences.
Papers presented at the Conference, and the collation of ideas and suggestions arising from this e-forum will be available to participants after the Conference, at this forum site, and will be used to develop a strategic approach for future R&D action and create priorities and actions for small-scale research projects for which subsequent funding will be sought.
The final outcomes of the Forum and the ARCH for Development will be published by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) in a "Scripta Horticulturae", as a follow-up of the GHA (Number 3, 134 p., (http://www.actahort.org/chronica/pdf/sh_3.pdf).
The Forum
To participate in the Forum:
1. Go to http://hort4development.myfastforum.org
2. Register/join FREE where indicated
3. Log in and join the Forum where indicated
4. Add your responses to the forum (click on ‘New Post’)
5. Log out.
Your opinion is sought on two main issues (A and B). Please respond succinctly to the following questions (1000 words total for all questions in order to facilitate the synthesis):
A. What are the 2 major issues, and the 2 minor ones, amongst the 8 (1-8) identified by the GHA, for your working areas (geographic and thematic to be identified)?
B. In your opinion what are the major measures that must be taken to address these 2 majors issues in each of the 4 (I-IV) core activities of GlobalHort? Based on your expertise could you indicate any ongoing relevant activities and milestones, and suggest improvements or additions to the existing ones?
The Forum will close 17 June, but will reopen on 28 June 2007 including containing relevant papers presented at the GlobalHort Consultative Committee meeting and the ARCH Conference. Your views on these outcomes will be sought. The final closing date is July 24th 2007.
For further information about the ARCH for Development contact Remi Kahane (rkahane@globalhort.org) or Jozef van Assche (jozef@ishs.org).