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Archives
April 16-30, 2001
Philipine and Asian aggie faces new
challenges
by Mary Charlotte O. Fresco
The attainment of food security without
threatening our natural resources remains a formidable
challenge and struggle for all Filipinos and other Asians
today. This was the main point of Department of Agriculture
(DA) Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor in his speech
during the inaugural ceremony of the First Asian Agriculture
Congress with the theme "Food Security and Environment
Protection" held at the Westin Philippine Plaza,
24-27 April 2001.
Lindsay Falvey, dean, College of Agriculture,
University of Melbourne, Australia likewise, stressed
that food security is the ultimate means of attaining
economic growth and recovery. Food security, in his
definition, is the capacity to access adequate, affordable
and nutritious food for all the members of the family
at all time. He pointed out that food insecurity is
largely affected by the rapid increase in the world's
population as evident today and in the next decades.
He emphasized that, for a country to attain food security,
it should increase the volume of food grains for domestic
and international market, minimize agriculturally induced
degradation, protect the environment, human and ecosystem
rights, to promote self-sufficient agriculture.
Highlighting the affair were plenary sessions
on four major themes: 1) Food Security Challenges; 2)
Environment Management and Biodiversity; 3) Private-Public
Sector Partnership; and 4) Future Technology.
In the first plenary session studies on
enhancing crop productivity and sustainability were
presented. The second focused on studies on enhancing
animal production systems in Asia and balancing crop
and animal productivity and environment. The third meeting
showcased studies on biotechnology for food security
and environment protection while the last one was devoted
to studies on public-private sector partnerships, and
information technology for food security and environment
protection.
The world's prime research institutions
and universities conducted the researches presented
in the sessions. About 300 participants, majority of
whom are experts and scientists in the field of agriculture,
particularly in rice and livestock production, gathered
for this affair.
The event was a venue to disseminate technological
advances in agriculture and share solutions to common
crop and animal production constraints.
The other luminaries present during the
Congress include Dr. Gurdev Khush, president of the
Society for the Advancement of Breeding Researches in
Asia and Oceania (SABRAO) and Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian,
chairman of the Federation of Crop Science Societies
of the Philippines (FCSSP) and director of the Philippine
Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
The Congress was a joint collaboration
of the Asian Crop Science Association (ACSA), SABRAO,
and FCSSP. Its major sponsors and host agencies include
the DA, DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), UP
Los Banos (UPLB), International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), International Services for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotechnology Applications (ISAAA), Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), Rockefeller Foundation and Monsanto
Philippines, Inc. 
April 16-30 2001 Articles: ::
DA, Winrock to launch PinoyFarmer website
::
GM food crops safe; scientific community clarifies issues
::
Philipine and Asian aggie faces new challenges
::: More April 2001 articles :::
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