ISTRC News Archives

The International Potato Center is proud to be organizer of this important event. Please watch this space for the link to the conference website and the first announcement and call for papers.

ISTRC 14th Symposium to be held in India in November 2006

14th Symposium - India November 2006

It has been confirmed that the 14th ISTRC Symposium will be held at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The Symposium will be held in collaboration with the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute and the Indian Society of Root Crops. The 1st Announcement is available as a downloadable PDF file (296 KB).

Dates: 20-26 November 2006.

Theme:

Roots and Tubers for Sustainable Development: Issues and Strategies

For more information contact:

Dr. S. Edison
Director, CTCRI & Convenor, 14 th ISTRC Symposium
Central Tuber Crops Research Institute
Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram 695 017, Kerala, India
Tel: 0091- 471 - 2598551; Fax: 0091 - 471 - 2590063
E-mail: istrc_ctcri@yahoo.co.in Web: http://www.ctcri.org

President of the Society, Professor Andrew Westby, said "We are delighted that India has agreed to host the next triennial symposium of the Society. India's record in root crops research is exceptional. Tropical root crops make a significant contribution to income generation, sustainable development and household food security in many developing countries. Research and development initiatives have an important role to play in the contribution that these commodities can make to poverty reduction and hence achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The symposium will provide an important opportunity to bring together international experts to review progress and develop strategies to ensure that the potential of these crops can be built upon. I am sure that this will be both an an exceptional and useful symposium".

ISTRC - Africa Branch Symposium 2004 Second Announcement

The 9th Triennial Symposium of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops - Africa Branch on Root and Tuber Crops - is to be held 31 October to 5 November 2004 at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. All abstracts should be submitted by 21st July 2004. Full copies of accepted papers should be submitted by 15th August 2004. Send replies to <istrcsymposium@kari.org>.

<<Second Announcement>> (Acrobat Reader required)

2nd International Symposium on Sweetpotato and Cassava

MARDI (Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute) and ISHS (International Society for Horticultural Science) are jointly organizing the above Symposium on 14-17 June, 2005 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Details of the symposium can be found at the web site: http://www.mardi.my/main.php?Content=vertsections&VertSectionID=26. Scroll down to 'Conferences & Exhibitions 2005.'

Proceedings of the 12th Symposium of the ISTRC

The Proceedings of the 12th Symposium (Tsukuba, Japan) have now been published. The contents are available here. If you participated in the meeting and have not received a copy of the Proceedings then please contact the Councillor for Publications, Prof. Andrew Westby. The Proceedings of the 12th Symposium are available from the Councillor for Publications for US$25 for those who were unable to attend.

13th Symposium of ISTRC

The Thirteenth Triennial Symposium of the ISTRC will be held in Arusha, Tanzania on 9-14 November 2003. The theme for the sympoium will be "Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: Opportunities for Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Developing World." The Symposium is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) and ISTRC.

Two new cassava books published

November 2001 sees the publication of two new books on cassava:

The Cassava Transformation. Africa's Best-Kept Secret, by Felix I. Nweke, Dunstan S. C. Spencer, and John K. Lynam is published by Michigan State University Press.

Cassava: Biology, Production and Utilization, edited by R J Hillocks, J M Thresh, and A. Bellotti is published by CABI Publishing.

ISTRC - Africa Branch Symposium Announcement

Greetings from ISTRC-AB, Dr. Malachy O. Akoroda

I wish to use this opportunity to inform and invite you to the 8th Symposium of the ISTRC-AB. Please let me know if you would attend. Any reaction could come to <M.AKORODA@CGIAR.ORG>. Help inform others we do not have their addresses.

Please let me know what you need from the LOC to get visa to enter Nigeria. Such will be faxed with the specific names you send us.

Please find attached the second and final announcement for the forthcoming symposium. Kindly give it as wide a publicity as you can.

<<Second and Final Announcement>> (Acrobat Reader required)

I trust you would encourage as many as can to come and also to apply for the few sponsorships that we intend to give. Such people must submit their full papers by email to us as soon as possible.

ISTRC - Africa Branch Syposium Venue Changed to Nigeria
The Executive Council of the ISTRC-Africa Branch has decided to host the 8th symposium of the Society at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. The dates of 12-16 of November 2001 remain unchanged.

Programme for International Symposia in Peru, November 2001
* The international symposium "Sweetpotato: Food and Health for the Future," which will be held from November 26 to 29, 2001, is organized by the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS), the Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP), and the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM). The program includes: genetic resources and breeding, biotechnology, crop management, post-harvest, processing, quality, nutrition, and health, among others. The official language is English.

* The last day of the sweetpotato symposium includes common topics with the "II Simposio Latinoamericano de Raices y Tuberculos," which will be held from November 28 to 30. This symposium offers the opportunity to exchange information about the recent research developments related to production, nutritional quality, and processing of roots and tubers. There will be simultaneous translation (English-Spanish) only during the keynote presentations on Thursday, November 29; otherwise, the official language of this event is Spanish.

If you are interested in participating and wish to have an oral or poster presentation, please note that the deadline for submission of abstracts is June 30, 2001.

To obtain details and up-to-date information, visit regularly our website www.cipotato.org/training/ or contact us: Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP), Training and Communications Dept., P.O. Box 1558, Lima 12, Peru, Tel.: + 51 1 317 5314, Fax: + 51 1 317 5333, E-mail: cip-symposium@cgiar.org

ISTRC Councillor for South America wins prestigious medal

Professor Marney Pascoli Cereda, ISTRC Councillor for South America, has been awarded a Medal of Scentifical and Technological Honor from Sao Paulo State Government. The medal was given by the Governor of the Sao Paulo State at a special ceremony which took place in the Noble Living Room of the Superior School of Agriculture "Luiz of Queiroz", ESALQ/USP, on the second of June 2001. Marney has described this as a "high point of my career". The Society also extends its congratulations.
(received 18 June 2001 from A. Westby)

2003 ISTRC Symposium Site Decided
The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have confirmed on behalf of the Government of Tanzania that they will host the 13th Symposium of the Society in 2003. The proposed venue is Arusha.
(received 30 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)
Dr Regina Kapinga, currently Director of Research Coordination and Promotion at the Tanzania Commission of Science and Technology, has been selected as the Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee for the Symposium in 2003.
(received 18 June 2001 from A. Westby)

Sweetpotato, Food and Health for the Future; an international symposium
Organizers: International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), International Potato Center (CIP), Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM)
Date: 26 - 29 November 2001
Place: Lima, Peru
An opportunity for delegates from developed and developing countries to exchange information on the science of sweetpotato production, on advances in improving its value as a food (either fresh or processed), and on implications for nutrition and welfare of people in many poor areas of the world.
For further details: www.cipotato.org/training/events.htm
(received 22 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)

Fifth International Scientific Meeting of the Cassava Biotechnology Network
The Fifth International Scientific Meeting of the Cassava Biotechnology Network will be held on 4 - 9 November 2001 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The conference is entitled Constraints and Solutions for Improving Cassava. Further details can be found at: www.danforthcenter.org/iltab/cassavanet/
(received 10 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)

Second Latin American Symposium on Root and Tuber Crops
Organizers: National Agrarian University La Molina (UNALM), International Potato Center (CIP)
Date: 28-30 November 2001
Place: Lima, Peru
Official language: Spanish (No translation facilities will be available)
Of interest to researchers in agronomy, biology, food technology and processing and related sciences, extensionists, industry and the private sector. An opportunity to exchange information on current scientific advances in production, nutritional quality, and processing of root and tuber crops.
For further details: www.cipotato.org/training/events.htm
(received 10 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)

ISTRC - Africa Branch Symposium to be held in Cameroon
Following the last successful seminar in Cotonou, Benin, the Africa Branch of the ISTRC will hold its next symposium in the Cameroon in November 2001.
(received 10 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)

Global Cassava Development Strategy Forum

The development of the Global Cassava Development Strategy (GCDS) and associated documents evolved from a brainstorming meeting convened by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in 1996 in Rome, Italy. Recognising the importance of cassava as staple food and a source of income for hundred of millions of poor people in marginal areas in many parts of Africa, Asia and, Latin America and the Caribbean, the meeting noted the urgent need to formulate an overall strategic plan for cassava development.

The strategy consists in a systematic approach to identifying opportunities and constraints at each stage of the commodity development cycle from production to consumption. It is also considered as a framework for technical co-operation in research and technology transfer and for future debates on global issues affecting cassava.

It is recognised that a GCDS requires a coalition of stakeholders including cassava producers and their organisations, governments and policy makers, donors, technical and research institutions and their networks, NGOs and their networks, and the private sector.

The development of the strategy was spearheaded by IFAD and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) and the "Centre de cooperation internationale en recherche agronomique pour le developpement" (CIRAD).

The GCDS Validation Forum was jointly organised by FAO and IFAD under the auspices of the FAO-Headquarters in Rome on 26 - 28 April 2000. There were 78 participants from 22 countries. The GCDS was endorsed with the following key points highlighted:
• it should be demand driven and/or market oriented and take advantage of market opportunities for traditional and new products;
• it should follow an integrated approach, involving, simultaneously, production, processing and marketing;
• it should have catalysts and champions to facilitate cassava development;
• it needs to be applicable to a wide range of stakeholders and implemented at various paces and levels starting from national, through regional to global;
• it should address issues of sustainability, gender and equity, and potential environment impact; and,
• it should address food security concerns for disaster mitigation and recovery situations.

An implementation plan was adopted during the forum drawing on the principles outlined in the strategy document and takes into consideration the priorities established by representatives of the public and private sectors during the various consultation meetings.

The Global Cassava Development Strategy and some of the supporting documents can be found at www.globalcassavastrategy.net
(received 10 Mar 2001 from A. Westby)