Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal
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ISTRC 18th Triennial Symposium
October 22, 2018 - October 25, 2018
Background for the Symposium
Tropical roots and tubers (cassava, potato, sweet potato, yams and aroids) have both challenges and opportunities in:
- Germplasm improvement
- New variety adoption/impact
- Access to quality seeds
- Effective management of pests and diseases
- Crop nutrition and low soil fertility
- Mechanization of planting and harvesting
- Climate change
- Consumer preference and nutrition
- Post-harvest losses
- Agro-processing and trade
Strategies need to be developed to address these challenges to determine “When Where and How Root and Tuber Crops Will Lead the Next Agricultural Revolution”. Unquestionably, in the next 20 years, tropical root and tuber crops will play a significant role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural development in the tropics. Hence, this Symposium provides an opportunity for experts from around the world to meet and address this agenda. The Symposium will be jointly organized by the International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC) and the International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). It will be an excellent opportunity for those interested in root and tuber crops from around the world to come together to share and compare knowledge and expertise. It will be an opportunity for Colombia and other Latin American countries to showcase their expertise and for workers from other parts of the world to learn and experience first-hand.
Objectives
- Bring together leading root and tuber crops researchers and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines to review the state of the art on research and development activities involving these crops.
- Identify key research and knowledge gaps with the aim of stimulating new research for development that will realize the next agri-food revolution.
- Identify the research outputs that are ready to scale-up/out to contribute to food security, economic growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development.
- Propose appropriate policy interventions that will support the contribution of root and tuber crops to development outcomes.
- Propose how to strengthen public-private partnerships for root and tuber agribusiness innovation and development.
- Assess 50 years of impact research and development on roots and tubers for improved livelihoods and nutrition.
Expected Outputs
- Symposium attendees updated on the latest state-of-the-art scientific developments, innovations, and technologies.
- The identification of new areas of investment in research, development and value chains.
- Advice on strategies to engage in private-public partnership for capacity building, dissemination, and implementation of research and technologies and the impact of root and tuber crops on smallholder fields.
- Raised awareness on the importance of strengthening national agricultural development policies for sustainable root and tuber production.
About the Venue
The ISTRC symposium will be held at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT, Cali, Colombia. The venue is close to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport also known as Palmaseca International Airport, 5 minutes from Palmira and about 20 minutes from Cali, the capital of the department of Valle del Cauca in southern Colombia. Please note that 57 is the country code (Colombia) and 2 is the city code (Cali). For emergencies (24 hours): +57–2-445-0 000, ext. 3111.