Paris, 10 May 2004


EFITA newsletter / 158 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Number of subscribers
The efita newsletter has now less than 2600 subscribers. Please tell you friends, colleagues and enemies to subscribe our newsletter. And do not forget to send your contributions (news, joke).
See: http://www.efita.net/


"E-business for Small and Medium enterprises" community
See: http://www.ebusiness-sme.com
Contact: Joke GEYSEN
mailto:joke.geysen (a) eb-eu.com


I-Space club
I-Space is a "club" for suppliers and existing and potential users of space services and applications. Its activities are aimed at creating new services and products or enhancing the efficiency and economics of those that already exist, and more generally, at developing economic activities associated with the utilization of space infrastructures.
See: http://www.i-space.fr/


Cadastral Geographic Information Systems in Europe (A new publication of EUROGI)
See: http://www.eurogi.org/index_1024.html
Contact: Remetey-Fülöpp, Gábor (Dr.)
mailto:remeteyfg (a) posta.fvm.hu


Forest for Life / World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF)
See: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests/solutions/what_you_can_do/index.cfm


Finding contacts and business partners in the ten new Member States
See: http://www.eucenter.org/


CropLife international conference: Plant Science and the World Food Agenda
See: http://www.croplife.org/Annual_Conference_2004/Programme


Crop protection conference calendar
See: http://www.crop-protection-monthly.co.uk/futconfs.htm


International BioControl Manufacturers Association
See: http://www.ibma.ch/


More publishers sign up for AGORA initiative as demand soars for scientific literature in world's poorest countries
AGORA initiative to provide free or low-cost science journals sees significant increase in user participation as more publishers agree to provide online access to scientific journals on food and agriculture.
Since the initiative was launched in October 2003, more than 250 institutions in 50 countries - from the 69 countries eligible - have registered to use these valuable online resources. In addition, eleven new publishers have signed on to the initiative complementing the original group of nine international publishing houses that helped found AGORA.

> Full list of partners
See: http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/part.php

This is making a significant impact on researchers, students and others in the scientific community in developing countries and countries in transition.
AGORA provides access to more than 500 key journals in food, nutrition, agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences. It responds to the demand for scientific literature in developing countries that has gone unfulfilled for many years. For thousands of students, researchers and academics in the world's poorest countries, gaining access to current scientific information is a daily struggle. While students are unable to access the literature and acquire the knowledge they need, researchers and academics are confronted with mounting difficulties in publishing their findings in peer-reviewed journals, updating their teaching curricula and identifying funding.
"I am young research scientist with the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of Ghana and we are working towards alleviating poverty in the most deprived area in my country," explains Adams Frimpong. "I can now access this valuable source of knowledge for the benefit of my people and the scientific community at large."
FAO is seeking to increase participation from users and publishers even further, and is implementing strategies to reach those countries which, as of yet, have no subscribers.
"The growth of the AGORA initiative has been exceptional," states Anton Mangstl, Director of FAO's Library and Documentation Systems Division, "We are confident that, before long, we will receive full participation from all 69 eligible countries."
See: http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/
Contact: Charlotte MASIELLO
mailto:charlotte.masiello (a) fao.org


Paddy at it again...!!!
Paddy, pissed as a newt, is driving home the local pub. He turns a corner and much to his horror he sees, in his blurred vision, a tree in the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid it and almost too late realizes that there is yet another tree directly in his path. He swerves again and discovers that his drive home has turned into a slalom course, causing him to veer from side to side to avoid all the trees.
Moments later he hears the sound of a police siren and brings his car to a stop. The officer approaches his car and asks him what on earth he was doing. Paddy tells his story of the trees in the road when the officer stops him mid-sentence and says, "Fer Christ sakes Paddy shape up - that's yer air freshener."
Contact: Mick HARKIN
mailto:harkin (a) iol.ie


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