Paris, 26 March 2007


EFITA newsletter / 302 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Information systems in agriculture and forestry conference - Themed  Living Labs
15 -16 May 2007 - Prague
> Conference topics
- scientific opportunities and directions in the European Union
- implementation of i2010 iniciative
- information and communication technologies for rural areas
- applications for agriculture and forestry
- eLearning for rural areas
- human aspect of information society development
- food safety and tracebility
- Rural SDI

> Supporting program
- Information day eContent (Prague, 15th May 2007)
- INSPIRE infoday (Prague, 16th May 2007)
- Workshop of C@R, Humboldt and NaturNet projects (Chotěboř, 17th May 2007)

> Call for papers
All papers that correspond to the above stated conference topics can be sent to conference organisers. The contents of conference papers must meet the requirements on a scientific and professional publication. Every registered paper will be evaluated by experts; an oponent is chosen by the conference programme committee.
Contributions will be published in full version in the conference proceedings and also on CD. A contribution must follow defined styles and can be written in Czech or English. If you decide to write in Czech, there must be a Czech as well as English abstract and key words.

> Important dates
- Deadline for submitting conference papers 25th March 2007
- Confirmation of accepting the conference paper 31st March 2007
- Deadline for preferential registration 20th April 2007
- Conference 15th and 16th May 2007
See: http://www.isaf.cz/
Contact: Karel CHARVAT
E-mail: charvat(a)lesprojekt.cz



Rural Living Lab Award 2007
Challenge of the Award: Selection of the best RLL solution supporting an ICT-based collaborative principle with respect to sustainable regional development and rural Knowledge Society building.
Call Deadline: 15th April 2007
See: http://www.isaf.cz/
Contact: Karel CHARVAT
E-mail: charvat(a)lesprojekt.cz


Geo-Application Award 2007 - Joan Blaeu @ Prize
Challenge of the Prize: The best SDI realization using UNSDI and INSPIRE principles with respect to sustainable regional development and rural knowledge society building. The best three applications will be awarded by certificate and trophy. Information about all eligible applications will be published on CDs, about awarded applications also on Conference pages, EFITA and UNSDI and INSPIRE pages.
See: http://www.isaf.cz/
See: http://www.unsdi.cz
Contact: Karel CHARVAT
E-mail: charvat(a)lesprojekt.cz


CCTA2007 in Wuyishan of China
18 August – Wuyishan - China
The First International Conference on Computer and Computing Technology Applications in Agriculture (CCTA2007) will be held on Aug.18th, 2007 in Wuyishan. Wuyishan is a famous and beautiful place of interest in Fujian Province of China.
CCTA 2007 is aiming to bring together not only researchers, engineers but also government officers and practitioners from all over the world to have a chance to communicate with each other on Agriculture. CCTA2007 will interest researchers, IT professionals and consultants by examining technologies, officials on Agriculture and applications. The conference will focus on profitable technologies and policies on Agriculture.
See: http://aoc.cau.edu.cn/ccta2007
Contact: Prof. Daoliang Li
E-mail: ccta2007(a)sina.com


The Syrian agriculture database 2006 (SADB 2006) - Pioneering Resources for Global Agricultural Statistics
The National Agricultural Policy Centre (NAPC), with the support of the FAO Project GCP/SYR/006/ITA, is proud to announce the publication of the Syrian Agricultural Database 2006 in CD-ROM and Online formats, and in both Arabic and English.
SADB 2006 is the most recent edition the SADB series which was first published in 2003. Published following the format of  the FAO Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), SADB 2006 provides detailed and up-to-date data on an extensive range of statistical data related to agriculture. As such the SADB 2006 is a rare resource amongst countries with transition economies, that contributes to the global improvement of agricultural statistics.
Significantly all this data is accessible via a user-friendly and fully integrated computer interface, providing its users with instantaneous access to all data available.
>> Data Topics include:
- Agricultural Production: specific and disaggregated data on all types of agricultural products.
- National Economic Data: includes data on taxation, customs, and ministry investments.
- Agricultural Inputs: detailed information on fertilizer & pesticide use, vet. medicine, and agricultural machinery.
- Land and Water: statistics on rainfall, regional land use, crop areas, irrigation areas and types.
_   Agricultural Trade: vast range of exported and imported products and their origin and destination,
- Cost and Prices: data includes individual annual/monthly retail and whole prices, major inputs and crop budget.
- Census: provides information on most recent agricultural census. 
See: http://www.napcsyr.org/sadb.htm
Contact: Atieh El-Hindi
E-Mail: atieh.elhindi(a)napcsyr.org


Rural Tourism International – Training Network
2 - 6 July 2007 - St. Nikolai, Austria
RTI-TN has completed the manuals in rural tourism training according their 10-theme curriculum "Entrepreneur in Rural Tourism". To present these manuals and to show how to work with them RTI-TN organizes a train-the-trainers course next July.
See: http://www.ruraltourisminternational.org/
Contact: Carolien van der Laan
E-mail: c.vander.laan@eceat-projects.org


"Coping with climate change", latest issue of ICT Update Magazine (& redesigned website)
This edition’s theme is "Coping with climate change". Developing countries will suffer far more from the impacts of global warming than the big polluters in Europe and North America. Soil erosion and desertification will affect ACP countries far more than Europe and North America. Some small island states in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean could be entirely engulfed by the seas. Such dire threats seem overwhelming and tackling them impossible. The scale of the big-picture hazards often obscure practical strategies of mitigating and adapting that local communities, NGOs and researchers in developing countries are engaged in. In this issue of ICT Update, we look at a few of such pioneering activities in ACP countries.
ICT Update is a bimonthly printed bulletin, web magazine, and accompanying email newsletter focusing on the use of information and communication technologies in agriculture in developing countries. It is published in English and French, by CTA (Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation) in Wageningen in the Netherlands. Each issue focuses on a specific theme and the latest issue has just been published.
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int
Contact: Leigh PHILLIPS
E-mail: leigh(a)contactivity.com


Saddam obit completed
Hussein was predeceased by two sons, Uday and Qusay, and is survived by 15 sons: Sooflay, a restaurateur; Guday, who lives in Australia; Huray, a sports fanatic; Sashay, who is gay; Kuntay and Kintay, twins living in Africa; Sayhay, a baseball player; Ojay, a stalker and murderer; Gulay, a singer and entertainer; Ebay, an internet entrepreneur; Biliray, a country music star; Ecksray, a radiologist; Puray, a manufacturer of kitchen blenders; Raygay, who lives in Jamaica; and Tupay, who is bald, and by seven daughters: Lattay, a coffee-shop owner; Bufay, a big eater; Dushay, owner of a feminine-care-products company; Phayray, an actress; Sapheway, a grocery store owner; Ollay, who lives in Mexico; and Gudlay, a prostitute. There is reportedly another surviving son, Oyvay, but he has been disowned by the family.
Contact: I. KITRON
Email: kitron1(a)terra.com.br


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