Paris, 8 September 2008


EFITA newsletter / 376 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Did you send your summaries to EFITA2009? (I did! – GW)
See: http://www.efita2009.nl/


Extension Call for Abstracts JIAC 2009
The deadline for submission of abstracts for JIAC 2009 is now extended till September 15th 2008.
In the following table the new planning of the abstract and paper handling is shown:
- Deadline submission abstracts: September 15, 2008
- Notification of abstract acceptance: October 15, 2008
- Deadline paper submission: January 1, 2009
- Feedback review scientific committee: February 15, 2009
- Deadline final paper submission: March 15, 2009
See: http://www.jiac2009.nl


Green tourism in eight EU countries and the DVD AgroTour.net, an e-learning tool for agrotourism training
55th AgriMMedia Seminar - Paris - MNE – 16 September 2008 – From 2 pm to 6 pm
This 55th AgriMMedia seminar will be devoted to agrotourism:
- at first, we will present the DVD AgroTour.Net, a multilingual e-learning tool for agrotourism training. This DVD was developed within the framework of the European project called AgroTour.Net and directed by M. Alecos Tringides of the company Trysis from Cyprus.
- in the second part of this seminar, we will present the situation of green tourism in the eight European countries from where the project participants come: Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, France, United Kingdom, Check Republic, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. These countries have very different approaches of agrotourism: attraction of bygone past, "back to nature", interest in cultural and architectural heritages (including gastronomy!), taste for contacts with clients coming from towns, rural tourism or real farm tourism, difficulties to maintain an agricultural production together with services to tourists… and need for diversification and for additional income that may lead to a complete change of business.

This panorama of "green tourism" will not be static and will take into account recent changes. E.g. we will see how the situation is evolving in Greece and in the Netherlands.

Beyond differences between countries, failures and successes, the unity of "green tourism" at the European level is obvious: our "farm tourism" should be better known by our European friends. And French people who appreciate this kind of vacations should better know what our neighbours are marketing. This is the reason why the invited specialists will illustrate their talks with presentations of web sites demonstrating presence of "green tourism" in their respective countries.

This 55th AgriMmedia seminar will take place on Tuesday, September the 16th 2008, from 2 to 6 pm, at Maison Nationale des Éleveurs, 149 rue de Bercy, 75595 PARIS Cedex 12, metro Bercy or Gare de Lyon. Language will be English with translation in French.

The files of the three previous seminars organised by ACTA Informatique on "Farm tourism" are available on the ACTA Informatique web site: http://www.acta-informatique.fr (see: "Nos colloques AGRIMMEDIA"). An access map to Maison Nationale des Éleveurs is available on this web site.

Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: waksman(a)acta-infromatique.fr


European Society for Rural Sociology
The European Society for Rural Sociology, ESRS, is inviting researchers to propose working groups for the next Congress to be held 17-21.8.2009 in Vaasa, Finland. More information about the Congress & Themes…
See: http://www.ESRS2009.fi
Contact: Erland EKLUND
E-mail: Erland.Eklund(a)Abo.Fi


agrifeeds.org
I attended a AGRIFEEDS presentation at the World Congress on Information Management and IT in Agriculture in Japan and I think you should look at it since it can be a good dissemination channel for EFITA News (and ACTA also). They are actively looking for contributors.
See: http://www.agrifeeds.org/
Contact: Miguel de CASTRO NETO
E-mail: mneto(a)isegi.unl.pt


Renewable Energy Alliance Asks For Plan
By Pork news staff (Tuesday, August 26, 2008)

The National 25x'25 Alliance is urging national policy makers to develop a complete national energy plan that will guide the nation to a clean and secure energy future. They say it would create new jobs, strengthen the economy, improve national security and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our dependence on foreign oil to heat and cool our homes, power our farms and factories, and fuel our cars and trucks is impairing national security and placing our economy at risk," says Ernie Shea, 25x'25 project coordinator. Shea cites the endorsement of 25x'25 as a national energy goal by the Energy Independence and Security Act adopted by Congress last year. The act calls on agricultural, forestry and other renewable resources to meet 25 percent of the nation's energy needs by 2025.

The recommendations urge Congress and the next President "to take the steps necessary to achieve this bold goal and set the nation on the path to a clean, secure energy future."

The recommendations include:

- Achievement of the 25 percent renewable energy by 2025.
- Expand federal soil and water conservation programs to ensure the sustainable production of food, feed, fiber and fuel.
- Establish a mechanism to create a market for carbon.
- Pass long-term renewable energy production and energy efficiency tax credits.
- Change the way utilities are regulated to give them a real incentive to pursue cost-effective energy efficiency.
- Expand and extend federal loans for renewable energy production.
- Accelerate the production and deployment of flex fuel and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
- Modernize and improve access to the electric grid to facilitate the delivery of renewable electricity to markets.
- Deploy next-generation biofuels; solar power, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydropower; energy efficiency tools; carbon capture and storage; and other renewable energy technologies.
- Create and expand pipelines, rail lines, ports, pumps and other infrastructure needed to deliver renewable fuels and feedstocks to market.
See: http://www.25x'25.org
See: http://www.porkmag.com/directories.asp?
pgID=675&ed_id=6457&emc=el&m=1585881&l=14&v=950aeb97d0


Barbara Walters interview
A point of view... Barbara Walters of Television's 20/20 did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Miss Walters' vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands, and are happy to maintain the old custom.

Miss Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?'

The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, "Land Mines."

Moral of the story is... (no matter where you go)… BEHIND EVERY MAN, THERE'S A SMART WOMAN!


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