Paris, 7 June 2010


EFITA newsletter / 464 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Thanks for this issue (nb 463), great job! The tutorial on Google Maps is excellent.
I was recently in Rome, and though I didn't get to see the Pope, I had a wonderful time there!
Contact: Anne Wangalachi (CIMMYT-Nairobi)
E-mail: A.Wangalachi(a)CGIAR.ORG>


"FutureFarm“ at DLG-Feldtage
15-17 June - HANNOVER
"FutureFarm“ is an European project funded by the European Union as part of the Seventh Research Framework Programme. The project is focused on aspects of information management according to the emerging questions of the future of European farmers. The development of a FMIS (Farm Management Information System) is building the core element, which has the aim to support farmers in decision making and providing recommendations for field operations while complying to standards simultaneously. Besides complying to standards the handling of data, management planning, documentation and traceability in the value added chain are also aspects of increasing importance in modern agriculture. These can be eased with the aid of a FMIS.

“FutureFarm” is presenting project’s results and the development of the FMIS at the “DLG-Feldtage Rittergut Bockerode” close to Hannover (Germany) from June 15th until 17th, 2010. Next to a presentation by Dr. Armin Werner about automation and standardisation in agriculture, “FutureFarm” welcomes all interested at two stands, one in the field robot information centre (stand F44) and one at the field campus (stand GB39) .
See: http://www.futurefarm.eu
Contact: Geogr. Bernd PÖLLING
E-mail: poelling(a)zalf.de


Organic.Edunet Web Portal Blossom
It is our pleasure to announce that the Organic.Edunet Web Portal (http://portal.organic-edunet.eu) was publicly launched last week. It aims to serve as an online point of reference for searching, finding and accessing quality digital content related to Organic Agriculture, Agro-Ecology and other sustainable agriculture and environmental education topics.

The Organic.Edunet Web portal may be used to find:
- Academic articles on organic agriculture & agroecology
- School resources that can be used for teaching environmental topics
- Educational scenarios to deploy within the classroom
- Multimedia content (e.g. photos & videos) on the aforementioned topics

The Organic.Edunet Web Portal is currently operating in seven languages (English, Greek, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Estonian & Norwegian). It has been developed in the context of the Organic.Edunet project (http://project.organic-edunet.eu) that is funded by the European Commission's eContentPlus programme.

We cordially invite you to visit the Organic.Edunet Web Portal and find resources of interest/relevance to your work at: http://portal.organic-edunet.eu

We also kindly ask you to take 5 minutes of your time to let us know how it looked
to you by completing this short online questionnaire:
http://www.ieru.org/organicsurvey/index.php?sid=48597&lang=el

Contact: Nikos MANOUSELIS, Nikos PALAVITSINIS
E-mail: info-organic(a)grnet.gr


EU project Business Transfer in Small and Medium sized Enterprises
See: http://www.business-transfer.nl/
Contact: J.H.M. PAULUSSE
E-mail: jpa(a)planet.nl


In ICT Update N° 54
> Agricultural researchers throughout Africa are using the latest technology to develop a digital map showing the properties of soil across the continent. Farmers will be able to get detailed information on soil fertility in their area.
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/Farming_from_the_ground_up

> A project in Ethiopia uses GPS-enabled PDAs to map roads in Ethiopia. Accurate road data helps NGOs, extension services and farmers to plan their transportation needs.
http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/On_the_right_road

> As geographic information technologies become easier to use - and misuse - a group of experts has developed a training kit to improve the practice of community-based mapping.
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/A_guide_to_good_practice/a

> Communities in Cameroon use participatory mapping methods to support their claim to disputed land. The maps they produce lead to informed negotiations between the parties.
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Feature-Articles/Directing_the_discussion

> Increasingly, geospatial data, usually latitude and longitude coordinates, are added to web pages, which can help anyone looking for information from a specific location.
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/regulars/techtip/(issue)/54


How Moses got the 10 Commandments

One day God went to the Arabs and said, 'I have some Commandments for you that will make your lives better.'

The Arabs asked, 'What are Commandments?'
And the Lord said, 'They are rules for living.'

'Can you give us an example?'

'Thou shall not kill.'
'Not kill? We're not interested.'

So He went to the blacks and said, 'I have some Commandments.'

The blacks wanted an example, and the Lord said,
'Honour thy Father and Mother.'

'Father? We don't know who our fathers are. We're not interested.'

Then He went to the Mexicans and said, 'I have some Commandments.'

The Mexicans also wanted an example, and the Lord said 'Thou shall not steal.'
'Not steal? We're not interested.'

Then He went to the French and said,
'I have some commandments.'

The French too wanted an example and the Lord said, 'Thou shall not commit adultery.'
'Not commit adultery? We're not interested.'

Finally, He went to the Jews and said,
'I have some Commandments.'

'Commandments?' They said,
'How much are they?'

'They're free.'

'We'll take 10.'


There, that should offend just about everybody...


Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie


About the EFITA mailing list
You can use the efita moderated list (>4000 subscribers) to announce any event / product / web site / joke (!) related to IT in agriculture, environment, food industry and rural areas.
If you do not wish to receive our messages, please see: http://www.efita.net to remove your E-mail address from our mail list.