Paris, 30 August 2010


EFITA newsletter / 476 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


What's new, what's next in dynamic system modelling in agronomy?
7 September – PARIS
Already 65+ participants registered.
See: http://www.modelia.org/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=53

>>> Preliminary program
- Daniel Wallach (INRA, Toulouse). How to evaluate uncertainty in model predictions, with examples?
- Lajpat Ahuja. Enhancing and Extending Field Research with Modelling of Agricultural Systems, and International Collaboration for this Goal
- François Brun (ACTA). Modelling for decision support and modelling for impact assessment. How do the modelling projects differ?
- Hélène Raynal (INRA, RECORD team.) Debate: what role for modelling and simulation frameworks ? 
- James W. Jones. Challenges of Modelling Cropping Systems Responses and Adaptation to a Variable and Changing Climate.
- Debate topic: tradeoffs between complexity and functionality.
- Nicholas John Hutchings The future of agricultural modelling; opportunities and dangers.
- Debate topic: How can we improve the performance of modelling projects?
- David Makowski (INRA, Grignon) . How to synthesize different types of knowledge using models?
- Debate topic: Is it possible to falsify complex models?
- General conclusion 

Contact: François BRUN
Mél : francois.brun(a)acta.asso.fr


Integrated Pest Management in Europe: The ENDURE Network of Excellence shares the fruits of four years’ research with the crop protection community
24-25 November 2010 - PARIS
European Union Member States are currently working on the implementation of the Framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides to make Integrated Pest Management become a field reality by 2014. Major efforts in research and development are called for to accompany this initiative and help mainstream IPM.
ENDURE (Project number: 031499 – ENDURE -6th Framework Programme – Thematic Priority 5 "FOOD and Quality and Safety") believes we can take advantage of the diversity of experiences, tools and strategies across Europe and build synergies to make crop protection more compatible with our new environmental goals while maintaining our competitiveness.
That’s what ENDURE has been working on since 2007 and the international conference, which is being organised by INRA, will provide the opportunity for the Network of Excellence to share the fruits of four years’ research with the crop protection community.
The event will provide farmers, advisers, policy makers, researchers and representatives of the farm supply chain and food retail sectors across Europe with the opportunity to better appreciate, critique, feed into and benefit from our research strategies and outputs. It will also provide a preview of, and help us improve, the future permanent European Research Group that will maintain, update and enrich the resources made available by ENDURE.
No registration fees are being charged for this event, though registration remains compulsory. Book your place now at: https://colloque.inra.fr/endure2010.
See: http://www.endure-network.eu
Contacts: Philippe DELVAL, Andrew LEWER
E-mail: philippe.delval(a)acta.asso.fr, andrew.lewer(a)cirad.fr


California PestCast: Disease Model Database
I discover this site which contains a lot of information about models developed for crop and turf diseases in California. It is said that a model is included in the database if it uses weather, host, and/or pathogen data to predict risk of disease outbreak.
Similar databases have been established in France for research model or operational model, but they are not public sources of information for the moment…
See: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/DISEASE/DATABASE/diseasemodeldatabase.html
Contact: François BRUN
Mél : francois.brun(a)acta.asso.fr


AGRIS: International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology
Search AGRIS - from 1975 to date
See: http://agris.fao.org/


Agriculture in Czech Republic in English
See: http://www.agris.cz/english/


Shall we go to Kelly's Restaurant the next time around???
* A group of 45-year-old guys discusses where they should meet for dinner. Finally, they agree to meet at the Kelly's Restaurant because the waitresses have low-cut blouses and nice breasts.

* 10 years later, at age 55, the group agrees to meet at Kelly's because the food is good and the wine selection is excellent.

* 10 years later, at age 65, the group agrees to meet at Kelly's because they can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free.

* 10 years later, at age 75, the group agrees to meet at Kelly's because the restaurant is wheel chair accessible and they have an elevator.

* 10 years later, at age 85, the group agrees to meet at Kelly's because they have never been there before.


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