Paris, 4 October 2010
EFITA newsletter / 481 - European Federation for Information Technology in
Agriculture, Food and the Environment
To read this newsletter
on the efita.net web site...
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6804
International conference GeoFARMatics 2010
24 November (14h) - 26 November (14h) - COLOGNE (DE)
The EU-funded projects FutureFarm (www.futurefarm.eu)
and agriXchange (www.agrixchange.eu)
as well as the CAPIGI-network (www.capigi.eu) organise a joint conference from
24th until 26th November 2010 in Cologne (Germany).
This public conference provides a unique opportunity to discuss the emerging
ICT and geo-information business in agriculture.
Please register now for your participation as well as your own short-presentations,
posters or exhibitions (www.GeoFARMatics2010.org).
Subscribers will be kept informed on the conference preparation and will receive
the first draft of the ‘Cologne-Declaration on ICT in agriculture’ that will
be developed further by the participants of the conference.
About 200 participants are expected from all over the world. The conference
brings together people from industry (software companies, machine manufacturers,
system developers), science and public authorities active in both (geo-)information
management and administration of agriculture with its environment.
Novel solutions, recent discussions and new concepts for managing of production
information and geo-information in agriculture as well as the related value
added chain of production will be presented at the conference. Plenary sessions
feature state of the art insight into relevant aspects of ICT for the agribusiness
being presented by internationally renowned keynote speakers. Separate paper
sessions, short presentations, workshops, poster sessions and exhibitions
address more specific topics.
The ‘Cologne-Declaration on ICT in agriculture’ is prepared as a first draft
by the organizers of the conference. It will be discussed with the participants
and will pick up results of the conference. The declaration will be published
as a conclusion at the end of the conference, pinpointing urgent needs in
research and development, infrastructure and training. It is directed to politics,
administration and research.
We hope to see you in Cologne.
Kind regards,
The organizers: agriXchange, CAPIGI, FutureFarm
See: http://www.geofarmatics2010.org/
Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: waksman(a)acta.asso.fr
Water Scarcity Winter School: "Analysing, mapping and evaluating spatio-temporal
water scarcity problems"
2 – 18 February 2011 - SALZBURG, Austria
In a set of lectures, group work and practicals the course focus on the climatological,
hydrological and socio-economic processes and functions inherent in landscapes
across Europe related to water scarcity. Participants are provided with an
overview of planning procedures (data acquisition, data preparation, data
processing, and result interpretation) and gain skills to apply the theoretical
framework. They will learn how to implement an early warning system against
water shortage based on existing operational methodologies (e.g. Meteorisk)
and to characterize main anthropogenic and natural defined surface water and
groundwater systems.
Participants will be guided from "simple" discipline oriented approaches
to more sophisticated multidisciplinary, holistic methods aiming at an integrated
assessment of water management and planning.
Registration starts on September 15, 2010. Applications are accepted until
December 15, 2010. Due to limited places we strongly recommend an early registration!
See: http://www.edu-zgis.net/ss/waterscarcity2011
Contact: Lisa MEINGASSNER - Z-GIS Centre for Geoinformatics
E-mail: waterscarcity2011(a)edu-zgis.net
CIOSTA & CIGR Section V Conference: “Efficient and save production
processes in sustainable agriculture and forestry”
29 June – 1 July 2011 - VIENNA
We extended the deadline for preliminary registration and submission of an
abstract to the XXXIV CIOSTA & CIGR Section V Conference until 31st October
2010.
See: http://www.nas.boku.ac.at/ciosta2011.html
Contact: Elisabeth QUENDLER
E-mail: elisabeth.quendler(a)boku.ac.at
Call for Chapters: E-Agriculture and Rural Development: Global Innovations
and Future Prospects - Editors: Blessing M. Maumbe and Charalampos Z. Patrikakis
>>> Proposal Submission Deadline (Extended): October 30, 2010
>>> Introduction
The global diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) and
their use in agriculture has surged in the past decade, and researchers are
increasingly interested in the real contributions of these technologies to
agriculture and rural development. When evidence linked ICT to an increase
in gross domestic product, it spurred a concerted global effort to study the
socio-economic benefits, trade-offs, and policy implications of ICT deployment
in developing countries. ICT have transformed the agriculture supply chain--input
procurement, production, processing, marketing, and distribution to the final
consumer--and thus global agriculture (e-Agriculture) and the rural development
landscape. Yet, despite the proliferation of ICT, their application in boosting
agriculture and rural development, enhancing the competiveness of agriculture
supply chains, modernizing rural service delivery, raising living standards,
and alleviating poverty remain unclear in most countries. The fragmented and
undocumented evidence of successful ICT use in agriculture suggests the untapped
potential economic benefits that could accrue to governments, agribusinesses,
and society were these opportunities better understood. Hence, this book will
be a valuable source of knowledge on e-Agriculture and rural development around
the world.
>>> Objective of the Book
This book will describe emerging trends and cutting edge advances in ICT use
in agriculture and rural development around the world. The book will be divided
into five major categories: case studies; conceptual and implementation frameworks;
food and agriculture market information systems; value-added agriculture services;
and policies, institutions and regulations facilitating the use of ICT in
agriculture and rural development. Collectively, the topics in the book provide
readers with a broad global perspective and a deeper understanding of key
developments in e-Agriculture and rural development, especially well-documented
empirical evidence of leading ICT-led agricultural innovations, institutions
and policies driving e-Agriculture success.
>>> Target Audience
This book provides readers with a unique opportunity to learn about the growth
of e-Agriculture and rural development opportunities around the world by drawing
upon case studies, theoretical frameworks, best practices, and potential solutions
to emerging ICT challenges facing agricultural communities. With the help
of empirical analysis based on context specific cases studies, illustrations,
and tables summarizing key findings from quantitative analyses, the book will
serve readers interested in the field of e-Agriculture and rural development,
agribusiness management, agriculture management information systems, business
entrepreneurship and innovations, e-government service delivery, and sustainable
economic development.
>>> Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
> ICT Models for Agricultural and Rural Development: Conceptual and Empirical
Frameworks
- ICT models for rural agriculture development and poverty alleviation
- ICT models for rural agribusiness development, agricultural commercialization
and food security
- ICT models for agriculture risk management, early warning, emergency, and
disaster management system
- ICT models for agricultural cooperatives and contract schemes among various
agricultural communities
- ICT models for farm service delivery, rural farmer health care and disease
prevention services
- ICT models for rural environmental management and ecosystem service delivery
- ICT models for monitoring and evaluating climate change, drought, pests
and diseases surveillance
- ICT models for aquaculture, citrus, viticulture, ostrich, and livestock
production and commercialization
- ICT models for organic food production, certification, and marketing management
- ICT models for urban food and agriculture supply chain management
- ICT models for agribusiness competiveness and sustainability in the new
knowledge economy
> ICT in Agricultural Market Information System: Market Access, Coordination,
and Integration
- ICT applications in improving food and agricultural market access, coordination,
and supply linkages
- ICT applications in developing food and agricultural niche markets, e-marketplaces
and mobile markets
- ICT applications in the integration and governance of global food and agricultural
value chains
- ICT applications in horizontal and vertical coordination strategies for
emerging agricultural niche markets
- ICT applications in food and agribusiness e-procurement, e-customer relations
and input supply strategies
- ICT applications in food safety and agricultural product tracking and traceability-
identity preservation
- ICT applications in market information systems, agricultural commodity exchanges,
and food banks
> E-Agriculture Service Delivery: Value-Added Wireless Mobile Services
for Rural Farm Sector
- ICT application in rural mobile banking services and remittance transfers
to agricultural communities
- ICT applications in agricultural credit, e-filing taxes, and agricultural
micro-insurance schemes
- ICT applications in agricultural information management and farm business
record keeping services
- ICT applications in government agricultural advisory service delivery to
rural communities
- ICT applications in agricultural knowledge management, e-content for agro-portals
and rural e-kiosks
- ICT applications in online trading in agricultural commodities, value-added
products, and services
- ICT applications in agro-based small and medium scale enterprise –franchising
networking services
- ICT applications in environmental awareness management training for farm
workers and rural women
- ICT applications in rural agri-tourism and regional economic integration
services
> Global ICT Adoption and Diffusion: Polices, Institutions, and Regulations
in the 21st Century
- ICT adoption and diffusion patterns in agriculture and rural development
- ICT policies and institutions for agricultural risk management, and farmer
e-health services
- ICT policies and institutions for agricultural commercialization and food
security
- ICT policies and institutions for rural financial remittances, e-infrastructure,
and sustainable development
- ICT policies and institutions for soil and water management
- ICT policies and institutions for agricultural research, innovations and
best practices in food marketing
- ICT policies and institutions for agricultural literacy and e-Agriculture
curriculum development
- ICT policies and institutions for agricultural e-content, e-security, privacy
and confidentiality
>>> Submission Procedure
Academic researchers, agribusiness industry practitioners, policy makers,
and rural development specialists are invited to submit—on or before September
30, 2010—a 2-3 page chapter proposal that contain a brief introduction and
a clear explanation of the objectives, methods, and expected results or key
contributions of the proposed chapter. Authors of the accepted proposals will
be notified about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines
by October 15th, 2010. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by November
30th, 2010. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review
basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
>>> Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group
Inc.), publisher of the ―Information Science Reference‖ (formerly
Idea Group Reference), ―Medical Information Science Reference,‖
―Business Science Reference,‖ and ―Engineering Science Reference‖
imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit
www.igi-global.com. This publication is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
>>> Important Dates
- Proposal Submission Deadline (Extended) 30th October 2010
- Notification of Acceptance 15th November, 2010
- Full Chapter Submission 30th December, 2010
- Reviewer Comments to Authors 15th January, 2011
- Revised Chapter Submission 15th March, 2011
- Final Acceptance Notifications 15th April, 2011
- Submission of Final Chapters 30th May, 2011
- Inquiries and submissions (MS word document) can be forwarded electronically
to:
Dr. Blessing Mukabeta Maumbe (Editor)
Department of Agricultural Economics and Natural Resources
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
2032 Agricultural Science Building
West Virginia University
E-mail: Blessing.Maumbe@wvu.mail.edu or mukabeta.maumbe@gmail.com
Dr. Ing Charalampos Z. Patrikakis (Co-editor)
Informatics Laboratory of the Agricultural University of Athens
Athens – Greece
E-mail: bpatr@aua.gr or bpatr@hotmail.com or bpatr@telecom.ntua.gr
What causes Arthritis?
A drunk man, smelling strongly of gin, sat down on a subway seat next to a
Priest.
The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a
half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket.
He opened his newspaper and began to read.
After a few minutes the derelict turned to the Priest and asked,
'Say, Father, what causes arthritis?'
'My Son”, replied the priest, it's caused by loose living, going with cheap,
wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around
with prostitutes and lack of a bath.'
'Well, I'll be damned,' the drunk muttered, returning to his paper.
The Priest, thinking he had been a bit tough in his response, nudged the man
and apologised: 'I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long
have you had arthritis?'
'I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does'
Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie