|
1. Date : August 20 ∼ 25, 2001(6 days)
2. Venue : Conference Room of Korea Rural Economic Institute,
Seoul, Korea
3. Sponsors : Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI),
Food
and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and
Pacific
Region
(FFTC/ASPAC)
4. Rationale
|
While Asian agricultural growth has made important contribution to
human life, it has also led to serious environmental problems. If these
problems are not given due attention now, they are likely to become worse.
Resource degradation in agricultural systems soil erosion, loss of
soil fertility, water depletion undermines the long-term sustainability of
agriculture. This is a particularly serious problem because growth in the
yields of major crops has slowed in recent years, and further increases
will be needed in the future at least a doubling in output by 2025 to meet
growing population and rising living standards.
The use of
chemical pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture poses significant
threats to both human and ecological health in Asia. Growth in
agricultural output threatens to exacerbate these problems, if efforts are
not made to rationalize the use of agricultural chemicals.
Agriculture has also led to the regions environmental problems.
Solving these problems will require a concrete effort to make agriculture
more environmentally sustainable. It is urgently needed to promote
environmentally sound agricultural policies.
To mitigate the harmful
environmental impacts of agriculture and to make agriculture more
sustainable, governments and farmers need to pursue policies to: a) limit
the expansion of the new cropland into biologically rich natural habitats;
and b) intensify production on current croplands in ways that help to
conserve soil, water, and on-farm biodiversity and to limit the use of
hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. The seminar hopes to tackle these
issues.
|
5. Tentative Topics
a. Importance of Integration in Sustainable Farming
Systems
b. Economic and Ecological Impacts of Sustainable
Agriculture
c. Environmental Enhancement Strategies and Policy
Linkages
d. Sociological Aspects of Agricultural
Sustainability
e. Agricultural Trade Liberalization and
Environment
f. Roles of Small Scale Farmer in Expanding
Sustainable Agriculture
6. Participating Countries : 9
|
Indonesia (1), Japan (2), Korea (4),
Malaysia (1), Philippines (1), Thailand (1), Taiwan ROC (2), Europe (1),
USA (1); (10 foreign and 5 local speakers)
|
7.
Agenda
·Aug. 20 (Mon.) Arrival of overseas
participants
·Aug. 21 (Tue.) Registration, opening ceremony,
paper presentation
·Aug. 22 (Wed.) Paper presentation and closing
ceremony
·Aug. 23 (Thu.) Field trip
·Aug. 24
(Fri.) Field trip
·Aug. 25 (Sat.) Departure of overseas
participants
|
