Presentation of ISHS made by Jozef Van Assche when visiting Nairobi, Kenya in August 2009 on the occasion of the 2009 AAHC (All African Horticultural Congress)
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ISHS Jozef Van Assche Presentation Nairobi Kenya 31 August2009
1. Opportunities for Horticultural Research and Production Ing. Jozef Van Assche, ISHS Executive Director in collaboration with Dr. Norman E. Looney , ISHS President and Prof. Ian J. Warrington , ISHS Vice President All African Horticultural Congress 31 August – 3 September 2009 Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
We could start providing you an overview of the horticultural sector in all countries of the world, but I am afraid that 20 minutes would by far not be enough. Moreover, I do not wish to go into competition with a number of the other, very excellent speakers, our colleagues of this morning. We will limit this presentation to a few important developments in horticulture and horticultural research that are probably valid worldwide. Nevetheless, we didn’t want to miss out on a recent article published in Chronica Horticulturae vol 49 n°3 (September 2009 issue), and of which I brought for your attention a set of reprints that will be available at the ISHS booth during this conference. Dr. Shah and Dr. Kibe, our earlier speakers of today were very complete in their reports.
In the same volume of Chronica, I refer to an interesting article republished today but written by one of my predecessors, Dr. Sirks, in 1923 entitled ‘The Internationalization of Horticultural Science’.
A few questions come to my mind: 1. Do we really take serious our own profession, or reworded ‘Are we doing enough to tell mankind the advantages of horticultural produce, 2. Are our fellow citizens benefitting of all the advantages what horticulture nature is offering us? When going back in history, and in particular to ancient pictures of the middle ages, we notice that most horticultural species were of use somewhere and by someone. In the picture provided, you can recognize kale, letuce, spinach, asparagus, cowpea, eggplant, lemon and pomegranate. So the answer to the earlier questions is probably ‘no’.
I am sure that Ellen Muelhoff of the FAO will support me when we read that the principle causes of death, worldwide, across all ages in 2005 were 30% transmissible diseases, prenatale diseases, malnutrition; 30% cardiovascular diseases, 13% cancer, 2% diabetes, 9% Chronical respiratory diseases, 9% accidents and 9% other chronical diseases.
However, relating these deseases to the dietary habit of people,…
The World wide Strategy set in place by the WHO to improve Alimentation, to increase Physical Exercise and generaly to result in improuved Health,
This Stategy has the following attention for us: it…
The answer of the Distribution Sector was to better ensure a ‘Global Sourcing of Perishables’, providing year-round supply.
One of the consequences of this policy is that the distribution sector will do whatever possible to better manage risk since ‘uncertainty and risk are inherent to the production of perishabes’. This ‘market law’ has clearly shaped the supply chains.
When approaching the same ‘Perishables’ from a Customer point of view (the customer can be your client: the distribution chain, the supermarket, the local shop owner,…, but also the end consummer), he sees a…
The conclusion of the above, dear colleague scientists is that ‘Today: it is Time to Connect Again with Food’.
What are the … Social & Environmental context: under what conditions are these products produced both impacting the working conditions of the labor force, issues such as gender equity, child labor, but obviously also topics such as impact on environment, etc. Where historically the ‘gardener-horticulturist’ was a lonesome boy (cowboy?), nowadays collaboration has become a key driver for innovation, an interdiciplinary approach for reaching impact, opening a ‘New World of Opportunities from Seed to Shelf’.
The UK based distributor ‘Marks and Spencer’ department of Fresh Produce, recognizes 5 key drivers: The same drivers were recently pronounced by the Rector of the Agricultural University of Wageningen, quoting that the world cannot afford to have a similar crisis happening in the Food Sector as we had in the economical sector.
What is the impact on us, horticultural researchers? The Research Priorities that become inherent are in such fields as: (1) Sustainable Productions Systems
This ‘5 a day slogan’ generated from the earlier discussed WHO strategy for Alimentation, Pysical Exercise and Haelth’ is familiar to most of us.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that we all have the same exact understanding of what is meant: A recent commercial slogan in China, but that I also noticed in Thailand ‘Imported Fresh by Air’ does not receive the same connotation as this slogan would generate in Europe.
The fifth research Priority: and I certainly wish to applaud
The tremendous effort already done by the Banana Research Group of Bioversity (INIBAP – CARBAP – CIRAD)
With compliments to our friends of the World Vegetable Center, CIP, IITA, ICRAF, many of your National Research Organizations, and several other members of the Stakeholder Community.
As a scientific society the ISHS feels it also has an important role to play. And for us our part of the answer is that Horticultural Science is indeed a Global Issue.
How are we, and what is our mission?
Proofs of the Growth and Inclusiveness of the ISHS are that the….
Formally established in 1959, our membership keeps on growing.
Our outreach efforts over the last 8 years made us successful to include not only representatives on our governing Council from mre ‘developed countries such as Lithuania and Latvia, but we….
Do I want to convince you to join the Club? Not at all but for your information, we offer…. The conclusion of all this is that we can’t do without you, …..and honestly speaking, you can’t do without us. Let me show you why…..
I am going to briefly talk about the ‘Growth of the ISHS Science Program’. We wish to inform you about the growth in our array of Sections and Commissions that reflects new alliances with other organizations and emerging topics such as Fruit and Vegetables for Health and Issues of Sustainability ( remember above!!!)
Our new Section on Banana and Plantain came about through a strategic alliance with Bioversity and INIBAB Our new Section on Citrus similarly reflects an agreement with the International Society of Citriculture, and this AAHC may be a good opportunity to put in a plug for bringing the International Society for Root and Tuber Crops to collaborate closer with the ISHS family through a new Section dealing with Tropical and Tuber Crops.
Together with this increase in Sections and Commissions there has been a steady increase in the number of International Symposia organized through the ISHS. An all-time high of 47 symposia were organized in 2008 and these symposia represented the interests of all of our 24 Sections and Commissions, calling attention of about 10,000 participating colleagues. Each of these meetings were initiated by one or more of our 112 working groups, organized around specific topics. Each of these meetings resulted in the publication of AH volumes.
Growth of ISHS publications and information/knowledge resources: Important is the current number of Acta published both on paper format and on line. The on line resource is growing every day, and welcomes over 28500 page views per day. Earlier today, I mentioned Latin-America: last year our Society concluded a MoU with EMBRAPA Brazil: this MoU resulted in 120 new members from one organization but in 40,000 article downloads from EMBRAPA staff alone!
Our Board member Prof. Jules Janick has made special efforts to improve CHronica Horticulturae, and we…
Recently introduced ‘Scripta Horticulturae’, a publication of mongraphs and technical issues, with the first number describing ‘The horticultural sector in Uganda’
I wish to point out to you our tremendous impact on information/knowledge resources, the PubHort base, for which we reached not only a collaboration agreement with ‘The Journal of Horticultural Science’, but our readiness to cooperate with ‘sister’ societies, and agreements have been reached with…
I certainly don’t need to introduce to you our friend Rémi Kahane.