Conference: Expanding Sustainable Bio energy Opportunities in the Caribbean Region

August 6-7; Georgetown, Guyana

Meeting report here (PDF, 1.2 MB)

Background

The Caribbean region faces huge challenges arising from modern globalisation, declining competitiveness, trade liberalisation and eroding preferences, the rising cost of imported fuel, the revolution in information technology, and very high vulnerability to natural disasters. Meeting energy demand in 2004 required the importation of more than 163 million barrels of petroleum fuels raising concerns that continued high global prices will adversely affect efforts at economic expansion. Fossil fuels represent the largest expenditure on imports by the region.

Bio fuels can help provide long-term energy security through the use of locally produced feedstock at relatively constant prices that in many cases is already cheaper than the fossil fuels they would substitute for. Moreover, because bio fuels are locally produced by indigenous agro-industries, most of the money spent is retained within the national economy instead of going to foreign multi-nationals.

Goal and objectives

The goal is to contribute to sustainable development in the Caribbean region and the objective is to foster collective action and explore further the potential for the development of a sustainable bio energy industry in the Caribbean region.

Expected results

• Agreement reached on way forward and on a strategy for development of a sustainable bio energy industry in the Caribbean
• Project profiles for attracting funding for development of the industry identified
• Elements of a MOU for sale/use of carbon credits from the Caribbean region identified

Sponsors/Organisers

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); Organisation of American States (OAS); Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

Second PROTA International Workshop and Investors' Forum

World Agro Forestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya
24-26 September 2007

Background and justification

Information on the plant resources in tropical Africa, which is accumulating at an exponential rate, is stored in different formats and locations and is therefore inaccessible to most of its potential users. The Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) programme aims to make this existing wealth of information available for education, extension, research, industry and government through web databases, a multi-volume handbook and CD-Roms. In documenting and disseminating existing but dispersed information on the 7,000 useful plants of tropical Africa, PROTA follows a 3-step approach: 1) knowledge synthesis; 2) conclusions through stakeholder consultations; 3) pilot projects on candidate technologies. This process has been completed or is advanced for 3 commodities (vegetables, dyes and tannins, cereals and pulses). For other commodities (vegetable oils, medicinal plants and timbers) the knowledge synthesis is ongoing. In addition, candidate pilot projects have been identified and are in progress.
PROTA is nearing the end of its first implementation phase (2003-2007). Therefore, the time is right to review impact and progress. In addition, it is necessary to chart the way forward for the next phase (2008-2012) with stakeholders and investors/donors.

Goal and objectives
The overall goal is to contribute to food security and sustainable development in tropical African countries. The specific objective is to contribute to the sustainable use of more of Africa’s heritage of useful plants.

Expected outcomes

• Information on various commodity groups updated
• Progress and findings of candidate pilot projects elaborated
• Recommendations on how to improve stakeholder consultations and pilot projects on candidate technologies formulated

Sponsors/supporters

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Dutch Government (DGIS)

Further information: http://www.prota.org/uk/News/Final+announcement.htm

Summaries from the seminar

• Summaries Booklet

Consultancy: Database Developer

CTA is inviting well-qualified candidates to apply for this consultancy assignment at its headquarters in Wageningen, The Netherlands. The appointment will be initially for six months. Reporting to the Manager of the Planning and Corporate Services Department, the successful applicant will generally be responsible for the development and administration of CTA’s internal databases in line with the current and anticipated needs of the Centre. Further information here.

Closing date: 8 August 2007

Brussels Rural Development Briefing

The ACP-EU Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the European Commission, the EU Presidency, the ACP Group, Euforic, Concord, and other partners plan to organize regular development briefing sessions in Brussels on key issues and challenges for rural development in the context of EU/ACP cooperation. Click here for the first of these multimedia briefings.

• PDF version

Registration now open for Web2forDev conference

Web2ForDev 2007 is the first conference devoted to exploring the ways in which international development stakeholders can take advantage of the technical and organizational opportunities provided by Web 2.0 methods, approaches and applications.

The Conference Organising Committee is pleased to inform interested parties that the application for registration of self-sponsored participants is now open.

Registration for the Web2forDev Conference is by invitation only. There are no registration fees to be paid. You may fill in an application form if you are in the position to financially support your participation in terms of travel, accommodation and subsistence. The deadline for submitting your application is July 31 2007.

The Conference Organising Committee will review your application and let you know if it has been accepted.

Please submit your application on-line using the following link http://www.web2fordev.net/registration.html

Web2forDev conference: Call for Journalists

Web2forDev 2007 is the first international conference to discuss how new Internet tools commonly known as Web 2.0 can be used to the advantage of Southern actors to more efficiently network, collaborate and exchange information in the field of rural and agricultural development and natural resource management.


CTA will support three journalists from Africa, the Caribbean or the Pacific (ACP countries) to attend the conference and lead its daily coverage.

The selected journalists will be responsible for preparing a multimedia (text, images and voice) Daily Digest and to publish it via the conference blog. The digest will consist – for instance – of short articles on the presentations, interviews with participants and presenters and special focus to capture the “open space spirit” of the event. The objective is to offer an insight to those who could not attend. Depending on the selected journalists, the Daily Digest will be based on written and audio recorded material.

Further details here. Closing date: mid-July.