Tropical Agriculture Platform Inception Workshop, Partner Assembly opens in Hainan
DATE:2013-09-13 SOURCE:Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, MOA
Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) Inception Workshop and Partner Assembly was held in Haikou, Hainan Province during Sept.4-6th, 2013. The event was hosted by MOA and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and organized by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS).
The event has brought together 45 participants from over 10 countries to discuss plans for TAP development.
At the Inception Workshop,representatives from MOA and FAO made presentations on China South-South Cooperation in Agriculture: Lessons and the Way Forward and Experiences from South-South and Triangular Cooperation Programmes.
Discussion on how to provide service for TAP were conducted by representatives from international organizations including International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA).
The Partner Assembly discussed and adopted TAP Action Plan,and revised TAP Charter. Steering Committee members, chair and co-chair of TAP were elected. Besides, the Partner Assembly approved TAP Annual Activity Report, which identified the Partners' roles and contribution to TAP.
During the event, eight CATAS experts made presentations on research progress in coconut,oil palm, condiment crops in China, CATAS''s contribution to tropical agricultural S&T innovation, and progress of the project of China-aided Agro-technology Demonstration Center in Brazzaville of the Republic of Congo. After the Assembly, CATAS held a tropical agricultural products promotion event to display key sci-tech breakthroughs in tropical agriculture.
TAP was launched at the first G20-led Meeting of Agriculture Chief Scientists (MACS) in September 2012 in Mexico with its Secretariat housed in FAO. In collaboration with partners from developed countries, TAP aims at facilitating capacity development in agricultural innovation in the Least Developed Countries. At present, TAP has more than 30 founding partners, including international, regional and national agencies and fora.
CATAS joined in TAP in 2012 at the invitation of FAO. The establishment of TAP will facilitate China''s tropical agriculture to better engage in international cooperation.