AFRICAN VEGETABLES CONFERENCE: NOVEMBER 2017

* * * CALL FOR PAPERS: DEADLINE EXTENDED TILL AUGUST 30, 2017 * * *

Producers, marketers, processors, and consumers have identified various problems that militate against the cultivation and utilization of indigenous vegetables in Africa. These include lack of planting materials, lack of production package information, lack of government support, the psyche of consumers that discourage promotion of indigenous species, lack of awareness of the food value of the species, difficult production techniques e.g. staking, etc., and high degree of perishability amongst others. It is known that the agrarian/rural communities that constitute about 65% of most African countries rely on these valuable vegetables for daily supplies of nutrients, vitamins and even protein. Thus, sustained production and utilization of these indigenous vegetables (IVs) will be a solution to the persistent problems of food and nutritional security in Africa. It is therefore timely to organize a forum to discuss issues that are related to the production and utilization of the indigenous vegetables of Africa from the perspectives of science, technology, finance and policy. Therefore, one of the goals of this conference is to bring together the stakeholders in the indigenous vegetables value chain. The conference will focus on development of improved agronomic methods, improved value addition, post-harvest and processing technologies, financing and the development of new market outlets which will contribute to the economic well-being of the rural women and generally enhance the average family income and provide a bulwark against food and nutritional insecurity. For more information, Click Here.