30 Aug 2011
The world’s who’s who in biotechnology will descend on Gauteng, Johannesburg, to attend the 2011 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference.
Gauteng will have another “first” added to its cap when the world’s biotechnology experts will be converged in Johannesburg for the 2011 Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference.
This prestigious conference will hold in Africa for the first time, and is destined to put the continent on the map as far as biotechnology is concerned.
The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, is proud to be one of the sponsors and the host of this year’s event. Other sponsors include AfricaBio and Novozymes. Media partners are Agricultural Review Online and Farmer’s Weekly.
Scheduled for 6 to 9 September at the Sandton Convention Centre, the conference will attract scientists and agriculturists in the field of biotechnology from all over the world. The theme for this year’s conference is: “Agricultural Biotechnology for Economic Development,” which dovetails with the Gauteng Province’s focus on economic development and job creation.
At the conference, industry leaders, investors, policy makers, scientists, researchers, and other professionals working in the field of agricultural biotechnology will interact with each other and look at the latest advances, barriers to biotechnology and future scenarios.
Prof. Jennifer Thomson, programme committee chairperson for the conference, is a member of the board of Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference Foundation. She is currently Emeritus Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at University of Cape Town (UCT). Her fellow board members are highly qualified and esteemed scientists from Canada, the USA, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.
Keynote speakers for this year’s event include Prof. Marc Van Montagu, Dr Clive James, Prof. Lawrence Kent, Prof. Quinton Johnson, Dr Florence Wambugu, Dr Jacob Mignouna, Prof. Emile Van Zyl and, Prof. Diane Hildebrand.
The conference will include Tracks in Bio economy, Genomics for Improved Agriculture, Bio-based Industrial Products, Bio pharming, and Environmental and Food Safety Evaluation – the New Frontier.
The first Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) was held in Saskatoon, Canada in 1996. The second conference was held in 1998, which resulted in the formation of the ABIC Foundation. The Foundation is a not for profit entity and its directors work on a voluntary basis. Its goal is to ensure on-going opportunities for continuous learning and networking within the agro biotech community.
On the other hand, the threat of Climate Change is a critical environment risk facing humanity. In response to the threat, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) was formed. This international environmental treaty aims to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interferences with the climate system. The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conference of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for second economy countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. COP 16 was held in Cancun, Mexico.
COP 17 will be held this year in Durban, South Africa and will include a South African expo of a project designed to mitigate against climate change and help us to adapt it.
In preparation for COP 17, Gauteng host Pre COP17 summits linked with Gauteng Water Sector Forum.
The aims of these summits are to:
- Present South Africa’s position on climate change;
- Preparations for COP 17;
- Showcase provincial and local authority initiatives to address climate change;
- Showcase by local suppliers of climate change related products and services (e.g. renewable energy companies, LED companies);
- Ensure that provincial and local authorities understand the issues of civil society; and
- Present Gauteng Climate Change Response Strategy and Action Plan.
For more information on ABIC contact their office at abicfoundation@abic.ca
Enquiries:
Andile Gumede
Tel: (011) 355 1957
Cell: 071 118 3119
Source: Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development
Issued by: Gauteng Provincial Government
30 Aug 2011
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