Congress web site updated: 26 June 2008
Agroforestry began to
attain prominence in the late 1970s, when the international scientific
community realized its potentials in the tropics and recognized it as a
practice in search of science. During the 1990s, the relevance of
agroforestry for solving problems related to deterioration of family
farms, increased soil erosion, surface and ground water pollution, and
decreased biodiversity was recognized in the industrialized nations too.
Thus, agroforestry is now receiving increasing attention as a sustainable
land-management option the world over because of its ecological, economic,
and social attributes.
CONGRESS OBJECTIVES
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
Planned publications include a
state-of-the-art compendium of about 30 chapters, a book of abstracts of
all presentations, and a Congress Declaration. Selected
presentations will be published as peer-reviewed journal articles after
the congress. The Congress Declaration that will capture the
discussions and deliberations during the congress will be developed for
use as a policy document for further promotion of agroforestry.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The official language of the Congress shall be English. Congress deliberations and communications will be handled in English only. All monetary figures mentioned are in US dollars.
The overall congress theme “Working Together for Sustainable Land-use Systems”, will be developed throughout the congress in plenary, sub-plenary, concurrent, and poster sessions. World leaders in research and development of natural resources will speak on different aspects of this theme during the inaugural, plenary, and sub-plenary functions.
Plenary Sessions - The congress deliberations will focus on five major topics.
Sub-plenary Symposia - There will be eight symposia, two simultaneously each day, on the following topics.
Oral (Concurrent) and Poster Sessions - Invited and voluntary contributions will be presented in more than 20 oral sessions, up to six of them concurrently, and two poster sessions, under the following themes.
All individuals who wish to present their work in any aspect of agroforestry are invited and encouraged to submit an abstract for consideration as an oral or poster presentation at the congress. Oral presentations of accepted submissions will be scheduled for one of the concurrent sessions. Suggested themes for different sessions are listed under the section “oral (concurrent) and poster sessions.” Authors may indicate their session preference in which they wish to present their work. All abstracts, both oral and poster, will be published in the book of abstracts to be distributed at the congress and posted on the web site following the congress. Special issues of relevant international scientific journals will feature selected presentations from the congress. Following the congress, authors of such presentations will be invited to develop and submit full manuscripts for consideration as peer-reviewed journal papers.
The abstract deadline has been extended until 15 October 2003. Abstracts are to be submitted electronically. Hard copies of abstracts may be considered only under exceptional circumstances such as the authors having no access to electronic-submission facilities. Detailed instructions on how to submit an abstract are provided below. Please follow the instructions carefully to ensure that your submission is received and recorded.
All foreign nationals who wish to attend the congress and need a visa for entry into the USA are strongly encouraged to start their visa application process as soon as possible as the application process could take up to six months. Travel reservations should also be made sufficiently in advance as more than 40 million people visit Orlando’s world-renowned attractions annually.
Wednesday, 30 June
2004
Congress participants have the opportunity to select one of the three half-day field trips described below to visit agroforestry practices in the region, at no additional cost, on Wednesday, 30 June 2004. The congress registration form provides a place for indicating your field trip preference. These field trips are available for registered congress participants only (not for accompanying persons).
Note: The field trips are within 50
miles (80 km) from Orlando. All field trips will involve walking through
forests/tree stands; field attire is recommended; approximate duration:
1:30 to 6:30 pm. Agroforestry in an Urbanizing Landscape Land management practices that are being used to increase income from agricultural and natural-resource activities in central Florida include: growing high value floral and herbal crops under trees; integrating livestock, timber production, hunting and ecotourism; alley cropping with vegetables; and more intensive management of riparian zones. Tour stops will look at these options to maintain rural landscapes north and east of Orlando, and will include discussions on the role of non-timber forest products, silvopasture, and streamside management zones in the southeastern U.S.
Non-Timber Forest Products and Public Land Management The field trip will visit a forest farming (lucrative fern production) area northeast of Orlando and travel back through the Ocala National Forest to see how collection permits for 'crooked wood' and other special forest products (NTFPs) fit in timber and public land management plans.
Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWC) (Co-hosted by The Common Purpose Institute) Fuelwood could be used advantageously for co-firing in the electric utilities that are concentrated in central Florida region and reclaimed phosphate mined lands in the region constitute a significant land base on which SRWCs may be cultivated as fuelwood. This field trip will visit a 50-hectare SRWC plantation approximately one hour southwest of Orlando. Cottonwood (Populus deltoides), eucalypts (Eucalyptus amplifolia and E. grandis), and other species were established, beginning in 2000, on a clay settling area formerly dominated by cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica). Additional information pertinent to this field trip is available at: http://www.treepower.org
The congress will feature an excellent opportunity for organizations to display educational and informative materials to a broad range of international participants.
To register for a Display Space, click here to reserve exhibit space; a credit card will be needed. (via our Secured Server) OR, click here to print a display-space reservation form, then return the form by fax or mail with payment to the Office of Conferences and Institutes. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print the PDF form file.)
Thanks to the support of various organizations, agencies and companies, a limited amount of financial aid may be available to selected individuals to help them attend the congress. Preference will be given to young scientists and researchers from developing countries. Assistance may include partial or full coverage of the following congress-related expenses: accommodation (shared), airfare, congress registration, or meals. Our funding situation is, however, still uncertain. We strongly recommend that individuals seeking travel support may also approach local and regional offices of foreign assistance agencies including: USAID (USA), GTZ (Germany), DfID (UK), JICA (Japan), SIDA (Sweden), NORAD (Norway), IDRC and CIDA (Canada), DANIDA (Denmark), Rockefeller Foundation, and Ford Foundation. Regional/Local offices of international agencies such as FAO, UNDP, other UN Agencies, and the World Bank (and Regional Development Banks such as Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank) also are recommended. Although submission of an abstract (for a congress presentation) is not a requirement for funding assistance, applicants should state how their participation will benefit them and contribute to the success of the congress. Financial assistance applications will be accepted until 30 September 2003 and are to be submitted electronically. Hard copies of the application may be considered only under exceptional circumstances such as having no access to electronic-submission facilities. Detailed instructions for the financial assistance application are provided below. Please follow the instructions carefully to ensure that your submission is received and recorded. Once again, all foreign nationals who wish to attend the congress and need a visa for entry into the USA are encouraged to start their visa application process as soon as possible.
GENERAL CONGRESS
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOPS – 27 June 2004 Two concurrent workshops both focusing on temperate-zone agroforestry will be organized from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon Sunday, 27 June 2004. The workshops will be held at the congress site, the Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida. The Society of American Foresters will offer 2.5 hours of continuing forestry education credits (CFE). Interested individuals may register for one of the workshops at a nominal fee. Please refer to the congress registration form located under the registration section to enroll in a workshop. Early registration is recommended, as space is limited for both workshops and each will be closed upon filling. Workshop A - Silvopastoral Practices: Design considerations, establishment, management challenges, and ecological and economic sustainability. Workshop B - Decision Support Systems in Agroforestry: A hands-on training on “SEADSS,” the Southeastern Agroforestry Decision Support System, an online application developed at the Center for Subtropical Agroforestry, University of Florida, for tree and shrub selection and agroforestry decision making.
Pre-Congress Tour:
The tour, sponsored by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, the USDA National Agroforestry Center, and the Iowa State University Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management will leave from and return to Columbia, Missouri. The tour will follow an itinerary that showcases both research demonstrations and on-farm applications of temperate agroforestry practices including windbreaks, riparian forest buffers, forest farming, alley cropping, and silvopasture in Missouri and Iowa. The tour information, the coordinators contact information, registration form and secure online payment are available on the University of Missouri website location http://agebb.missouri.edu/umca/events/mototour.asp Columbia is located in central Missouri and is approximately 100 miles (160 km) from the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. It is recommended that participants fly into that airport on 22 June 2004 and fly out of the airport on 26 or 27 June to Orlando. The tour itinerary and registration information will be available under “Upcoming Events” on the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry website located at www.centerforagroforestry.org. The tour coordinator is Julie Rhoads, Center for Agroforestry, 203 ABNR Bldg., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Phone 1-573-882-3234; Fax 1-573-882-1977; RhoadsJ@missouri.edu.
NOTE:
“SeaWorld” EXCURSION - Thursday, 1 July 2004
A
special evening is planned at SeaWorld® Orlando for Thursday night, 01
July 2004, 5:30-11:00pm. SeaWorld is the world's premiere adventure park,
with world-class shows, thrilling rides and unforgettable animal
encounters. Upon group arrival by motor coach to SeaWorld, guests will
have over two hours to experience and enjoy the park’s shows and exhibits.
Toward the end of the evening, guests will meet to enjoy a late reception
celebration with tropical hors d’oeuvres and entertainment before
returning to the hotel. (The SeaWorld excursion is included with congress
registration; accompanying persons may register separately for the event:
see details under “Registration Information.”)
If you require a visa to enter the United States, we urge you to begin the visa application process now to secure an approved travel visa. Visa application forms are available from the US Embassy in your country. Congress
Registration Fee The registration fee also includes hors d’oeuvres and refreshments at the Sunday evening welcome reception, boxed lunch on Monday, and a morning coffee and an afternoon non-alcoholic beverage daily. All monetary figures are in US dollars.
*Student registration space is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pre-congress Workshop Fee The pre-congress registration fee will allow each registrant full participation to one workshop. Early registration is recommended, as there is limited availability for each workshop.
Accompanying Persons
For participants arriving with small children: The congress organizers appreciate the importance of Orlando tourist attractions, especially to young children, but regrettably cannot make any arrangements for children. Since the Wednesday half-day field trip is part of the congress participant registration, accompanying persons are not allowed to participate, unless registering for the entire congress.
Refund Policy: Requests for refunds will be honored if a written notification of cancellation is received at the congress secretariat (the Office of Conferences & Institutes, IFAS, University of Florida) by 07 May 2004. A processing fee of $ 50.00 will be deducted from all congress registration refunds. A $10.00 fee will be deducted from all workshop refunds. A $15.00 fee will be deducted from all accompanying persons registration refunds. No refunds will be honored for cancellations after 07 May 2004. Special Needs: Special needs (such as visual, hearing or walking impairments) of registered participants can be reasonably accommodated if they contact the congress secretariat (the Office of Conferences & Institutes), no later than 10 June 2004. We can be reached by phone at 1-352-392-5930, by fax at 1-352-392-9734, by email at mrpadgett@ifas.ufl.edu. If calling from within the State of Florida, the office can be reached at 1-800-955-8771 (TDD).
Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort® 1751 Hotel Plaza Blvd. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, USA Telephone: 1-407-827-4000 Fax: 1-407-827-3890 The congress will be held at the Hilton. As an official Walt Disney World hotel, the Hilton is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) from Orlando International Airport. Ideal for incorporating a family vacation, the Hilton is within walking distance of Downtown Disney featuring the Downtown Disney Marketplace, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island, and Downtown Disney West Side. The Hilton also offers complimentary transportation to the four Disney World® theme parks: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios.
Congress Room Rate Sleeping rooms have been set aside at the Hilton for congress attendees at a reduced congress rate. The rooms and reduced rate are limited so we encourage participants to begin travel preparations now and reserve accommodations as soon as possible. The special room rate is as follows:
As this is a discounted group rate, it is non-commissionable to travel agents, and Frequent Traveler Points do not apply. Optional Resort Fee: Hotel guests have the option of purchasing a $6.00 per room per day resort fee (plus sales tax, currently at 6.5%) upon check-in at the Hilton. The optional resort fee includes: - Admission to the Health Club (currently $6.00 per day). - Complimentary local and 800 number telephone calls up to a total of 60 minutes (currently $1.10 per minute). - Late check-out up to 1:00pm. Subject to availability (currently $35.00).
U.S. Government Per Diem Rate: A very limited number of the sleeping rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the 2004 government per diem rate for U.S. Government congress attendees. To receive the special rate, U.S. government officials must present proper identification upon check-in and payment must be made in the form of a government issued check, credit card or purchase order.
All the above group
rates will be honored from 24 June 2004 through 04 July 2004 (based upon
availability). Reservation Deadline and Deposit Guarantee
All hotel reservations must be made by Monday, 17 May 2004. After this date, the discounted group rate (which is considerably lower than the regular rate) will not be applicable even if rooms are available. Please be aware that the rooms will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and the block of guest rooms may fill before the deadline; therefore we urge you to make your reservation at your earliest convenience. To guarantee the reservation, the hotel will require a first night’s deposit, refundable up to five (5) days before your arrival date. All credit cards used to guarantee a reservation will be charged immediately for one night’s lodging.
How to Make a Reservation
Sleeping room reservations can be made in one of the following ways. Be certain to state that you are attending the 1st World Congress of Agroforestry (WCA) to receive the special reduced congress rates.
Early Departure Fee Be certain to advise the Hilton at or before check-in of any change in your planned length of stay to avoid an early checkout fee. The hotel will add an early checkout fee of $50.00 to your account if they are not notified in advance.
Individuals Participating in Pre- or Post-Congress Events If you plan to participate in events prior to, or after the congress, be certain to incorporate them when finalizing travel plans and reserving sleeping accommodations. NOTE: Post-Congress Tour has been canceled.
Check-In/Check-Out Times Check-in time is 3:00pm and check-out is by 11:00am. All guests arriving before 3:00pm will be accommodated as rooms become available. The Hilton bell desk can arrange to check baggage for those arriving early and for guests attending functions on their departure day.
SPONSORSHIP The Congress is being organized as a collaborative effort by a diverse group of institutions worldwide. Current sponsors are recognized below. If you are interested in becoming involved in this effort or providing financial assistance in support of the Congress, please contact P. K. Nair. Current
Sponsors
GLOBAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: CHAIR: • P. K. Nair, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA CO-CHAIRS: • Dennis Garrity, World Agroforestry Centre/ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya • Gregory Ruark, USDA/FS, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE, USA • Howard-Yana Shapiro, Mars, Incorporated, Hackettstown, NJ, USA MEMBERS: • Michael Bannister, University of Florida/ IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA • Catalino Blanche, USDA-CSREES, Washington, DC, USA • Craig Elevitch, Permanent Agriculture Resources, Holualoa, HI, USA • Pedro Ferreira, CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica • H. E.“Gene” Garrett, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA • Andrew Gordon, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada • Russell Haines, RIRD Corp., Kingston, ACT, Australia • Reinhard Hüttl, Technical University of Cottbus, Cottbus, Germany • James Lassoie, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA • Bjorn Lundgren, International Consultant, Stockholm, Sweden • Felipe Manteiga, IICA, Washington, DC, USA • Eric Rosenquist, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD, USA • Syaka Sadio, FAO of the United Nations, Rome, Italy • Panjab Singh, ICAR, New Delhi, India • Wayne Smith, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA • Neal Van Alfen, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA • Hiroyuki Watanabe, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA/IFAS: • Janaki Alavalapati, Shibu Jose, Alan Long, Vimala Nair, Mandy Padgett, Sarah Workman PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOP ORGANIZER: • Dr. Shibu Jose, University of Florida/IFAS, Milton, FL, USA
TOUR ORGANIZERS Pre-Congress Field Tour Organizer • Mrs. Julie Rhoads, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, Columbia, MO, USA Wednesday Field Trip Organizers • Dr. Alan Long, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA • Dr. Don Rockwood, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA • Dr. Sarah Workman and Dr. Michael Bannister, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA Post-Congress Field Tour Organizer • Dr. Shibu Jose, University of Florida/ IFAS, Milton, FL, USA NOTE: Post-Congress Tour has been canceled.
RELATED LINKS
Return to Index TRAVEL INFORMATION
Return to Index
CONTACT INFORMATION
Return to Index
|