Here is a copy of the email newsletter we sent out to our subscribers this week. We post our newsletters here, but you can always subscribe for next time. Enjoy!
We’re excited to see more interest in improving postharvest practices as a way to increase income and reduce food loss. In a few months, the Horticulture Innovation Lab will be sponsoring an ISHS symposium in Cambodia focused on postharvest issues. Now is the time to submit an abstract, if you’d like to share your research results or expertise at this event. Please enjoy the highlights and other updates below, or read the whole article about this event here: http://bit.ly/1EERVBM
INTERNATIONAL POSTHARVEST SYMPOSIUM Cambodia will be the setting for the International Society for Horticultural Science’s third “Southeast Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems.” The symposium will be Aug. 13-15 in Siem Reap.
The event will highlight innovations related to postharvest aspects of the horticultural value chain, including food safety, reducing postharvest losses, processing, fresh-cut, packaging, microbiology, supply chain management, and seed quality.
May 30 is the deadline to submit an abstract.
Agricultural scholars from universities, government ministries, and non-governmental organizations will attend, from countries throughout Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. University students are also encouraged to participate.
“This is a great chance for students to publish and learn a lot about new technologies and new research — especially for students in Cambodia, since there’s not many chances for them to go abroad to other international conferences,” said Borarin Buntong, one of the organizers.
Buntong is a convener of the conference and also the head of the Postharvest Technology Department at the Royal University of Agriculture in Cambodia. Glenn Young, professor at the University of California, Davis, is the other official convener.
The Horticulture Innovation Lab is one of the event’s sponsors, along with Duksung Women’s University in South Korea. The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) is providing technical support. Keynote speakers will include Elizabeth Mitcham (Horticulture Innovation Lab), John Bowman (U.S. Agency for International Development), and Anil Kumar Anal (Asian Institute of Technology).
“I expect we’ll talk about real, practical ways of reducing postharvest losses, particularly for horticultural crops in developing countries in Asia,” Mitcham said. “Improving postharvest handling of fruit and vegetable crops can have a big impact on food availability.” Read the whole article: http://bit.ly/1KKaIju
*** IN THE NEWS ***
HOW TRELLIS INSPIRED A CALIFORNIA FARM ADVISOR As a grad student, Mark Lundy participated in a Trellis project in Malawi with the Horticulture Innovation Lab. Now a UC farm advisor, he wrote about the experience for Feed the Future: http://bit.ly/1bQ2xqc
GREENHOUSES IN NEPAL BECOME TENTS In the wake of Nepal’s earthquakes, board member Bob Nanes and our partners at iDE have been sharing updates about farmers we have worked with in the Lalitpur district of Nepal. For several farmers, greenhouses built for vegetables have become temporary shelter: http://bit.ly/1G6XkqI
WASTING LESS OF TANZANIA’S HARVEST The New York Times published an opinion piece about how reducing postharvest losses are helping African farmers prosper, and highlighted our partners at the Postharvest Education Foundation and their work with the Postharvest Technology and Services Center: http://nyti.ms/1L0PIWE
*** OPPORTUNITIES ***
EVENT: AIARD ‘FOSTERING INNOVATION’ CONFERENCE May 18 is the last day to register for the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development’s annual conference, held May 31-June 2 in Washington, D.C. Register: http://bit.ly/1IwUxsy
SHORT-TERM JOB: GENDER CONSULTANT USAID is seeking a short-term consultant to conduct a literature review of women in science fields. May 17 is the deadline to apply: http://bit.ly/1PhBre7
GRANT CALL FOR EL SALVADOR June 15 is the deadline to submit concept notes for a new funding opportunity from USAID/El Salvador. Details: http://1.usa.gov/1K5nA6Y
JOB: DIRECTOR GENERAL Reminder that June 30 is the deadline for applicants who are interested in becoming AVRDC’s next director general. Dyno Keatinge, current director and a member of our International Advisory Board, will retire in 2016. More: http://bit.ly/1zZaghf
EVENT: FOOD SECURITY AT CORNELL Cornell University will holds its 2nd International Conference on Global Food Security in October, with discounted registration until Aug. 14: http://bit.ly/1e0kVOH
EVENT: FIRST PHL CONGRESS Oct. 4-7 will be the First International Congress on Postharvest Loss Prevention, in Rome: http://bit.ly/1cuGKVu
*** THAT’S ALL FOR NOW. Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues. Until our next newsletter, you can connect with us on Twitter @HortInnovLab, by email at horticulture@ucdavis.edu or on our new blog: https://blog.horticulture.ucdavis.edu/.