THE
VISION
The goal
of VEGINET is to strengthen partnership and inter-institutional cooperation
among the member organizations of the vegetable sector towards improved
production and utilization of vegetables.
THE
RISING CHALLENGE
1) Population pressure and food demand
IFPRI (1999), suggested that global demand for cereals will increase by 39 percent
between 1995 and 2020; for roots and tubers will increase by 37 percent.
Data not available but the trend observed indicates higher demand of
vegetables.
It is
reported that, 35 million children under five years will be malnourished in
2020. (IFPRI, 1999).
In this context,
the
global endeavor for improved food security, the diversity of vegetable crops
and their nutritional value are of special significance.
Vegetables used throughout the world number in several hundreds.
2) Vegetable production and supply
(Fresco and Baudoin, 2002)
§
The world production of fruits and vegetables was estimated
1,158 million metric tons in 2000 of which 692 million metric tons
consisted of vegetables. Exports of fresh and processed vegetables rose
from 19.7 million tons in 1990 to 32 million tons in 2000. The 32 million
tons in 2000 represented 4.6% of total vegetable production and the value
was US $22 billion.
§
The average vegetable supply available in the world is 102
kg per person per year with the highest level in Asia (116 kg) while the
lowest level is found in South America (48 kg) and Africa (52 kg).
The FAO and WHO Report (Anonymous, 2004)
recommended to 400-500 g of fruits and vegetables per capita per day as
recommended intake towards health improvement and prevention of
non-communicable diseases.
3) Peri-urban agriculture and vegetables
production
Agricultural areas around big cities present certain advantages; supplying
fresh vegetables to the urban consumers with reduced transport, packaging
and storage expenses as well as reduced post harvest losses. Green zones
within and green belts and around the cities will improve urban environment
and provide employment to the urban poor.
4) Food Safety and Quality
(Fresco and Baudoin, 2002)
-
In
industrialized countries, up to 30 percent of people suffer from
food-borne illnesses every year. An estimated 70 percent of the
approximately 1.5 billion annual cases of diarrhoea in the world are
caused by biological contamination in foods. There is a tendency to
develop a farm-to-consumer approach in order to get better control over
the contamination risks at every link in the food chain.
THE
OBJECTIVES OF VEGINET
The main
objectives of the VEGINET is to:
-
Strengthen and promote vegetable research and development
by facilitating inter-and intra-regional and inter-institutional cooperation
through exchange of scientific, technological and related economic
information and in identifying priority areas of cooperative research and
development, and, development of regional and interregional projects with
specific time frame, objectives and outputs.
-
Promote partnership between public and private sector for
improving vegetable production.
-
Facilitate development of human resource through better
education and training.
-
Promote improved and sustainable production of vegetables
for food to provide nutritional security and economic empowerment of the
farming community.
-
Develop collaborative network for dissemination of
information among the member organizations.
-
Facilitate building of a sound and sustainable
infrastructure of grading, packing, storage, roads, railways and water
transport for perishable produce from farm-to-the-consumer and processor for
holistic socio-economic development of the farming community.
TOWARDS
A SOLUTION
It is
time to recognize the gravity of the issues mentioned and the challenges
they present to find economically sound and sustainable solutions for them.
This can best be done by using better scientific, technological, economic
and managerial capabilities. Under the existing situation, the most rapid
means of increasing and improving food supplies is to harness the
appropriate multi-disciplinary knowledge and human competence not only to
produce but to protect the value added and to ensure its full realization.
Stronger, more sustainable and viable linkages between production,
post-harvest conservation, transport, processing and marketing are most
urgently needed to maximize returns from all inputs to the producers and
consumers.
A
real socio-economic transformation can be brought about by a sound programme
of integrated development of the vegetable system (along with that of other
perishables) and lead the agricultural economy to dramatic improvement. This
approach calls for a clear new policy and strategy of action,
with provision for course correction in sound implementation programme.
PARTNERSHIP OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
-
The vision is to promote partnerships in education,
research, extension and development efforts in vegetable sector involving
both the private and public sectors. The VEGINET
may assist the private sector to have access to new technologies or generate
materials developed in a developing country on mutual agreement basis of the
donor and recipient partners. Similarly, the private sector may
provide training facilities to research institutions in developing countries
and technology transfer, field trials, production or manufacturing process,
marketing etc.
-
Develop collaborative network for dissemination of
information among the member organizations.
-
The Bangalore Resolutions of ICV-2002 has highlighted the
partnership role of international and regional institutions committed to
vegetable sector such as FAO, AVRDC, CABI, CIAT, CIRAD, ISHS etc.,
MANDATE AND STRATEGY OF VEGINET
1.
Help identify priority areas for Development
Research and formulate joint programmes of action to improve human
competence to production, protection, processing marketing, distribution
and better use of vegetables and other perishable produce as dietary
components.
2. Help developing countries to formulate policy, design
strategy and programmes of action nationally, inter-regionally
and globally to increase availability of vegetables in a sustainable manner.
3.
Using the existing Centers of Excellence build
inter-institutional and inter-country networks to solve specific
problems of mutual interest. The joint projects for solution of these
problems should include professional bodies of scientists and technologists
and associations of farmers, traders and industrialists. This will
accelerate use of research results.
4.
Facilitate creation of National and Regional Technology
Exchanges for collection, retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge to
the users.
5. Encourage, promote and facilitate international scientific
and technological cooperation through exchange of personnel.
6.
A publication exchange programme should be developed
for newsletters, journals, reports, pamphlets and books in specific areas of
Vegetable Science & Technology and related areas for institutions to help
maintain closer links between them.
7. Provide assistance in building of new institutions and
strengthening the existing ones for inclusion in the VEGINET, to deal with
the problems where they actually exist.
8.
Promote and strengthen center(s) or special programmes
for human resource development in management of R&D, DR,
institutions and also technology assessment competence within processing
industries.
9.
Create and maintain a global directory of professionals
and/or establish a Human Resource Bank, from which expert consultants can be
drawn by institutions and countries. Similarly, a directory of equipment
manufacturers and suppliers should also be prepared. This can be covered by
the existing institutions under contract and financed by advertisements and
grants from the industry or bilateral agencies.
10. VEGINET can act as a consultative body on vegetable
science, technology and related economic matters that have an international
or inter-regional dimension.
11. Establish commissions and / or other functional bodies of
VEGINET, to deal with specific scientific, technological and economic
problems of the vegetable system.
12.
Take on any other activity to deal with the problem of
vegetable science & technology that would contribute to raising production,
ensure better crop and product protection and help to raise farm incomes for
improving the quality of life.
RESOURCE
GENERATION
Mobilize
adequate financial resources for support of joint projects at institutions
in the VEGINET. This could be done from contribution of countries, bilateral
and multilateral agencies for developing strategic plans, external funding,
including public and private sectors.
THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The
General Assembly of VEGINET will be the policy making and programme planning
body. It will have one representative of each member institution. The
Executive Board, elected by the General Assembly will implement the
decisions taken by the General Assembly and report to it. The primary duty
of the Executive Board will be to conduct and manage all the official
affairs of VEGINET between meetings of the General Assembly. This will
include such specific responsibilities as preparation of budget, collection
and disbursement of funds and supervision of its programme of work and of
the VEGINET Secretariat. The Executive Board willalso be authorized to take
specific policy decisions which would be endorsed / ratified by the General
Assembly.
MEMBERSHIP
The
Membership of the VEGINET will be open to both private and public sector
organizations actively engaged in Vegetable and related Research &
Development, Technology Development, Protection and Processing, Marketing,
Planning and Policy formulation and management. The membership fee for
various categories of organizations / individuals will be as follows ;
Developed Countries Life Membership
– US $ 5,000.00
Annual Membership – US $ 2,000.00
Developing Countries Life Membership – US $ 2,500.00
Annual Membership – US $ 1,000.00
Developed Countries Life
Membership – US $ 3,000.00
Annual Membership – US $ 1,000.00
Developing Countries Life
Membership – US $ 1,500.00
Annual Membership – US $ 500.00
Developed Countries Life Membership – US $ 1,000.00
Annual
Membership – US $ 500.00
Developing Countries Life
Membership – US $ 500.00
Annual Membership – US $ 250.00
Developed Countries (annual) US $ 45.00
Life Members US $ 2,000.00
Developing Countries (annual) US $ 30.00
Life Members US $ 400.00
PAYMENT MODE
The Payment be made by Bank Demand Draft
or Cheque in favour of Dr. Prem Nath Agricultural Science
Foundation(Project – VEGINET), SB. A/C No. 40780 (for Rupees) or SB A/C No.
39815 (for USD) and payable at Canara Bank, Vyalikaval,
Bangalore – 560 003, Karnataka, INDIA.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The Executive Council will consist of
(1)
Chairperson
(2)
3 International Advisors
(3)
5 Regional Vice-Chairperson –
Africa,
Asia, Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Caribbean & North America
(4)
Secretary General – From Headquarters
(5)
Assistant Secretary General
(6)
Treasurer – From Headquarters
(7)
Five Members representing different regions.
Additional expert members and representatives of Institutions from the
network can be invited by the Chairperson to participate in the EC Meetings
as the need arises. They will not have a vote.
Progress made
While number of institutions and countries continue to show
interest in the VEGINET, about 50 institutions, countries and individuals
have already registered as members and associate members. The next
International Conference on Vegetables (ICV-2007) is scheduled on 10th – 13th September, 2007, at Fortaleza, Brazil and the announcement is expected shortly.
|
Dr. Prem Nath introducing the
concept of VEGINET to the
delegates during ICV-2002
The 661 participants from 37 countries of the International Conference on Vegetables
(ICV) held on 11-14 November, 2002, at Bangalore, India, discussed over 600
papers and posters presented on its 13 theme areas of scientific,
technological and economic importance including Theme Area on TCDC. They
strongly felt at the conclusion of the Conference that this phenomenal
knowledge and much more of it that is globally available and will be
available in the future should be collected, consolidated and easily
retrieved and shared for appropriate use by the stakeholders.Therefore,the
General Assembly of the Conference ICV-2002 decided to establish the
Vegetable Science International Network (VEGINET).