CIGR Newsletter No 63
C I G R - S P O N S O R E D A C T I V I T I E S
A chronological list of events in the field of agricultural engineering can also be found in our Events Calendar
6th Inter-Regional Conference Envirowater 2003: “Land and Water Use, Planning and Management”
Sponsored by CIGR Technical Section I, this conference will be held in Albacete, Spain, from 3 to 5 September 2003. The Conference language will be English. It is organised by the Regional Centre for Water Study (CREA), University of Castilla-La Mancha and the Spanish Committee of Agricultural Engineering (CEIR) in co-operation with the CIGR, EurAgEng, ICID, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.
Due to the increases in population and in economic activity, fresh water and land are increasingly scarce all over the world, both in quantity and quality. Thus it is necessary to improve planning and management in order to achieve a sustainable use of natural resources. This requires better knowledge of the different processes involved as well as design tools and models to help in decision making, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other engineering technologies. The conservation of the environment and the reduction of health risks which are caused by direct and diffuse pollution due to the more intensive use of resources calls into question local and regional development plans and strategies.
Envirowater 2003 attempts to be a meeting forum for scientists, engineers, and managers of water, land and the environment. The topics include all the strategies and technologies to improve the use and the sustainable management of resources in order to improve productivity and sustainable rural development without health risks. The main topics are:
· Hydrological and land processes
· Natural resource conservation
· Information technology in land and water management
· Land use planning
· Water resource management
The Conference will consist of three days of oral presentations, poster sessions, and a technical tour. Papers will be reviewed by an international scientific committee and, if accepted, published in the conference proceedings edited under the supervision of an international board of editors. The Conference fee will be 325 Euro; a 20% reduction is planned for participants from East Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin American countries.
For further information, consult the conference web page at: http://crea.uclm.es/envirowater2003 or contact: Conference Secretariat, Envirowater 2003, Centro Regional de Estudios del Agua, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071-Albacete, Spain. Tel.: +34-967-599200; Fax: +34 967 599 233; Email: envirowater2003@uclm.es
XXX CIOSTA-CIGR V Congress "Management & Technology Applications to Empower Agriculture & Agro-Food Systems"
This congress will be held in Grugliasco (Turin), Italy, from 22 to 24 September 2003. CIOSTA (Commission Internationale de l’Organisation Scientifique du Travail en Agriculture) and CIGR-Section V have organised several biannual international congresses; the 2003 congress, under the presidency of Prof. Pietro Piccarolo, will be held at the School of Agriculture of Turin University jointly with EurAgEng and AIIA (Assoziazione Italiana di Ingegneria Agraria).
The main topics of the Congress will be related to the subjects mainly dealt with by the two Organisations: work science and management in agriculture, ergonomics and safety. In these sectors, due to the contribution of information and electronic technologies, new powerful tools are now available for crop production and post harvest processing as well as forest, environment and landscape management.
The plenary session will be held by international experts in the above-mentioned fields. The ten main topics of the Congress will concern:
· Work science and management for agriculture, forest and landscaping
· Farm, forestry and agro-food logistics
· Machinery and traceability for crop production
· Management for crop processing and storage
· Decision support systems for farmers and extension services
· Management for sustainable and organic farming
· Work science and precision agriculture
· Greenhouse operation management and control
· Ergonomics and safety for agro-food and forestry
· Water management in sustainable agriculture and in water scarcity conditions
· Miscellaneous
The language of the 120 oral presentations and 80 posters of the symposium will be English.
In 2003 the thirtieth CIOSTA Congress will be held. For this reason a wide participation is expected. The organising committee will offer technical visits in the Langhe and Monferrato areas which, in September, during grape harvest, offers interesting opportunities for visits together with the view of a beautiful landscape in the best period of the year. A pleasant program for accompanying persons will be organised.
Registration fees are Euro 390, with reduced rates for CIGR members (Euro 370), for groups of three people from the same institution attending together (Euro 1,050), for participants from low income countries (Euro 350), and for Ph.D. students (Euro 250). Registration for one day only is Euro 140. The technical visit on 25 Sep. and the social dinner on 23 Sep. are Euro 60, respectively Euro 65 extra.
Further information is available by e-mail ciosta.2003@unito.it or from the Organising Committee Co-ordinator Dr. Cristina Tortia, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Economics and Engineering, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, Grugliasco, Italy. Tel: +39 (0) 116708845, Fax: +39 (0) 116708591. The URL of the conference web site with registration forms is: http://www.agraria.unito.it/dip/deiafa/ciosta.htm
"New Trends in Farm Building"
International Symposium of CIGR Section II
CIGR-Section II invites you to participate in the International Symposium “New Trends in Farm Building” that will be held in Évora, Portugal from 2 to 6 May 2004. The objective of the Symposium is to bring together scientists from different countries working in agricultural engineering and related areas, particularly those involved with structures and environmental control for animal and plant production. Research findings, legislation, technical solutions and future trends concerning farm buildings, systems and equipment for animal and plant production will be shared and discussed.
The scientific program will include poster sessions, plenary sessions, and oral sessions on the following topics:
· Farm building design and rural landscape
· Housing design and animal welfare
· Agriculture waste management
· Sustainable outdoor systems for animal production
· Greenhouse structures and environmental control
· Livestock environmental control in hot climates.
Dates and Deadlines:
Notification of acceptance: 30 September 2003
Full papers (& registration of one author): 31 December 2003
Registration fees are Euro 400/500 (before 31 January 2004/ 15 April 2004) for CIGR members, 320/400 for Participants from developing countries, 250/300 for students. Participation in technical sessions, book of abstracts, CD-ROM with proceedings, coffee, lunches, and technical tour included.
For further Information on technical tours, social program, etc., consult http://www.der.uevora.pt/fb2004.htm Scientific issues are handled by Prof. J. Meneses; E-mail jmeneses@isa.utl.pt; other issues by Ms Paula Sequeira, Phone: +351 266 760823, Fax: + 351 266 711189, E-mail: pcf@uevora.pt
International Conference CIGR Section IV "Electricity and Energy, Especially the Renewable Energy Sources in Agriculture"
Organised by the Hungarian Electrical Association, with the participation of the Hungarian Society of Agriculture Sciences and of the Scientific Society of Power Economy, this conference will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from 17 to 24 May 2004. The conference languages will be English and Hungarian; simultaneous translation will be provided. The main themes are:
· The possibility for agricultural farms to become energy producers instead of energy consumers by the use of regenerative energy sources
· The use of new wind-technology in agriculture.
· The economic use of regenerative energy sources in the agriculture of developed countries
· The economic use of regenerative energy sources in the agriculture of developing countries
· Problems in the use of electrical energy in agriculture.
Papers should be submitted in English, with a one-page abstract.
Deadlines:
Written paper abstract 30 September 2003
Full papers 30 November 2003
Final registration 28 February 2004
There will be a reduced participation fee for CIGR members and for participants from developing countries and former socialist countries. A one-day study tour will take place during the conference; a two-day post-congress tour will also be organised.
For further information please contact the Conference office: Elitexpo Ltd., "CIGR-Conference", H-1056 Budapest, Belgrád rkp. 22., Hungary. Tel./Fax: +36 1 318-3710 or -0937 E-mail: eexpo@axelero.hu
CIGR Section I International Conference
7th Inter-Regional Conference on
Environment-Water on “Land and Water Management: Decision Tools and Practice”
The 2004-CIGR International Conference, which will be held in the Beijing International Meeting Center, P. R. China, from 11 to 14 October 2004, is a forum on agricultural engineering in the new millennium. As the main part of the 2004-CIGR International Conference, the 7th Inter-Regional Conference on Environment and Water, entitled “Land and Water Management: Decision Tools and Practice” will be held on the same occasion in association with CIGR-Section I: Land and Water Engineering.
Sponsored by CIGR Technical Section I, and, among others, the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering (CSAE), the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Organised by the China Agricultural University (CAU) and the National Center of Efficient Irrigation Engineering and Technology Research (NCEI) of the P. R. China. The conference language will be English. Organizing Committee chaired by the Incoming President of CIGR, Prof. Luis Santos Pereira from the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
Rapid population growth and the continuous development of economic activities produce an increased demand for water. Many countries especially China are therefore facing greater and severe shortages both in water and land resources, as well as soil erosion and land desertification. Various environmental and ecological issues have been highlighted in recent decades. To improve land and water planning and management there is the need to identify policies, measures and practices that provide for the sustainable use of water and land resources and appropriately control the environmental risks associated with those uses. Scientists, engineers and managers from many countries have produced a variety of modern technologies and decision tools and practices that may contribute to improve land and water management. These technologies include information systems, remote sensing, geo-referencing, knowledge based systems and a variety of models and decision support systems. As one of the largest developing countries and having the largest population in the world, China has also made great progress and gained enormous experiences in land and water management to cope with its recent economic and social growth. However, each country has its own characteristics and approaches, thus there is a strong need for cooperation and to share experiences among engineers, scientists, managers, and other decision and policy makers, which becomes more evident considering the challenges faced by globalization.
The 7th Inter-Regional Conference on Environment and Water aims at promoting exchanges and collaboration on land and water management and offers opportunities for researchers, scholars, managers and other professionals to share the latest information and findings, thus providing a discussion forum on environment and water issues approached from the global perspective. The topics of the conference include all scientific issues and technologies for improving strategies for the use and management of land and water in order to achieve improved productivity, sustainable development in using the natural resources, environment conservation and enhancement, and the minimization of risks to people and their society:
I. Water Saving and Water Productivity
· Models, data, and model validation and calibration
· Modeling irrigation systems
· Information tools for irrigation scheduling and delivery scheduling
II: Land Use Planning and Management
· RS, GPS, and monitoring
· Information systems and GIS tools
· DSS for land use planning
III. Soil Erosion and Conservation
· Models and data gathering
· Planning for extreme events
· Maintenance and modernization of soil conservation structures
IV. Water Conservation and Soil Management
· Soil physical properties and data bases
· Soil tillage and land forming
· Water harvesting
V. Salinity, Water Treatment and Reuse, and Contamination Control
· Monitoring to avoid land degradation and water contamination
· Modeling salinity and contamination dynamics
· Tools and practices for reuse of drainage and waste water
Deadlines:
Submission of abstracts and pre-registration: 15 Dec. 2003
Notification of acceptance, author instructions: 15 Jan. 2004
Full manuscript due: 15 May 2004
Information to authors: 15 June 2004
A full version of the technical papers accepted by the conference will be available to the participants both on CD-ROM and in officially published proceedings.
For further information visit the conference website at http://www.2004cigr.org/envirowater2004 or contact the Conference Secretariat: Chinese-Israeli International Center for Training in Agriculture (CIICTA); P. O. Box 151, China Agricultural University (CAU), East Campus; Qinghua Donglu 17, Beijing 100083, P. R. China. Tel: 86-10-62337154 or 62337148, Fax: 86-10-62337138 E-mail: Ciicta@public.bta.net.cn
