CIGR Newsletter No 37
ADDRESS OF PROF. EM. OSAMU KITANI, PRESIDENT OF C.I.G.R.
C.I.G.R. FOR WORLD AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERS AND FOR GLOBAL ISSUES
As I start serving for CIGR as President on January 1, 1997 for two years, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my New Year's greetings and address to all CIGR members around the world.
Challenge to CIGR
World agriculture is changing faster than before, so is agricultural engineering. Food production in the world has not been increasing as rapid as before and its annual growth rate has become less than that of the population and cannot catch up with the rise in the living standard. Energy and resource input are needed to increase food production, but global and regional environmental concerns restrict further input. Thus, global interactions of population, food, energy and environment have posed the task of finding engineering solutions to this problem. This is the big challenge to us, agricultural engineers, and CIGR as a worldwide academic organisation for agriculture and related industries.
CIGR was established in 1930 in Europe. It was active mainly in Europe and to some extent also in the USA and on other continents until several years ago. Under the strong leadership of Honorary President Prof. G. Pellizzi, CIGR expanded its activities on a worldwide scale. Past President Prof. E. Berge has reinforced the network of CIGR. I really admire the founders and the many agricultural engineers who devoted themselves to develop the organisation and activities of CIGR.
New CIGR System
The shift of European national societies from direct members of CIGR to indirect ones through EurAgEng has however caused a drastic reduction in the input in CIGR. The Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering CSAE also claimed to be an indirect member through ASAE. It must be stressed that indirect membership is quite unfair to countries with the usual direct membership, because it does not bear the basic part of the annual fee. This situation, if continued, will have consequences for future worldwide activities in agricultural engineering and must therefore be altered.
On the other hand, European national societies have been carrying a heavier burden in CIGR fees by registering a larger percentage of their members. Although their member structures are quite diversified China, Japan and the USA for example have registered a smaller part of their national society members to CIGR. This is partly due to the present fee system with its saturating fee level at 700 members. It is necessary to eliminate this limitation and increase the number of registered members from large national societies to get rid of this unfairness.
The Presidium proposed a long-term financial plan to the Executive Board and then to the General Assembly in Madrid last September, and after a long discussion it was approved. This plan consists of a new fee and voting system in which CIGR has its organisational and financial basis diversified with regional, national and corporate as well as individual members. The new fee system to be effective on January 1, 1998, enables each society to adjust its fee level by selecting its number of registered members to CIGR, its ways of exchanging information with CIGR, etc. Each regional and national society can start with a reasonable fee level which they select themselves and is raised gradually, with an increasing level of registered members, when asked, and as a consequence with an increase in its international activities within CIGR.
Worldwide Activities
CIGR has in the past been active at various levels to promote agricultural engineering throughout the world. At the last World Congress in Milan, Italy, there were more than 700 presentations by participants from 53 countries. The six Technical Sections of CIGR have been organising many conferences and symposia. Working Groups and Task Forces have undertaken surveys and have organised discussions on a multitude of problems. Networking activities were strengthened through the efforts of Prof. E. Berge, and additional efforts will be made by a new committee chaired by him, nominating representatives for regions and countries where there are no agricultural engineering societies or where the existing society is very weakly organised.
Techtrans was proposed by Prof. G. Pellizzi and is being developed. A Directory of Agricultural Engineering Institutions was prepared by FAO in co-operation with CIGR and was then transferred to CIGR. A comprehensive CIGR Handbook is in preparation and will be published by ASAE.
What is CIGR doing for Agricultural Engineering?
What can CIGR do for world agricultural engineering and in related fields in the future?
Steady activities are important and the present projects mentioned above should therefore be carried on. Preparations for the XIIIth World Congress are going on. I expect that agricultural engineers around the world will participate in the first CIGR World Congress on the African continent. The XIVth World Congress commemorating the turn of the century and also the 70th anniversary of CIGR is scheduled in the year 2000 in Japan. Discussions are also underway for the XVth World Congress in 2002 which will be held in the USA. Section conferences and seminars will be held from time to time in different continents.
Worldwide networking activities of CIGR must be enhanced. Techtrans must be developed even in a limited form if more is currently not attainable. The AE directory should be updated and entered in the network service. CIGR's Handbook in English will be completed within a few years and translations in other languages are expected. Promotion of international co-operation on research and the transfer of the resulting knowledge are very important. A project to construct a research database of biomass for the network service is going on. CIGR as a worldwide academic organisation for agriculture and related industries will play a significant role by providing a global network to enhance communication and exchange of information.
What YOU can do for World Agriculture through CIGR
To carry out these projects funds are needed But more important is the effort of individual agricultural engineers. Almost all activities of CIGR have been carried out by volunteers. Their contribution to CIGR has been enormous. Gratitude is extended to all members of the Presidium, the Executive Board, the Section Boards, the Working Groups, Task Forces as well as other Committees, and especially to Prof. J. Daelemans, Secretary General of CIGR and his institute as well as to the Belgian Government for the steady endeavour and support to the General Secretariat.
CIGR is open to all agricultural engineers and members. CIGR invites you to participate in its activities. Your contribution to CIGR is of great value to other agricultural engineers worldwide and will be highly appreciated. The Presidium is now trying to enhance ways of expressing appreciation by introducing new prizes, honours and recognition. World agriculture needs your efforts in solving various issues in agricultural engineering. I sincerely hope that you will participate in CIGR's activities !
Osamu Kitani
President.
