Activities
2013 ISSAAS CONGRESS & GENERAL MEETING
DATE: November 11-15, 2013
VENUE: Acacia Hotel Manila, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, PHILIPPINES
THEME: Linking Agriculture with Tourism: Meeting the Global Challenges of the Future
RATIONALE:
The International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) was mainly established to strengthen the cooperation of agricultural scientists in the Asian and Southeast Asian regions and to bring together groups of professionals with common interest in agricultural development in the region. After nineteen years of its existence, many remarkable scientific and technological progress and developments have widened each field of expertise that recognized the natural attributes of Southeast Asia. The developments in science and technology have been articulated in the yearly international congress held in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam. It is now timely that agricultural development in the region be maximized by linking with tourism. Hence the theme of the 2013 International ISSAAS Congress on "LINKING AGRICULTURE WITH TOURISM: Meeting the Global Challenges of the Future is very appropriate in developing agriculture and related industries to improve the economy of the countries.
Most of the ASEAN-member countries are agriculture-based such that majority of employment are in the farms. Therefore, the survival of the farming community is dependent on ensuring that there is demand for agricultural products and services. The farmers’ produce are necessities for the tourism enterprises as source of food, handicrafts as souvenir items for tourist, exotic plants and animals and other agricultural products sought by tourists. It is important that the potential supply of produce from local farmers be linked to the tourism industry’s demand. This will develop local livelihoods, inspire entrepreneurship, encourage active involvement and participation of the people and their communities and reduce the environmental and social cost of imported produce. Fostering better linkages between agriculture and tourism is a very viable strategy for researchers/scientists, academe, government and private sectors as well as entrepreneurs, for poverty alleviation and boosting the economy of a nation. However, from past experiences from some countries developmental growth in the agriculture and tourism industries has been pursued separately. Policies were not geared to attaining positive linkages between agriculture and tourism to ensure that interactions result in synergies between the two endeavors to attain the objectives of sustained and equitable development.
ISSAAS members can play an important role in linking their R & D breakthroughs particularly the innovative and modern technologies that produce quality products and the development of integrated farms for eco-tourism educational tours that will suit the needs of the tourism industry. An aggressive and extensive promotion program for agri-tourism should be initiated and this is where ISSAAS can play a very crucial role.
AWARDS:
Ribbon cutting with Pres. Kanju Ohsawa, president of Society of Agriculture Education-Research Development Abroad (SAEDA)
ISSAAS officers with Matsushida Awardee, Dato Sri Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid
DA-BAR Director Nicomedes Eleazar (4th from right) together with ISSAAS Phils officers at the BAR exhibit.
Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.(Acting President, ISSAAS ) for the opening remarks
Pres. Kanju Ohsawa, presenting during the opening ceremonies
ISSAAS officers and guests
Dr. Alfredo E. Pascual (President, University of the Philippines System), guest speaker during the congress fellowship dinner
