ISHS Acta Horticulturae 495: WCHR - World Conference on Horticultural Research
NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF THE HORTICULTURE-RELATED INDUSTRY |
| Author: | Henry A. Robitaille |
| Abstract:
The WG3 document includes a Worldwide Summary Report followed by seven presentations. The Worldwide Summary Report is the product of horticultural specialists who were solicited and requested expressly to address the needs and expectations for horticultural research in their region, country, organization, or industry. In some cases they directly represented a single stakeholder's perspective, e.g., Produce Marketing Association (PMA). In other cases the specialists felt confident in representing all stakeholders: consumers, producers, marketing companies and associations, and public research organizations (government and university laboratories). Like Dr. Roger Lawson, who is the horticultural project leader for the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS), stated: “Our research results must be relevant to customers and all other users.” Because the technological needs of developing countries are markedly different from those that drive markets in industrialized countries and because national horticultural research programs are invariably weak or non-existent in many of the developing countries, the Worldwide Summary Report divides the world into three categories by level of economic development. The “Developed Economies” section is summarized from inputs received from the USA-USDA/ARS, North Carolina State University, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, Spain (Greenhouse Vegetable Industry), Israel, CAB International, PMA, and several individual horticultural leaders. The “Emerging Economies” section is represented by South Korea, Indonesia, and Hungary--one of the Eastern European countries that is, in a way, beginning anew horticulturally. Speaking for the “Low Income Economies” are three CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) Centers: CIP (International Potato Center), IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), and AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center), as well as a senior officer of the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations). Many contributors expressed needs that do not require research; for example, the North Carolina nursery industry has a long wish list, but not one item requires research to implement. This report is specifically limited to research needs and expectations. The Chair's summaries of contributors' oral and written reports (Contributor Summary Reports) are included following the Worldwide Summary Report. The complete, unedited reports of those contributors who responded in writing are on the Congress web site at: <http://wchr.agrsci.unibo.it/wc3/indexwc3.html>. You are strongly encouraged to study both | |
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