ISHS Acta Horticulturae 84: V Africa Symposium on Horticultural Crops
PREFACE |
| Authors: | Ir. H.H. van der Borg, J.C. Norman, A. Fadl, A. A. Abdalla, D. G. M. El Hassan |
| Abstract:
With great pleasure I comply with the request to write a few words for Acta Horticulturae 84. I had the opportunity to visit the Fifth Africa Symposium on Horticultural Crops in Khartoum in December 1977. The way Dr. Gaafar M.El Hassan has succeeded in a good organization and a good improvization to realize a successful meeting has impressed me. Thanks to his efforts it has been possible to realize the publishing of the proceedings within one year. It came clear to my mind that a great need for contacts between researchworkers from developing countries exists. It is also evident that they are not only concerned with their research problems, but also with the task to introduce their findings into the work of the farmers. They have to envisage also the economical and social effects of their research and therefore the advice can be given to introduce in the future meetings in which research, education and popularization can be discussed. In the final discussion this problem has been underligned by Dr.Gaafar M. El Hassan and I hope that these proceedings will give him and the other researchworkers the possibility to realize their ideas. I have great pleasure to officially represent the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture of the International Society for Horticultural Science at this Symposium. I also bring to you greetings and good wishes from Prof. H.D. Tindall, Chairman of the Commission, who unfortunately cannot be with us here today. As most participants may knows the Fifth African Symposium on Horticultural Crops is the fifth in a series of symposia in Africa organised by the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture of the ISHS. The four previous symposia were held in Eastern and West Africa. The first symposium was held in february of 1970 in Kampala, Uganda. This was followed by the Ethiopian Symposium held in Addis Abeba in September 1971. The third symposium was held in September 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya. In August 1975 the fourth symposium was held in Kumasi, Ghana. I would like at this stage to seize the opportunity to introduced the ISHS to participants gathered here. As the name implies it is an International Society of Horticultural Scientists and Workers. The general objective of the Society is to further all branches of Horticulture by improving international co-operation in the study of scientific and technical horticultural problems. The Society has various ways of accomplishing its objective. These include a) the holding of a series of International Horticultural Congresses; b) setting up of Sections, Commisions, Committees and Working groups dealing with special branches or problems of horticulture for the purpose of encouraging exchange of views, of stimulating international collaboration, and of disseminating results; and arranging meetings of scientific and other experts. Membership of the Society is open to all horticulturists and horticultural workers as individual members, and to institutions and organizations as affiliated members. I would like to appeal to participants who are not ISHS members to apply for membership (both individual and affiliated) immediately. There is so much to gain as members of the Society. The selection of future venues for symposia and other meetings would in fact depend on regional enthusiasm. The Society has a series of publications which play a great role in preserving communication between existing members and encouraging the recruitment of new members. Publications of the Society include the following:
All ISHS publications are obtainable from the Secretary-General of the Society and special rates are available for ISHS members. I do not want to take too much of your time. I would, however, at this stage like participants to be aware of the 20th International Horticultural Congress which takes place in Sydney, Australia in August 1978. Several meetings have also been planned by the Commission for Tropical and Sub-tropical Horticulture for 1979. These include a) First South East Asian Horticultural Symposium on Cashew Nuts in India; b) Second South American Horticultural Symposium on Vegetable Crop Research in Brazil, and c) Sixth African Horticultural Symposium on Indigenous Vegetables in Nigeria. Honourable Minister, Mr.
Vice-Chancellor, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Commission for Tropical and Sub-tropical Horticulture, I have the greatest pleasure in welcoming you to this Symposium.
I wish you a successful and enjoyable session. It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the members of the staff and students of the University of Khartoum, and of all those who are associated with the University. I would like in particular to extend a warm welcome to our distinguished guests from sister African and friendly states and to the participants in this important scientific symposium. I would like also to express my warmest thanks to the International Horticultural Society as represented by the committee from Tropical and Subtropical Horticultural crops for agreeing to hold this symposium in Khartoum. Our wish to act as hosts for the Fifth African Symposium for Horticultural crops stems from the firm belief that the University has a leading role to play in the service of society. The University must endeavor to confront all the problems that impeded Society's progress in the economic, social and intellectual spheres and to put forward practicable and scientific solutions for these problems so as to facilitate the process of development and progress. With this view of the role of the University in mind, we are grateful for the International Horticultural Society for agreeing to hold this symposium which has been organised jointly by the Dept. of Horticulture, University of Khartoum and the Ministry of Agriculture, Foods and Natural Resources in Khartoum. We are grateful for this honour. I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to reaffirm our determination as an educational and research institute to contribute always to the effort to realize the aims and objectives of the society and to welcome and support such meetings. Horticultural produced with its different kinds and increasing importance, plays an important role in meeting the needs of countries all over the world for nutritious food. This is now one of the major challenges facing humanity. Horticultural crops is also one of the strong pillars of the national economy and of the food pharmaceutical and perfumery industries. It is no wonder then that Khartoum University, the national University of a country which is looked upon with hope as an important source of food both regionally and internationally, gives its attention and care to the horticultural sciences, hence, the theme of this symposium: Research in and development of, horticulture in Africa and especially in dry areas. The theme points both to our hope and our duty as a university to play an important part in scientific work relating to horticulture in a country like Sudan, where a large area of the country falls within a dry zone and where horticulture faces problems of a special nature. This makes it important for us to initiate and encourage the kind of scientific and objective work which will help us to contribute to the welfare of our own people and people all over the world. In focussing our attention, together with other African states on horticulture, we seriously endeavour to consolidate work in this field and to provide research opportunities for it. Horticulture has proved its importance in such aspects of the economic field as export and industry. It has, thus, become imperative to develop it on a scientific basis that will eventually guarantee plenty and abundance for a developing country basically dependent upon agriculture. The rule of the University of Khartoum in providing research and guidance underlines the attention given to the development of this important field. Currently several research projects are undertaken in the department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture. The increasing importance the University is giving to the expansion and development of the Faculty of Agriculture, emanates from an unshakeable belief in the vanguard role which the Faculty can play on the national and international level. We hope that this symposium will generate debate and exchange of views and experiences among Sudanese researchers in horticulture and their colleagues from sister states. We all aspire to develop our countries through scientific research and thus serve the African people in the field of agriculture. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to the efforts and participation of the Ministry of Agriculture under the leadership of Prof.Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah. It is thanks to these efforts that the convening of this symposium was made possible. Again I welcome your symposium here in the University of Khartoum wishing it success, and our dear guests a happy and beneficial stay. It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to greet you and welcome you in Khartoum on behalf of the Government and the Sudanese people. I am particularly pleased to be here with you as a fellow horticulturist and as the first coordinator nominated in Kumasi more than three years ago during the 4th Africa Horticultural Symposium. You can observe that things in Africa move very fast, I am now addressing you as a Minister of Agriculture, a position that is equally relevant to give me the opportunity to give this statement. I am therefore particularly pleased that the part I have the honour to participate in two years ago now materialized in this meeting here in the Friendship Hall in Khartoum. These meetings, now five in the series, have already proved useful and successful thanks to the horticulturist founders. The proceedings have enriched the horticultural library and the meetings have provided time amply for horticulturists to meet and discuss matters of horticulture. You all, of course, realize the increasing importance of horticultural crops as they contribute significantly to food in addition to their economic significance. Your congress convenes at a time when we are in the middle of discussion concerning the food problem of the world, the need for food security, the need for reduction of post-harvest losses, all created by rising demands by rapid population growth and particularly so in African developing countries. One of the instruments to meet the challenge to increase productivity and to unlock our potential resources is, of course, scientific research. This is why we, at present, in the Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Khartoum are engaged in activity to promote our agricultural research capabilities because we believe that agricultural research and agricultural research policy is a vital component of their economic and development policy. Hence research programmes must be responsive to agricultural research more beneficial to the farmer and, therefore, we research workers should learn to develop allegiance to the less academic field of practical orientated research but not, of course, neglecting the fundamental applied research which is very important for the promotion of the academic profession. We must learn to develop a strong viable link between education, training, research and extension service. The topic specified in this fifth symposium of the Horticultural Soceity is particularly relevant to our conditions here in the Sudan where aridity possesses certain unique problems. The rational use of water and land resources is very important to us here because it is part of our strategy to raise cropping intensity in the irrigated areas. I am sure that your contribution to our knowledge will be marked and effective in the advancement of the horticultural discipline. I would have loved to give a more positive contribution than just giving this introductory remarks and wishing you a successful conclusion to your meeting. It is, however, particularly gratifying to me personally to see some of my students contributing and therefore through them I have the satisfaction of contributing scientifically with you. Thank you very much. On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the Fifth Africa Symposium I extend a word of most cordial welcome to all of you in this opening session. A special welcome to our distinguished participants from sister African and non-African countries and we are highly appreciative of their willingness to come and participate in this Symposium. We are grateful and indeed thankful to the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture of the ISHS for honouring us by accepting our invitation to organise the Fifth Africa Symposium in Khartoum, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan. Every effort has been made by the Organising Committee to ensure the success of this Symposium and that it meets our aspiration. We have no doubt that with the participation of such eminent scientists and research workers, the major objective of this Symposium - that is, the development of Horticulture - will be served. We see the Fifth Africa Symposium on Horticultural Crops as a fifth step on the road to progress and advancement of horticulture. The first step was taken in 1970 in Uganda, the second in 1971 in Ethiopia, the third in 1973 in Kenya and the fourth in 1975 in Ghana. Such Africa Symposia under the guidance of the Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture are landmarks, the impact of which is far reaching and pervasive. They are channels for transfer of scientific and technical knowledge for the benefit of African and non-African countries. Horticulture has an important role to play in the welfare of our soceities. It is no longer the strip of land that is tilled to provide food for the household, but it is now an industry in its own right. To develop this industry so that it achieves its goals, research and scientific approaches are two pillars on which promotion of Horticulture stands. This is the purpose of this Symposium. In choosing a theme for this symposium we have been guided by the desirability of having specific and clearly defined area of research, by trying to attract as many horticultural scientists as possible, and by having research papers on the most important features of our country that is influencing horticultural activities. Hence "Research and Development of Horticulture with Special Reference to Arid Zones" has been selected as a theme for this symposium. Aridity being a common feature in many African countries including the Sudan. It is water, after all that makes living possible. It makes the seeds swell, the enzymes work and the machinery of food production operates to give us the horticultural produce in the quantity and quality we look for. It is hoped that research work in this area will culminate in new cultural techniques; new cultivars that will make the desert bloom. Problems of shortage of water, high temperature and salinity research papers that are going to be discussed in this symposium dealing with these problems. It is imperative that high productivity and better quality make the backbone for horticultural research endeavour. The shortage of food is a cry that echoes all over the globe and it is more acute in developing countries, where paradoxically most potentials are concentrated; our role as scientists and research workers in contributing to abundance of food and in serving our societies deems it necessary to meet, discuss and communicate results of research findings. Horticulturists can advance new solutions to old problems, research programmes bringing new methods to secure our present needs and to put strategies based on scientific principles for future development. This will eliminate duplication and waste of money and efforts, commodities highly needed in developing countries. This symposium is meant to fulfil part of these objectives and to contribute to the promotion of horticultural science and productivity. We learn from each other's experience, we establish links and we feel that we are a team having a common goal and objective: that is more food, better food, natural beauty and happiness to all. In this symposium we will have eight sessions during which 48 research papers will be presented covering a wide range of horticultural disciplines. The sessions are grouped under the headings: Crop Physiology and production; Breeding and cultivar evaluation; Crop-water relations and Marketing and processing of horticultural crops. We have arranged for the participants to see some of the important horticultural areas of national interest. A full day is devoted to visit the Agricultural Research Corporation and the Gezira Scheme. The Organising Committee acknowledges with gratitude and appreciation the support and donations of the University of Khartoum, the Agricultural Research Corporation, Sudan Gezira Board, Arab Organization for Agricultural Production, Sudan Socialist Union, Faculty of Agriculture - Gezira University, Elanco, CIBA, The Nile Improved Seed Co., Sudan Horticultural Society and Horticultural Society Wad-Medani. I must say that the national Organising Committee represents the organizations that work in the horticultural domain - Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, representing the University of Khartoum Horticultural Research Section, representing the Agricultural Research Corporation, Horticultural Administration representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Department of Horticulture in Shambat division of the College of Agricultural Studies. Allow me to extend our special thanks to Prof. H.D.Tindall, the Chairman of the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture for this valuable and constructive suggestions and to Dr. J.C.Norman the convenor of the 4th Africa Symposium for sharing his experience with us. We are especially grateful to the eminent scientists from outside Africa for their valuable contribution and interest in African Horticulture. Our thanks to all participants whose presence is a delight and their contribution is a source of pride to us, the horticulturists of the Sudan. I end as I began by welcoming all the participants wishing them a pleasant and happy stay and rewarding sessions. | |
