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What is MARCO ?
“Monsoon Asia” is an Asia region under monsoon climate, which has rice farming as a basis for food production. Agriculture in the Monsoon Asia is very diverse from north to south, while the monsoon Asian countries are all characterized by high biodiversity around rice fields.
These countries are also all confronted with environmental deterioration in agro-ecosystem. This problem may be caused by the change in land use as economical development and as population growth, the invasion of alien species due to globalization of trade, and the contamination of farmlands by chemical pollutants from industries. Furthermore, there is a great concern that the agricultural ecosystem could collapse due to global warming, and another concern that the agricultural activities themselves cause environmental pollution such as water pollution with excess chemical fertilizers and pesticides, generation of green house gases such as methane and nitrous oxide from farmlands.
To solve these issues, researchers in the region should collaborate to tackle against them.
Therefore, NIAES held the international symposium entitled “Evaluation and Effective Use of Environmental Resources for Sustainable Agriculture in Monsoon Asia: Toward International Research Collaboration”, 12-14 December, 2006.
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h18/20061212/
At this symposium, all participants agreed to adopt the Symposium Statement.
Symposium Statement
“To Further Advance Agro-Environmental Research in Monsoon Asia”
The 276 participants from 15 countries in the international symposium “Evaluation and Effective Use of Environmental Resources for Sustainable Agriculture in Monsoon Asia -Toward International Research Collaboration”, hosted by the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES) and supported by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, hereby confirm and agree upon the following points by consensus.
- In monsoon Asia it is urgent that we solve environmental problems affecting agriculture in order to achieve sustainable development while maintaining a sound agro-ecosystem.
- Solving these problems requires that researchers, administrative authorities, research institutes, and other entities connected with agriculture and the environment in the countries of this region make a concerted effort under close collaboration.
- For that purpose, we shall create the Monsoon Asia Agro-Environmental Research Consortium, which transcends the boundaries of specialization and countries, and conduct agro-environmental research through international collaboration under the consortium.
Based upon the Symposium Statement, NIAES will pursue the following activities for the purpose of conducting research under the Monsoon Asia Agro-Environmental Research Consortium (MARCO).
- Regularly provide venues for events such as international symposia for exchanging research information.
- Provide a website as a venue for exchanging consortium information.
- Help train the people who will carry on activities under the consortium.
Mission Statement
Monsoon Asia Agro-Environmental Research Consortium
(MARCO)
Mission Statement
The mission of MARCO is to promote the development of agro-environmental research in Monsoon Asia in order to achieve sustainable development of agriculture while maintaining the sound agro-ecosystem.
Objectives
To accomplish the mission defined as above, the objectives of MARCO are as follows:
To improve the knowledge on agro-environment and ecosystem services.
- To develop technologies, standards, and monitoring systems in order to maintain the sound agro-ecosystem and to conserve environmental resources.
- To develop technologies for and their applicability to the preservation and re-establishment of environmental balances.
- To foster collaborative research on agro-environment under the Consortium.
- To exchange research information for sharing advanced knowledge on agro-environment.
- To make concerted efforts under close collaboration for solving agro-environmental problems.
Activities
To achieve the objectives, MARCO shall design the following activities.
- To organize, sponsor, and co-sponsor seminars, workshops, symposia, and conferences oriented to the objectives of the Consortium.
- To promote exchanges with professionals through the Consortium.
- To provide a website as a venue for exchanging information on the Consortium.
- To help train personnel who will carry on activities under the Consortium.
- To develop relations with research organizations in the Asian monsoon region for pursuing common objectives
- To establish relationships with international organizations whose activities are common to those of the Consortium.
- To strengthen the network among research organizations in the Asian monsoon region whose objectives fall in the domain of those of the Consortium.
News
MARCO Workshop on Technology Development for Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agriculture
(15-18 Nov. 2011) Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h23/20111115.pdf (Program) [PDF file]
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h23/20111115poster.pdf (Poster) [PDF file]
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/marco/2011workshop/ (Program, Abstracts, and Presentations)
International Workshop on Advanced Use of Satellite- and Geo-Information for Agricultural and Environmental Intelligence
—In association with MARCO—
(March 2-4, 2011) Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h22/20110302e.html
International Seminar on Enhancement of Functional Biodiversity
Relevant to Sustainable Food Production in ASPAC
--In association with MARCO--
(November 9-11, 2010) Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h22/20101109e.html
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h22/1109/ (Proceedigs)
International Workshop on Evaluation and Sustainable Management
of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Asian Countries
(September 28-29, 2010) Bogor, Indonesia
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/marco/bogor2010/ (Proceedings)
MARCO/GRA Joint Workshop
on Paddy Field Management and Greenhouse Gases
(September 1-3, 2010)
Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h22/20100901e.html
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/marco/marco_gra2010/ (program, abstracts, and presentations)
MARCO Symposium 2009
“Challenges for Agro-Environmental Research in Monsoon Asia”
(October 5-7, 2009)
Tsukuba International Congress Center (Epochal Tsukuba), Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/marco/marco2009/english/ (with Proceedings)
Marco Workshop
“A New Approach to Soil Information Systems for Natural Resources Management in Asian Countries”
(October 14-15, 2008)
Tsukuba International Congress Center (Epochal Tsukuba), Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/marco/2008workshop/
NIAES International Symposium 2007
“Invasive Alien Species in Monsoon Asia: Status and Control”
(Oct. 22-23, 2007)
Epochal Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/archive/niaes/sinfo/sympo/h19/20071022e.html
ESAFS-JSSSPN-NIAES-JIRCAS-NARO.NARC-FFTC International Symposium
“New Challenges for Agricultural Science : Harmonizing Food Production with the Environment.”
(Oct. 22, 2007)
Epochal Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Invitation to MARCO
MARCO is a flexible research collaboration network to facilitate international collaboration for agro-environmental research in Monsoon Asia region. We would like to invite research organizations which wish to collaborate under the framework of MARCO. Please contact us.
Member Institute (under construction)
- Agriculture College, Yangzhou University. Yangzhou, P. R. China
- Center for Research in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Remediation, Institute of Agro-Environmental Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin, P. R. China
- Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, P. R. China
- Lab. of Agro-Natural Disaster Reduction, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Beijing, P. R. China
- The Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
- Hi-Tech Key Laboratory of Information Agriculture, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P. R. China
- Chemistry Section, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, India
- Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, India
- Department of Agricultural Meteorology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India
- National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan
- National Academy of Agricultural Science, Suwon, Rep. Korea
- National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Suwon, Rep. Korea
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- Philippine Rice Research Institute, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
- Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
- The Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Hochiminh City, Vietnam
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