Outline

Background

 Agriculture centering on paddy rice in Monsoon Asia has enabled sustainable production while fostering distinctive agro-ecosystems. The demand for food, however, is going to increase considerably due to population growth, economic development, biofuel production, and so forth. As a result, the demand for agricultural production in this region will increase significantly. On the other hand, agricultural and environmental problems, including urbanization, pollution from industry, environmental impacts of agricultural intensification, deterioration of natural resources, and the progress of global warming, are getting more serious and casting a shadow over agriculture and the environment. In order to meet the growing demands on agriculture while using natural resources in sustainable ways and providing protection and support for the ecosystem, it is imperative that researchers and administrators of this region closely collaborate, internationally, by facing the emerging problems as challenges and opportunities.

 In order to meet this requirement, MARCO, or the Monsoon Asia Agro-Environmental Research Consortium, has organized by the agreement of the participants from 15 countries at the international symposium entitled “Evaluation and Effective Use of Environmental Resources for Sustainable Agriculture in Monsoon Asia: Toward International Research Collaboration”, which was held during 12-14 December, 2006 in Tsukuba, Japan. Since that, MARCO has promoted international collaboration for advancing research activities on the issues of agriculture and the environment in monsoon Asia, by hosting a couple of international symposia or workshops every year, setting up a website as a venue for exchanging consortium information, and helping train the people who will carry on activities under the consortium.

 In the last MARCO Symposium, entitled “Strengthening Collaboration to meet Agro-Environmental Challenges in Monsoon Asia”, held during 24-27 September, 2012, participants exchanged the latest research achievements of various issues relevant to agriculture and environment in Monsoon Asia and earnestly discussed about the future directions of cooperative researches among the member institutions of MARCO.

 The MARCO Symposium 2015 will provide another venue for exchanging the status quo of problems and the latest results of studies, and for discussing the direction of next challenges of research, as well as ways to strengthen collaboration for the challenges.

Objectives

The MARCO Symposium 2015 will organize:

  • Plenary sessions to report the latest results of studies on agriculture and environment in monsoon Asia and to discuss the direction of future research and ways to strengthen collaboration
  • Parallel or satellite workshops to exchange information and discuss research plans for specific topics
  • Field excursion

The MARCO Symposium 2015 will aim at:

  • Exchanging the status quo of problems and the latest results of studies on agriculture and environment in monsoon Asia.
  • Discussing the direction of future research and ways to strengthen collaboration for agro-environmental challenges in monsoon Asia.

Important dates

August 14: Deadline of registration

Secretariat

Research Coordination Office

National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES)

3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8604, Japan

Phone: (+81)-29-838-8181

FAX: (+81)-29-838-8199

E-mail: marco2015@niaes.affrc.go.jp

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