International Tropical Fruits Symposium 2017 and 10th TFNet BOT to be held in Fiji

Following the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, countries globally have increasingly made commitments towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   The rise in population and affluence translates to a rise in the demand for well-balanced diets and the need for nutritious food to be made available and accessible to all levels of society for the attainment of food security. Tropical fruits have been well documented to be a reliable source of food, nutrition and income, and the tropical fruit industry has seen an upward market trend in global demand for its production.

 

For more information, inquiries, and registration visit www.itfnet.org/istf2017/

 

 

eats due to climate change. The challenge of sustainably intensifying tropical fruit production while improving its resilience and reducing its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change remains priority for tropical fruit producers and countries which further require innovative interventions in terms of research, market and policy. This necessitates pragmatic action to create a more sustainable and productive tropical fruit industry, failing which the impacts of climate change will jeopardize further food security in countries and regions already facing food insecurity, thus hampering also the progress towards achieving the SDGs such as ‘zero hunger’ and ending poverty by 2030.

 

Fiji is a country of approximately 330 islands in the South Pacific and remains one of the world’s most climate vulnerable countries. Its largely agrarian based economy has faced challenges such as population pressure, climate change and inadequate infrastructure. These have threatened the international competitiveness of its food and horticulture exports such as tropical fruits, and the nation’s food security.

 

The commitment of Fiji in addressing climate change is visible through its submission of the new climate action plan to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Fiji is also seeking to make its agriculture climate-smart and recently developed the 2020 Agriculture Policy Agenda which sets the course for establishing a diversified and economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture. Therefore, Fiji’s vast experience in formulating strategies for the improvement and strengthening of the agriculture sector in the wake of climate vulnerabilities makes it the ideal host and venue for the ISTF 2017.

 

The ISTF 2017 is a step taken forward in achieving these SDGs by the International Tropical Fruits Network (TFNet) and its partners to provide a platform to discuss the contributions of research and development, the private sector, and policy makers to tropical fruit production and food security in the face of climate change. Specifically, it aims to:

• Assemble the latest scientific research, technology developments, best practices, and product innovations that support the transformation of the tropical fruit industry to be resilient to climate change;
• Discuss how the latest research can contribute towards the adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change on tropical fruits;
• Assess present and future marketing opportunities of tropical fruits;
• Discuss policies that support the growth and transformation of the tropical fruit industry; and
• Provide a venue for information sharing among participants from different countries