Post on 06-Apr-2016
description
transcript
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N
A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
November – December 2014
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
1
Contents
Activities
Seminar Croatia ......................................................................................................................... 2
IAAS East Africa Conference…………………………………………………………………………………………..6
Exchange week Belgium………………………………………………………………………………………………...9
Exchange Week Italy……………………………………………………………………………………………………11
Partners
The FAO Committee on World Food Security………………………………………………………………….14
FAO - Second Interntional Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)…………………………………………….15
Other
Climate Change Conferences in Lima……………………………………………………………………………19
IAAS WOCO contest: Food Saving BEC……………………………………………………………………..…20
Opportunity partner: Study Portals: Win a Language Holiday Abroad !................................21
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
2
SEMINAR CROATIA
“MOUNTAINOUS CROATIA –
POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND
DEVELOPMENT”
This year, in the period from 2.–9.10.2014. IAAS Croatia organized one of the most valuable
and most demanding projects so far, a seminar on the topic “Mountainous Croatia – potential
for sustainable agriculture and development”. The seminar included IAAS members from 10
different countries: Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Czech
Republic, Bangladesh and Croatia as the host.
The seminar started with a lecture at the Faculty of Agriculture on the topic “Advantages and
disadvantages of organic farming in Mountainous Croatia” held by prof.dr.sc. Ivica Kisić. After
the lecture there was an organised discussion about organic farming in Europe. We had lunch
on the Faculty after which we headed to Lika. Along the way we visited Modruš Eko- Family
farm Rendulić in Josipdol who specializes in organic production of vegetables and flour.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
3
The next day, after breakfast, there
was a presentation “About Croatia”
which briefly presented our
homeland, our climate and regions,
major cities and attractions as well as
traditions and local products. After
the presentation, we visited the
Museum of Lika where the curator
guided us trough the history of Lika.
Then we visited the local fair called
“Autumn in Lika” where we had a
chance to see, taste and feel all of the
local organic products as well as tipical croatian souvenirs. In the evening there was a Trade
fair which included delicacies from all over the world. On the tables you could find Belgian
chocolate, Greek halva, Greek salad, Spanish tortilla, Swiss fondue, Polish pralines with “bird’s
milk” and spicy risotto from Bangladesh. On Croatian table we proudly presented our
traditional products such as Slavonian Kulen, Dalmatian smoked ham and bacon, Lika’s
famous cheese škripavac, bajadere and other products. Special attention was devoted to a great
quantity of Croatian wines. On this occasion we would like to thank all our sponsors who
provided the wines and by doing so, made the presentation possible. We would like to thank
wineries Vuglec Breg, winery Vrbanek, winery Zrinšćak, winery TRS, winery Filipec, winery
Režek, winery Župančić, winery Sirovica, winery Mladina, winery Pavlin and Franjko family
farm.
The following day we visited Agricultural cooperative Bahra
engaged in the cultivation of medicinal herbs. After guided
walk trough the vast fields of medicinal herbs, we visited
Barać Caves where the participants of the seminar had the
opportunity to see the peculiar and specific underground
karst relief. Furthermore we visited family farm Lavender
where the owner held a brief presentation and a lecture, after
which he took us for a walk trough the fields of lavender and
explained the production of lavender essential oil and its benefits. We also visited Turkalj
family farm where we had a chance to see the barn with cows and calves as well as the milking
process, we had a short lecture where we learned more about the process of cheese making and
the advantages and disadvantages of such production. The final visit of the day was Eko-Klanac
farm where we had a short lecture on the basic principles of organic farming. Walking around
the farm we had a chance to see the way they are growing traditional crops like potatoes and
cabbage.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
4
The fourth day of the seminar began with the visit to
the cheese factory Runolist. The owner gave an
interesting lecture about the long-standing tradition
of the factory. He also gave us a tour of all the stages
of cheese production, from raw material to
packaging. We went to Majerovo vrilo, one of the
river Gacka’s springs, where we saw the archaic mill-
houses, that are still used for grinding flour in the
traditional way.
After lunch, our colleagues gave interesting and instructional presentations about sustainable
agriculture in certain countries and they also shared their own reflections and visions on how
to improve it. A debate about the pros and cons of this kind of agriculture followed.
On the fifth day of the seminar we visited Udbina county. After sightseeing of the Church of
Croatian martyrs, we visited various farms in the county. The first one was the cattle farm
Angus, which uses the cow-calf system of production. The breeds used in this production are
the french breeds Angus, Aubac and Simental. The second farm was the family farm Gučanin
whose main products are sheep milk and meat. The third farm was the farm owned by the Imex
bank which also uses the cow-calf system. The fourth in line was the Ljubojević family farm
which is specialized in the production of milk . There we also had a presentation of cow-
milking, which we all had the oportunity to try ourselves.
On our way to Zagreb, we made a stop in
Perušić to visit the family farm Vlainić. The
Vlainić family produces several types of rakija
(schnaps) in the traditional way. The whole
process of the production was described to us
in an interesting lecture which includes the
cultivation and gathering of fruit, the
destilation and the presentation of the final
product in the market. We also visited the
Krnić farm which is specialized in ecological
bee-keeping. We ended the seminar with the
sight-seeing of Zagreb
Comments from the participants:
- Miroslav Macak – Czech Republic
„…I also saw the seminar from position of businessman. In my mind I still have the memory of
the excursion to lavander fields because it is great idea how to start business. And of course,
the both cheese factories.
I had a great time when I had a chance to present sustainable agriculture in Czech Republic.
Listening of the other presentations was also a big benefit for me.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
5
- Ilias Chaklias – Greece
„…One more thing that should be mentioned are the presentations given by the participants
about the organic production in their countries. This help them to promote their public
speaking skills and gave them deeper knowledge about the situation of organic production in
other countries and the chance to compare to theirs.“ „…They had good team work between
them and were able to solve any problem they faced immediately. The most important thing is
that they did not let anyone to leave disappointed from this seminar. It was one the most
organized and full of activities IAAS event Greek participants have attended.“
- Eva Hulsmans – Belgium
„…It was really interesting for us to see and experience organic farming from up close in such
a beautiful environment. All the visits, but also speaking to students from all around Europe
about agricultural issues, brought us a lot of new perspectives. You could say the seminar
broadened our horizons in a very fun and easygoing way.“
- Alberto Munoz – Spain
“… In rural areas, tradition and industrial scale production seemed he could perfectly
reconciled. An example is the region of Lika, where care for the environment was a priority.
We also visited the Croatian coast in karlobag where the water is colder and cleaner than in
western Italy by an ocean current that comes from the south and that is generally an advantage
for the Croatian fishing. Overall, Croatia is a country of contrasts and many agribusiness
opportunities.“
- Ivonne Kampermann – Germany
“…The Croatian team started a good discussion about the demand of organic products in the
different countries and in different age groups; what are advantage and disadvantages about
organic.
In general it was a good mix between agricultural knowledge, culture, nature and fun.
We had a great week with a diverse group of interesting people of many different countries.
And everybody made one’s contribution that this week was such a success.”
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
6
IAAS EAST AFRICA CONFERENCE
Written by: Lisanne Meulendijks, VP Communication
From 27-29 November 2014 the first IAAS East Africa Conference took place at the Egerton
University, Nakuru, Kenya. This conference with the topic “Unite African Students and
Together Feed 9 billion People by 2050” had a double goal. Firstly provide agricultural
students with high quality lectures from speakers from different institutions and companies.
By these lectures IAAS tries to provide her students a link with the professional world. This
link is important because it provides the students insight in their future job market and can
create curiosity and motivation for their studies. The second goal of the conference was the
union of agricultural students by making them a member of IAAS. Unfortunately at the
moment in East Africa agriculture is not a very popular field of study, though it is a very
important field. With the explosive population growth in the region, also a similar increase in
food production should be realized. For this agricultural students are necessary. IAAS tries,
partly with this conference, to unite agricultural students and attract new students by showing
them that agriculture is a very interesting and important field of study.
Before the start of the actual conference
Kennedy Ouma (National Director IAAS
Kenaya) together with myself (Lisanne, VP of
Communication) made an IAAS promotion
tour through Kenya. Thanks a lot to the dean of
the Faculty of Agriculture of Egerton
University who provided a vehicle (with IAAS
logo!) for this purpose. We visited different
universities spread over the country (Moi
University, the University of Eldoret, Maseno
University and finally the hosting university of
the conference: Egerton University). During
our visits we had the honour to be invited by several deans who were the patrons of the local
IAAS committees on their university. Next to that we gave presentations about the different
possibilities IAAS offers and motivated students to come to the East Africa Conference.
Thursday the 27th of November was the big day: the start of the conference. Unfortunately the
promotion of the conference outside Kenya appeared not to be as successful as we hoped. We
were happy with our one foreign guest from Uganda, who was very interested to set up a new
IAAS committee in his home university. Though the presence from non-Kenyan students was
low, students from many different Kenyan universities were present, such as from the
University of Nairobi, Kisii University, Rongo University and all of the above mentioned
universities visited earlier that week.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
7
After the words of
welcome and an
extensive explanation
about our association
we had the honour to
give the stage to our
guest speakers. Firstly
the Regional Director
of East Africa from Self
Help Africa gave a
presentation about the
work their association
does. Self Help Africa is
a NGO that already for
30 years empowers rural Africa by several projects. These projects are focused on the
sustainable improvement of agriculture and by this providing food security for the local people.
Self Help Africa has several projects in Kenya and also has been the major sponsor of the
conference.
After this presentation the stage was given to the representative of the Syngenta Foundation
for Sustainable Agriculture. The aim of this foundation is to help small farmers become more
professional growers. During the presentation the topic of the conference was addressed and
next to that students were given many tips and tricks on how to be prepared for the professional
world after their graduation. The SFSA also has been a sponsor of the conference.
To conclude the first day, it was time for the students to come up the stage. Here some of them
explained about their cultural
background and the different traditions
the tribes where they come from have. A
nice variation on the traditional IAAS
Trade Fair.
The next day the morning started in an
interactive way: There was a discussion
among the students on how IAAS could
play a role in achieving the goal of
feeding 9 billion people by 2050, the
topic of the conference. Many different
and innovative ideas were raised to
implement in the activities IAAS Kenya
organizes. The afternoon was filled with
soft skill training sessions. Firstly one
on Leadership, emphasizing on the lead
of a local IAAS committee. The second
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
8
training was on how to be a good event organizer, addressing different events that could be
organized, a timeline and a job division for this organisation.
The last day of the conference consisted of a summary of all the different things the students
had learned in the previous two days. After this there was the official closing ceremony by the
dean of faculty of Agriculture, Prof. J. O. Ogendo and myself during which we handed over
official certificates of attendance and gave our final thank words to all the organizers of the
event.
Hereby I’d like to do that once more: I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this
conference a success, and a special thanks to the sponsors and Egerton University who has
been a very generous host.
Thanks a lot,
Lisanne
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
9
EXCHANGE WEEK IN BELGIUM
Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a great year with IAAS. At IAAS Leuven, we had an amazing time. It was a
busy year, but we made some great new friends and created fabulous memories. We also made
a lot of crazy pictures, which I would like to share with you. So, let’s see what happened on our
previous exchange week in Belgium.
In November, we had the crazy idea to invite 8 Greeks, 6 Frenchmen, 2 Mexicans and a
Brazilian to our exchange week in Belgium. We showed them our breweries and some typical
aspects of our agriculture, like the Belgian Blue-White cows and the cultivation of chicory.
Party time! There ain’t no party like an IAAS party.
There was plenty of traditional food like Chilakile from Mexico, Greek chees, Belgian chocolate
and waffles and many more at the trade fair.
We also explored Brussels (beer lovers should visit the Delirium café) and Bruges.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
10
I hope you are all ready for another IAAS year. I know I am.
Greetings from Leuven,
Annelies
I will miss all of the crazy people on our exchange week.
A visit to the
greenhouses
and the
campus of the
KULeuven
university.
You will need more than one
exchange week to try out all the
Belgian beer.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
11
EXCHANGE WEEK ITALY
The LC of Sassari held an Exchange Week
from the 17th to the 24th of October 2014 with
IAAS Croatia, IAAS Poland and IAAS France.
14 IAASers took part in the Exchange Week, 4
from Croatia, 5 from Poland and 5 from
France. The visits of the week were
concentrated in the northern part of Sardinia,
and the aim of the week was to give to our
guests a brief but intensive view of the
Island's agriculture and tradition. We've
started with a relaxing and sunny Saturday
morning at "La Pelosa” beach in Stintino.
We have been very lucky, because it was like a summer day so we could have a wonderful beach
time…in October! The Polish girls were absolutely amazed….in Warsaw there were about 7°C
degrees when they left Poland, and in France and Croatia it was very cold too! In the evening
we had a tour of Sassari town: we had the chance to visit the whole ancient part of the city and
discover its inner beauty.
On Sunday we went to Orgosolo, a village located in
the center of Sardinia. There was a “festival”, and all
the ancient houses and gardens of the village were
opened to public. It was a invaluable occasion to
meet directly the Sardinian tradition, in a village
which is still very well preserved. Orgosolo is also
rich in beautiful “murals”, which are UNESCO
heritage.
On Monday we started our “technical visit”. In the morning we visited the " 2M Company" in
Sassari, which works on flowers production in greenhouses. They were cultivating poinsettia,
chrysanthemum, and succulent plants, and they gave a little cactus to every participant as a
present! Very kind of them! After that, in the afternoon, we went to "Associazione Ippica
Alessandra" riding club where they explained us how a horse farm is conducted, and which
activities they do there, like “hippoterapy” and the equestrian sports they teach and practice.
At the end of the visit they allowed all of us to have a short ride with 2 horses.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
12
The next day morning we visited the “P3-Brewing” brewery, in Sassari. The company makes
craft beer, and we could taste it after the visit…and it was very good! In the evening we moved
from Sassari to Tempio Pausania to visit “Cantina Gallura”, which is famous for its good wines,
especially for the DOCG of Vermentino di Gallura, a white wine, made from a traditional
cultivar of Sardinia. We visited the winery, we had a tasting, and they also gave to each
participant a bottle of wine as a present.
On Wednesday it was the time to visit the
“Sardinian Biodiversity Conservation
Center” in Surigheddu. The center, which is
managed from the Agricultural Faculty of
Sassari, has got modern labs and a
germoplasm collections of vegetable crops
of Sardinia. In the evening we visited a other
winery, “Cantine Santa Maria La Palma”,
near Alghero. We could visit the
winemaking facilities and we had a wine
tasting, that was very good. On Thursday it
was the time to visit the experimental field
of our faculty. At the moment of the visit there were only the thistle field, that they are
investigating as an energy crop. In the afternoon we held the “ExPro Inauguration
Conference”:we explained to our guests and to all the students who took part in the conference,
which results we achieved with the ExCo Meeting, which plans for the Exchange Program in
the future we have. In the last part of the conference, Mr Zucca (a phd in agriculture
department) and Mrs Mossa (a phd in Veterinary department) explained the new Archimedes
places that we have recently inaugurated in Sassari.
The exchange week has reached the end. It left us many good memories, strong bonds and
friendships.
Our French friends Clemence, Mitra, Laura, Doris and Adele would remember this experience
with those words:
“Even though the journey from France to Sardinia was long and exhausting, we only
keep good memories of our exchange week on the Island. Indeed, we visited only interesting
places which thought us about how agriculture works in Sardinia and permitted us to compare
with the French vision of farming, which can not be the same due to the climate for instance.
Besides, we discovered this Island, in which none of us had already been before, through
breathtaking spots such as Capo Caccia or Stintino beach.
We also had the luck to enjoy all of the sardinian food during the Trade Fair party, at
restaurants and during a festival in Orgosolo. We visited beer and wine factories which was
very interesting. The tasting was made by professionals, which was very useful. Moreover we
met people from several countries which was very rewarding and especially funny.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
13
Finally, we just want to say that it was an amazing experience, and that we are going to
remember the Sardinians boys and girls during a long time! So thank you very much for
everything you did for us.
Well ... we are looking forward to come and see everybody of you!
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
14
FAO Committee on World Food Security
Hello IAAS!
Several months after the end of my work as IAAS
President, I am pleased to still be working for IAAS! If
you have been watching the IAAS Facebook and
Newsletters, you have seen opportunities to attend
meetings of the FAO and earn internships with the FAO.
To cultivate these opportunities and future ones,
Michael Hess (IAAS Germany) and I (IAAS USA)
attended the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations’ (FAO) Committee on World Food
Security (CFS) in Rome, Italy from October 13th-
October 18th, 2014.
The goal of attending the CFS of the FAO was to revive
sending student members of the International Association of Agriculture and Related Sciences
Students (IAAS) to meetings of the FAO and other United Nations (UN) bodies. The goal of my
honors project and work with IAAS this year will be to develop a training program to prepare
student members to attend these conferences.
The trip was incredibly successful! We were able to meet with the Partnerships Unit of the FAO,
who is also interested in preparing IAAS members to attend FAO meetings by preparing online
videos and meeting with students directly. They are also interested in informing IAASers who
are unable to attend meetings through webcasts and sending speakers to IAAS events. In
partnership with the EC.CC, we are continuing work with Mr. Franz Martin of the FAO
Partnerships Unit to bring these ideas to life.
We also learned a great deal on how IAASers can understand the structure of the CFS and
similar meetings. I made contact with the director of the Civil Society Mechanism, which IAAS
members can also observe on in addition to the main plenaries and side events. Thanks to this
understanding, IAAS just sent two members to the Civil Society Mechanism pre-meeting for
the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) and one member to the main events
of ICN2.
We were also able to talk with Mr. Franz Martin of the Partnerships Unit and Dr. Irene
Hoffman of the Animal Genetics Unit on a process of cultivating internships with IAASers. We
have already been lucky to be able to advertise 3 internship places directly to IAASers!
Most of all, I want to thank IAASers for your interest, support, and understanding while our
new programs with the FAO take flight. The FAO is interested due to the high qualities of
IAASers all around the world! Stay tuned for further opportunities on our IAAS Facebook page,
Newsletters, and website!
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
15
FAO - Second Interntional Conference on
Nutrition (ICN2)
17th and 18th of November 2014 we, the French student Helene Kergoat and Ukrainian
student Galyna Dukhta (see photo), had the honor as agricultural students to be present at
international meeting on nutrition. We have been selected by the International Association of
Students in Agriculture and Related Sciences (IAAS World) to participate as an observer in
ICN2 CSO forum. It does not speak to you? Read the further for more details!
ICN2 – A historical meeting
FAO and WHO organized on 19-20-21 of
November the Second International
Conference on Nutrition (CIN2) to guide
national policies on nutrition of the 170
countries present. This event was a
historic forward step for our food sector
since governments committed
themselves on nutrition for the first time
since 1992, when was the First
International Conference on Nutrition.
Indeed, they have approved the Rome
Declaration on Nutrition and the Action
Framework. Governments call UN General Assembly to incorporate the recommendations of
these documents in their post-2015 development plan.
In order to fix their position on the issue, civil societies organized the ICN2 CSO forum, a two-
day event that will result after more than 15 hours of debate in their contribution to the ICN2
(document available online1). Thus, during the preparation of conference, spoke with
representatives of different organizations, followed by discussions, all punctuated by work
groups returned to the plenary. A Redaction Committee had indeed written a rough draft
before the pre-conference through preliminary work, they corrected, completed and constantly
reshaping through feedback from participants.
1http://www.fian.org/fileadmin/media/publications/CSO_Forum_Declaration_-FINAL_20141121_e.pdf
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
16
Malnutrition like a main global stake
Participation allowed us to better understand not
only the issues around nutrition, but also the
functioning of international cooperation.
Malnutrition as an indicator reflects the food
security problems. It affects 180 million children
under 5 years and is responsible for deaths of
800,000 children every year.
Moreover, civil societies have agreed, that the
main cause of malnutrition is poverty.
International collaboration is therefore a first part
in the economic development of the South. Then
distributions systems must go through collaborations on exports, but not only. It must indeed
focus on local markets and balanced traditional products which, in addition to reducing
transport costs, involved in the ethnic and cultural expression. This of course depends on
education. It must raise awareness about nutrition so they know how to eat well.
This work should be done mainly to young generation, and also to adults. The food industry
often becomes an obstacle for this kind education, and sometimes guides consumers towards
bad habits with their marketing strategies. One of the most perverse effects in this area is called
the business of malnutrition, such as lobbying on food supplements. Rather than try to have a
good diet, consumers tend more towards to use these products. Manufacturers also cause other
debates, particularly at governance. It is normal for them to express their views on decisions
about it, but how far should we involve these processes? Is it normal that they have the more
important weight than civil societies, non-profit organizations to the views about conflicts of
interest in results to their profitability goals?
An unique personal experience!
The ICN2 CSO Forum was an opportunity to lead our thoughts on the issues of nutrition, and
above all it was a personal experience out of the ordinary. The event started by the opening
speeches of José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director, and Francesco Branca, director of the
Nutrition Department at WHO. In addition, two young and ambitious French and Ukrainian
students met each other and became friends. We were able to interact directly with key industry
players. Breaks and meals were indeed part of the most important moments where we could
meet with as many large structures such as Action Against Hunger, as fishermen associations
of Honduras or Indigenous Latin Americans. Finally, one of the most impressive aspects of the
event was its logistics: a drafting committee to work day and night, but especially the
translations of the real-time discussions in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese!
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
17
The major challenge for young Agrarians!
Finally, we would like to talk about the role of students in this type of event. The majority of
people were really surprised to see us. Besides that, also very happy that the youth feel
concerned by these issues. I guess they soon felt our curiosity and shown enthusiasm to answer
all our questions. We have learned a lot. However, the fact that we are still trainees does not
mean that we cannot get involved and take action. Dynamism, will and creativity make us
young people and students of the key players in the construction of solutions of tomorrow. We
of course need to be accompanied, but we have a lot to contribute. I'm really happy that
institutions recognize and involve students in these international processes. Last but not least,
thank you IAAS World for making possible our participation in the ICN2 CSO Forum.
Helene Kergoat (IAAS France) and Galyna Dukhta (IAAS Ukraine) at the Second International Conference on Nutrition, Rome, Italy
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
18
IAAS student observer attending the ICN2 in Rome
I had the great opportunity to attend the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)
in Rome. After the selection process and some major problems concerning the involvement of
students, I was very relieved, and excited, to travel all the way to Italy from Helsinki, Finland.
Numerous national governments, private sector organizations and the CSO gathered to address
global problems. More than 2 200 participants attended the ICN2, including representatives
from more than 170 governments, 150 representatives from the CSO and almost 100
representatives from the private sector.
In the conference, which took place at the huge headquarters of the FAO, there were three
rooms; the Plenary, the Green room and the Red room. Each morning all the Non-State Actors
would go to another room to pick up a new pass to one of the conference rooms, and the same
process was repeated before the afternoon sessions. The conference included many round tables
and side events with more specific subjects.
ICN2 focused on malnutrition, which is a major problem all over the world. Today, more than
half of the world’s population is negatively affected by some form of bad nutrition, such as
undernourishment and obesity. As Graziano da Silva noted, the world already has the
knowledge and expertise it needs to overcome malnutrition. Now we need action and results.
The motto for the conference was Better nutrition, better lives – and you could actually feel
how especially the CSO was motivated to change the situation.
As a result of the conference two outcome documents were approved by the governments: the
Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action. Approving the documents “the
world leaders were committed to establish national policies aimed at eradicating malnutrition
and transforming food systems to make nutritious diets available to all”.
What surprised me was how political the ICN2 turned out to be - I had assumed it to be a bit
more scientific. Nonetheless, I found the conference engrossing. You could really feel the
political dimension when the Queen Letizia of Spain and even the Pope visited and gave
speeches.
Overall this was a great opportunity to me to learn more and the conference was highly
stimulating to me. Even though the process was not the easiest one, as tjhis was my eveer
conferences of any kind, I was very glad with IAAS in managing to arrange my participation.
Having had the chance to attend the conference inspired me to to I apply to become the National
Representative of the IAAS Finland – and I was chosen!
EveliinaHanski
Nutrition Science student in the University of Helsinki, Finland
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
19
Climate Change Conferences in Lima
With rising sea levels, increasing global temperature, droughts at some places and severe
storms in others, it seems quite important to talk about climate change! That’s what most
countries are thinking and that’s why ministers, scientists, big company representatives, NGOs
and many others from 195 countries came together from 1-12 of December in Lima, Perú to sit
together and see what they can do to fix this.
IAAS was also represented! Helena Ström (Sweden) and Vincent Verdugt (Belgium) attended
two events related to this big event (which is actually called the 20th Conference of the Parties
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or just COP20).
First, we wanted that the Voice of Youth would be heard
about the climate change topic. So we attended the 10th
Conference of Youth (COY10). Very interesting, because it
was filled with presentations from Peruvian and
international youth about their scientific investigations,
their activities and actions against climate change and there
were also discussion groups about what is happening in Peru
itself (including the many indigenous communities the
country counts!), what youth thinks about certain topics,
how to do creative activism and much more. One of the
results of this Conference was a document containing the
declaration of the youth with regards to the climate change,
to be sent to and spoken out during the COP20.
The next big event (+1500 attendees!) was called the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), an event
in which all different stakeholders could come together to talk about “Sustainable landscapes
for a new climate and development agenda”, as the main theme mentions. You want to get to
know some of the speakers? Here is a list of the 10 most inspirational quotes from the GLF!
In between these events, we participated at various soft skills
training sessions. Vincent first learned about how to use social
media and how to pitch your idea. Helena was learning more
about how to facilitate discussions between various persons.
Afterwards both of us learned how to effectively network and
through a role-playing game we got to know what it actually
means to be one of the many stakeholders trying to reach a
landscape approach in the context of an environmental issue
(ours was about fracking). Most of these trainings were organized
by one of IAAS’ partners YPARD, who also gave us the
opportunity to promote IAAS during the GLF!
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
20
#FoodSavingBEC: IAAS WOCO Internal Contest
World Congress 2015 is going to be held in Belgium, Switzerland and Italy! Organizing
committee is preparing an unforgettable time for you from July 7th to 27th. During the last days
it is planned to visit ExPo Milano and many is happening around this huge event!
In the frame mark of WoCo 2015, IAAS is ambassador of #FoodSavingBEC and we have some
surprises for the first IAAS members ranked in #FoodSavingBEC! This time I want to share
with you the great opportunity we have as students and specially as IAAS members to speak
out about an issue which definitely concern us:
“FOOD WASTE”
According to FAO, each year one third of the food produced on the planet is
never eaten and food waste is responsible for: 3.3Gt of CO2 equivalents
(between 6 and 10% of total greenhouse gasemissions – only the United
States and China have higher emissions), it occupies 1.4 billion hectares of
land (only the Russian Federation is larger) and it uses 250 square kilometers
of water (no country in the world uses as much).
I’m sure that if you think for a second about Food Waste, it will come to your mind tens of
images in which food is being wasted in your university, home, restaurants, farms, orchards
and industry. For sure you and me; members of IAAS can do something about that!
What can you do?
It is very simple… and you can win 50% discount for WoCo!
Bocconi University of Milan in cooperation with ExPo Milano 2015 is organizing
#FoodSavingBEC and encouraging students from all over the world to find solutions for Food
Waste. Just follow the rules of #FoodSavingBEC IAAS WoCo Internal Contest in the following
link: https://docs.com/1FJJP
Prices:
The first IAAS member ranked on #FoodSavingBEC will get 50% of discount for IAAS
World Congress participation fee.
Meet with 200 students from around the world at Bocconi and ExPo Milano for a week
of learning, teamwork and competition during ExPo.
a. 10 places shall be allocated by means of a vote on the internet site.
b. 190 places shall be allocated according to the judgment and discretion of a
selection committee
c. 5 air tickets, round-trip between place of residence or study and Milan
Deadline to upload videos: January 31th.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
21
STUDY PORTALS CONTEST
Do you want to learn a new language or improve your language skills? Please check out the
following contest of our partner Study Portals:
Enter your exciting YouTube contest and get a chance to win a language holiday abroad, which
includes a language course, travel, and accommodation up to € 800 !
How? Simply submit a short YouTube video in which you explain why you want to learn this
language and get as many views as you can!
LanguageLearningPortal will help you to find the perfect language course for you!
PS. Before participating, make sure to check the Terms & Conditions of the contest at
StudyPortal’s site
I N T E R N A T I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N O F S T U D E N T S I N A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D R E L A T E D S C I E N C E S
www.iaasworld.org info@iaasworld.org
Call for Articles
Did you organize an event in your Committee and you want to
share it with IAAS World? Please send your article with pictures
to vpcommunication@iaasworld.org before the 10th of February,
2014.
This IAAS Newsletter was brought to you by Lisanne Meulendijks & Vincent Verdugt.
Leuven, 15th of December 2014