16th International Symposium of the International Society for Tuber & Root Crops

23 - 28 September 2012. University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Ogun State, Nigeria. 

The theme of the event was “The Roots and Tubers of Development and Climate Change”. Tropical roots and tuber crops are essential to meeting global food security needs, improving staple foods of world's poor and creating new opportunities in global food supply.  The symposium gathered about 200 scientists from over 30 countries willing to share experiences, build collaborations and develop strategies to contribute to sustainable root and tuber development.

Subthemes:

• Policies favourable to enhancing the contribution of RTCs to development- (1) poverty reduction and food security (2) enterprise development and income generation and export development, (3) impacts of climate change and variability, (4) impacts of the global food crisis, global economic downturn and urbanization, (5) opportunities provided by biofuels. (6) Intellectual Property Rights
• Global Scenario on Production, Utilization and Marketing of Root and Tuber Crops - Trade and Technology Commercialization; 
• Progress in the science and technology for enhancing the contribution of Tropical Root Crops to development - Crop Improvement and Genomics; Biodiversity, Conservation and Evaluation; Biotechnology and Biofortification; Characterization of resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors; Plant, Water and Nutrient Management
• Applying new scientific and technical knowledge on RTCs to contribute to development.- Technology Development and Transfer processes and systems; Value Addition for Food, Nutrition and Health; Regional Exchanges and Technology Transfer; Roots and Tubers for Feed and manure.