Extended Abstracts

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture, a Network of 60 African Universities in sub-Saharan Africa (RUFORUM: see www.ruforum.org) will hold the 5th African Higher Education Week and RUFORUM Biennial Conference. The Conference aims at providing a platform for higher education agricultural research for development stakeholders in Africa and beyond to share findings and experiences, while at the same time learning lessons towards improving performance in the higher educations and agricultural sectors and ultimately people’s livelihoods.

The 2016 Biennial Conference will purposely focus on the theme “Linking Universities with private Sector, Governments, and Other Stakeholders in support of Agricultural Development in Africa”. Of great significance the conference will expose young researchers to a professional gathering and will provide avenues for strengthening communications and publications while keeping aware of current trends in training, research and outreach on the African continent. The Conference will provide opportunities for seasoned scientists and practitioners to inspire and guide the younger scientists and entrepreneurs through discussions and deliberations. It will also be an opportunity to create linkages between the diversity of stakeholders in the two sectors of higher education and agriculture.

The Higher Education Week and Biennial Conference is RUFORUM’s most comprehensive convening event for a diversity of stakeholders in the two sectors. It is especially dedicated to graduate students and their supervisors, grantees at RUFORUM Member Universities and alumni. It is a platform for peer review, quality control, mentorship, networking, uptake and adoption of innovations and lesson sharing. The 5th Conference will be held in Cape Town, at the Century City Conference Center (CCCC), South Africa”. The Conference is co-organized with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Centre for Coordinating Agricultural Research in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), and six RUFORUM member universities in South Africa namely Stellenbosch University, University of Free State, University of Fort Hare, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Pretoria and University of Venda. Framed in a similar

As part of strengthening dissemination of research outputs and lesson sharing RUFORUM invites interested authors (University researchers, researchers and scientists from National Agricultural Research Institutes, Higher Education stakeholders and beneficiaries of RUFORUM supported projects, including postgraduates students and their supervisors) to submit either “Short Abstract” (not more than 250 words) or “Extended Abstract” maximum of 4 page.  For the “Extended Abstracts”, inclusion of relevant data and/or illustrations such as tables, graphs and pictures is highly encouraged. The deadline for submission is 31st August, 2016. All submissions will be peer reviewed and published as open access resource materials in a serialized RUFORUM Working document series (ISSN: 1993-8462) which will be made available to various stakeholders in both print and electronic formats. The publication is bilingual and authors are free to submit abstracts in either English or French. The Abstracts should be submitted by email to biennial@ruforum.org with a copy to p.nampala@ruforum.org  and a.egeru@ruforum.org

The conference sub-thematic areas and envisaged parallel sessions are as outlined below and for additional background information about requirements for Poster display and Exhibitions during the Conference, please click on the following links;

• Effect of farming practices on the occurrence of scab of wheat and its management through cultivar resistance
• Strengthening research capacity for agricultural development in post-conflict and protracted crisis countries in africa: A FARA perspective

Sub-thematic areas:

1. Innovation for sustainable systems within value chains that improve smallholder incomes;
2. Public private partnerships: a driver for higher education for market pathways and product uptake
3. Building capacity for university research, outreach and community engagement: Integrating universities into national agricultural innovation systems
4. Academic mobility, quality assurance and credit transfer across the continent: the game changers

Parallel sessions will feature:

1. Addressing risk associated to climate change and variability in agricultural systems
2. Towards environment sustainability
3. Linking agro-forestry and wealth creation
4. Sustainable intensification within smallholder crop and livestock value chains
5. Strengthening gender mainstreaming to enhance agricultural productivity
6. Enhancing academic mobility
7. Strengthening community engagement and innovation platforms
8. Agricultural marketing pathways, product update, trade and policy
9. Aquaculture and fisheries science
10. Reducing postharvest losses
11. Strengthening knowledge management for improved production

For any further information you may require, please contact overall convener
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
P.O Box 16811 Wandegeya – Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256-417-713-300 (Office)
Contact: Dr. Paul Nampala
E-mail: p.nampala@ruforum.org