The 10th North American Agroforestry Conference, sponsored by the Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA), will be held June 10-13, 2007, at Universite Laval, in Quebec City, on the theme : "When Trees and Crops Get Together : Economic Opportunities and Environmental Benefits from Agroforestry".
This will be the third time Canada has hosted the bi-annual North American Agroforestry Conference since the first AFTA conference that took place in Guelph, Ontario, 18 years ago.
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Aerial view of the Universite Laval campus in Quebec City. (Photo courtesy of Universite Laval) |
Conference overview
The intent of the conference is to stimulate the development and the adoption of sustainable rural land management practices centered on the integration of trees into the landscape. Riparian buffers with trees, windbreaks and shelterbelts, silvopastoral systems, intercropping systems, and forest farming systems will be the main practices discussed during the conference. Target participants belong to all spheres of the advising, teaching and research sectors, whether with private companies, advisory groups, municipalities, government departments, educational institutions or research centres specializing in the fields of agriculture, forestry, environment and land-use planning.
Thanks to the contribution of speakers from across North America, the conference will give participants access to new, state-of-the-art knowledge on rural land management practices that are beneficial to the agricultural environment and on methods for implementing and monitoring these practices.
The conference will be held at Universite Laval, approximately 20 minutes away by bus from the Old Historical Town. Universite Laval is one of Canada's leading universities and among the top 10 Canadian universities in terms of research. Universite Laval is also Canada's oldest university, and was the very first institution in North America to offer higher education in French.
Both the oral and poster sessions of the Conference will take place at the Complexe Pollack-Desjardins, a building that offers all the commodities of a small conference centre with its multi-purpose exhibition hall, multimedia auditorium, large and small conference rooms, and restaurant services.
| The Pollack-Desjardins building, where the conference will be hosted. (Photo courtesy of Universite Laval) |  |
Program
The conference will include two days of presentations and discussions (Monday, June 11, and Tuesday, June 12), a scientific poster session and a field-excursion day in La Pocatiere, Quebec on Wednesday, June 13.
On Monday and Tuesday, a series of keynote speakers will present overview talks on various aspects of agroforestry and on the implementation, benefits and constraints of agroforestry practices in different countries and regions. These keynote speakers are, in alphabetical order:
- Mr. Jean-Louis Daigle, Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre, Saint-Andre, NB, Canada
- Dr. Jeanine M. Davis, North Carolina State University, Fletcher, NC, USA
- Dr. Michael A. Gold, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, Columbia, MO, USA
- Dr. Andrew M. Gordon, University of Guelph, Guelph, on, Canada
- Mr. Fabien Liagre, Agroor, Anduze, France
- Dr. Richard Lowrance, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Tifton, GA, USA
- Dr. Ron Smith, VarFor Ltd, McLeod Hill, NB, Canada
- Mr. William Schroeder, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PFRA, Agroforestry Division, Indian Head, SK, Canada
- Dr. Naresh Thevathasan, University of Guelph, Guelph, on, Canada
- Mr. David Trotter, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
- Mr. Bob Turnock, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, PFRA, Agroforestry Division, Indian Head, SK, Canada
- Dr. Edwin H. White, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, USA
Approximately 120 persons responded to the Conference Call for papers, which ended on November 15, 2006. The abstracts received cover a wide array of agroforestry practices and topics. Of the submitted papers, about 70 will be presented in concurrent oral sessions. Fifty more papers will be presented as posters during a formal two-hour long poster session that will be combined with a cocktail gathering. Posters will stay on display in the central Agora of the Pollack-Desjardins Building throughout the whole conference.
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Panoramic view of Ville de La Pocatiere, on the shore of the St. Lawrence River in Bas Saint-Laurent. The buildings and fields of the Institut the Technologie Agroalimentaire de La Pocatiere, which will host the June 13 field trip, can be seen on the lower left-part of the picture (red brick building at center and green roof buildings on the left). (Photo courtesy of AirImages Ron Garnett (Ville de La Pocatiere).) |
The field excursion day on Wednesday, June 13, will be hosted by the Institut de Technologie Agroalimentaire in La Pocatiere, located approximately 90 minutes east of Quebec City along the shore of the magnificent St. Lawrence River. During this one-day field trip, participants will have the opportunity to find out about various agroforestry techniques such as windbreaks, hedgerow fruit trees, forest farming of ornamental, food and medicinal crops, and willow biomass production. The field day will include a technical demonstration on windbreak planting. An outdoor lunch showcasing regional products will be offered on-site.
Main funding for the event is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Greencover Canada Program.
Social events and post-conference field trips
The conference organizers are very happy and proud to invite you to the beautiful historical Quebec City (see the paper on Quebec City in this issue of the Temperate Agroforester). They therefore set themselves the objective to offer conference participants several opportunities to discover and enjoy the uniqueness of the City and the region.
Participants arriving in Quebec City on Saturday and Sunday will be offered several options for walking tours in the Old Town. on Sunday evening, June 10, conference attendees will be invited to a welcoming cocktail party (location to be confirmed). The conference banquet will take place on the evening of Tuesday June 12, at the Quebec Fine Arts Museum near the Plaines d'Abraham, an extensive and beautiful city park. Prior to the banquet, conference participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a drink on the museum terrace, one of Quebec City's loveliest terraces overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The banquet menu will be prepared by the renowned Museum Restaurant's chef and will emphasize regional products.
Participants in the June 13 field trip may be offered the opportunity to make the return trip from La Pocatiere to Quebec City on a small cruise ship. Dinner and live entertainment will be provided onboard. Late sunset hours in June will allow participants to fully appreciate scenic views of the different villages, mountains and islands along the St. Lawrence River.
One or two one-day post-conference excursions to various agroforestry sites in southern Quebec are planned on Thursday, June 14, 2007. More details on the itinerary, the sites to be visited and the cost of the excursions will be available in early winter.
Registration and accommodation
Conference rates, which include participation in the June 13 field trip, will range from $175 to $300 CDN depending on the participant status (regular or student) and registration date. Early registration rates will apply for people registering prior to March 31, 2007. AFTA member discounts will also be available. Registration rates include access to oral presentations and poster sessions, participation in the mixers and banquet as well as participation in the June 13 field excursion. Return by boat after the field excursion is optional and will be subject to a fee.
Online registration will begin in early January 2007. Credit card payment will be possible through a secure Internet link. Blocks of rooms have been reserved at a competitive conference rate in three hotels belonging to a local chain located either close to Campus or near the Old City.
More details on the conference, on how to register and on how to book your accommodations can be found on the conference web site at www.agrofor2007.ca. Register early as space is limited and don't miss this chance to enjoy both a great conference and a spectacular city!
We look forward to seeing you in Quebec City!
By Suzanne Campeau and Alain Olivier; Departement de phytologie, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada