2001 International Conference on the Development of Agricultural Information
Management, Technology and Markets in the 21st Century

4-6 November, 2001
Beijing, China

Registration Form

Please fill the form and send it back by E-mail attachment (preferred), surface mail, or fax to the address bellow:

Ms Meng Pei

China-EU Centre for Agricultural Technology (CECAT)

55 Nongzhan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P. R. China, 100026

Tel.: +86 (0)10 65026343, +86 (0)10 64195588 – 2210

Fax: +86 (0)10 65063012

E-Mail: cecatic@agri.gov.cn OR cecatic@public.bta.net.cn,

Web Site: www.agrinfo2001.org/english.htm

Second Announcement

 2001 International Conference on the Development of Agricultural Information

Management, Technology and Markets in the 21^st Century

 4-6 November, 2001

Beijing, China

Dear colleagues, 

The date of the 2001 International Conference on the Development of Agricultural Information Management, Technology and Markets in the 21st Century is rapidly approaching – here is an update on the latest progress in conference organization and registration, and especially on the various changes and new decisions made during the latest Conference Organizing Committee Meeting held in Beijing.

Background

The rapid development and widespread applications of Internet and ICTs worldwide have had a great impact on agriculture. At the same time, they have brought many new challenges as well as opportunities to the agricultural information sector, which in turn have become major concerns for world agricultural information managers and specialists:

?       How to adapt to the new web-based environment?

?       How to re-orientate information services in line with the changing situation of information resources and systems?

?       How adequately to interpret the information needs of a wider range of targeted user groups especially bearing in mind the expanding information needs of global trade at one end of the spectrum, and of grassroots information at the other?

?       How to keep up with the trends of commercialization, standardization and internationalization of agricultural information products, services and systems, so as to better meet the demands of the market?

Development of new policies and strategies to improve and regulate agricultural information services and systems are of great importance to the success of information services and systems.

To facilitate international exchange and communication among agricultural information managers and specialists on these important issues and to promote international co-operation worldwide, it has been decided to organize the 2001 International Conference on Development of Agricultural Information Management, Technology and Markets in Beijing, China, on 4-6 November 2001.

China is one of the most important agricultural countries in the World. With imminent entry to the WTO, its agricultural industry has to meet the challenge of direct interface with the world market. This will require rapid acceleration in the pace of ICT applications in agriculture, with a dramatic increase in demand for relevant services. The Conference in Beijing will also enable information providers from the rest of the world to explore market opportunities and seek business cooperation with China.

Objective

The objective of the conference is to examine the new challenges and opportunities facing agricultural information management, technology and markets in the 21st Century, and to develop strategies for tackling the problems that the introduction of ICTs has imposed upon the agricultural sector in particular.

Co-organisers

The organisation of the conference has been supported and guided by the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the Informationalization Promotion Administration Department of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry. The team of Chinese and International co-organizers and sponsors has been expanded, and now includes:

?           International Association of  Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD),

?           IAALD China Chapter (CCIAALD),

?           China-EU Centre for Agricultural Technology (CECAT),

?           Scientech Documentation and Information Centre of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (SDIC),

?           China Agricultural University Library (CAUL),

?           CAB International (CABI),

?           Information Centre of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture,

?           China Electronic Commerce Association,

?           Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR),

?           Farmer’s Daily (China)

?           Asia-Pacific Association for Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI),

?           Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (ACP/EU) (CTA)

?           AusAID

Participants

The Conference Organizing Committee has so far received expressions of interest from about 30 countries, and approximately 50% of these people have either secured funds or registered. They represent

?           Agricultural information managers and specialists;

?           Managers and decision makers from governmental departments and agribusiness;

?           Agricultural information producers and providers;

?           Farmers’ organizations

?           Relevant IT companies

?           IAALD members

Date

November 4-6, 2001 (registration on November 3)

Venue

International Conference Centre of CECAT (China-EU Centre for Agricultural Technology)

(Address: 55 Nongzhan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100026, P. R. China)

Changes to the Conference programs:

The three-day-conference starting from 4th November, 2001 will have four main themes, and several sub-sessions, divided in accordance with the number of papers submitted (please see Preliminary Program).

It has been decided to cancel the Pre-conference Seminar originally planned for 3 November, 2001, and to move the seminar-related presentations, e.g. China's Agricultural Development Outlook, Prospects of IT Development in China, and Outlook after China’s entrance to WTO, etc., to the conference opening ceremony, so as to make these important presentations open to a wider audiences.

For those who have already registered for the Pre-conference seminar, fees will be refunded upon arrival at the conference.

Keynote, plenary session, key position, and concurrent sessions papers, and posters

For all types of presentations, you need to submit proposals, which should be 300-400 word summaries and submitted as print-outs and Word 98 files sent as e-mail attachments. Each summary should include the following information:

?           Author's name(s);

?           Affiliation(s);

?           Address(es);

?           Presentation title;

?           Type of presentation (paper, computer demonstration or poster)

?           Topic area; and

?           Summary

Keynote, plenary session and key position papers (at maximum 5000 words, invitations only by organizers who have already contacted those people directly) will be allowed 25 minutes with 5 minutes for questions and discussions. Concurrent Sessions presentations (at maximum 2500 words) will be 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions and discussions.

Conference languages will be English and Chinese, and simultaneous or consecutive translation of English/Chinese is provided.

For posters, one side of the panel (90 cm x 120 cm) will be provided, which may accommodate 15 pages (A4).

Proposals and summaries should be submitted by post and e-mail attachments to:

Dr. Qiaoqiao Zhang

Information For Development Manager

CAB International

Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, UK; Tel: +44 (0) 1491 829352; Fax: +44 (0) 1491 833508; E-mail: q.zhang@cabi.org

All summaries and papers, whether they are accepted for presentations or not, will be collected, printed and bound as a compilation for distribution at the Conference and made available at the Conference web-site as soon as they are received and with authors' permission.

Selected papers will also be published in IAALD Quarterly Bulletin. In order to be considered for publication in the IAALD Quarterly Bulletin and collected into the compilation, papers must be submitted to the Editor of IAALD QB in their final form and in both print and electronic formats before 30 September 2001. Complete contact information including name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of all authors must be included. The Editor’s address is as follows:

Ms Debbie Currie

Collection Manager for Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

North Carolina State University Library, NCSU

Box 7111, Raleigh NC 27695-7111, USA; Tel: +1 919 5157556; Fax: +1 919 5131108; Email: debbie_currie@ncsu.edu

Copies of full paper should also be sent to Dr Qiaoqiao Zhang and Mrs Meng Pei for launching on the Conference website.

The deadline for submitting abstracts has been extended to 20 Sept. 2001, and the deadline for submitting full papers is 1 Oct. 2001

Official Invitation for Visa Application

Official invitations from the Chinese authorities are required for visa applications at the Chinese Embassies in your countries.

The official Invitation Letters will be processed and issued in groups when registrations are confirmed and upon receiving passport details. The following information is required:

?           Name;

?           M/F;

?           Date of birth.

?           Nationality;

?           Professional title/position;

?           Passport Number

Accommodation:

Special arrangements on preferential rates have been made with 4 optional hotels, all located conveniently at walking distance to the Conference Venue. Rates refer to standard rooms (per night per person including breakfast)

?           Greatwall Sheraton Hotel: Five-Star, 10 minutes walk, US$100

?           Landmark Hotel: Four-Star, 8 minutes walk, US$72

?           Yu Yang Hotel: Four-Star, 15 minutes walk, US$65

?           Yong An Hotel: Three-Star, 12 minutes walk, US$40

?           Zhongou (CECAT) Hotel, US$35

 (Please note that the hotel arrangements have been changed from last announcement because of the change of conference venue. For those who have already booked, please kindly inform us of your new choice from the list above, thank you. ).

Pre/Post conference tours

It has been arranged with a travel agency to organize the following two optional sightseeing tours, please check your choice on the registration form if you are interested:

Pre-conference Tour:

Beijing - Xi'an - Guilin - Beijng

4 days & 4 nights (28 October - 1 November 2001, 28 October for registration)

US$950 per person (Group Price)

Post-conference Tour:

Beijing - Hangzhou - Suzhou - Shanghai -Beijing

4 days & 4 nights (7-11 November 2001, 7 November for registration)

US$770 per person (Group Price)

Registration

Registration fee: US$350

Please note that the registration fee is now consolidated as the deadline for preferential registration rate (US$300 before July 15) has already passed.

The coverage of the registration includes conference materials, lunches, refreshments and beverages at coffee-breaks, welcoming dinner (buffet), and social evening, etc.

Please fill the attached Registration Form and send it back by E-mail attachment (preferred),  surface mail or fax directly to:

Ms Meng Pei

China-EU Centre for Agricultural Technology (CECAT)

55 Nongzhan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, P. R. China, 100026

Tel.: +86 (0) 10 65026343, +86 (0) 10 64195588 - 2210

Fax: +86 (0) 10 65063012