Fostering Economic Growth in India IALC Co-Sponsors March Conference

Contact: Jim P. Chamie • IALC Managing Director • 520-621-3024 • chamie@ag.arizona.edu

February 20, 2007--Phoenix, AZ. -- Looking to explore innovative approaches and new business models for linking domestic and international consumer markets with rural entrepreneurs and communities, The 3rd International Conference on "Linking Markets and Farmers: Exploring Leading Practices to Foster Economic Growth in Rural India" will be held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi India from March 11 - March 15, 2007. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is taking the lead in organizing this 3rd international conference. 

Co-sponsored in part by The International Arid Land Consortium (IALC), the conference will bring together leaders from a diverse group of domestic and multinational agri-food companies from India, USA, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America; small and medium sized rural entrepreneurial firms in the agri-food sector; agribusiness supply chain facilitators, such as banking, technology, transportation, and energy companies; government and public sector agencies; non-government organizations engaged in agribusiness and rural enterprise development; international development agencies; leading Indian and international agricultural and business academic institutions; and the media.

While in recent years key components of the Indian economy have become world leaders in innovation and growth, other parts of the Indian economy, especially in rural areas, have not experienced similar advances. The opportunity exists, however, to forge new linkages and advance the means by which agri-food production and marketing systems function and serve the larger economy.

Innovations in the use of information and communications technology, coupled with equally necessary changes in the organization and management of the processes by which food and fiber raw materials are produced and marketed, offer exciting potentials to advance the effectiveness of the agri-food sector and rural economies

Using a unique set of instrumental case studies of innovative business practices from across the world, the conference will provide a forum for discussion and debate of how to best organize agri-food supply chains so that they contribute directly to increasing farm income, rural employment and sustainable development. An integral part of this process will be evaluating the role of private industry in facilitating the establishment of alternative business models, driving technological advances, and catalyzing entrepreneurial innovation within rural communities.

Conference goals include:

• Identifying and exploring innovative business models for linking domestic and international consumer markets with rural entrepreneurs applicable in India and emerging economies;
• Engaging participants in an active dialogue about the processes involved in the establishment of economically sustainable and mutual beneficial business relationships between different supply chain parties;
• Identifying practical actions to reduce barriers to market-led and industry facilitated rural entrepreneurship;
• Evaluating the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of industry-led initiatives for rural social entrepreneurship and community development; and
• Identifying the role of government and international development agencies in enabling a viable environment for market-driven rural entrepreneurship.

The conference will take place from March 11-15, 2007, at:
 
Taj Palace Hotel
Sardar Patel Marg
Diplomatic Enclave
New Delhi 110 021
India
Tel: (91-11) 2611 0202
Fax: (91-11) 2611 0808,
2688 4848
Email: palace.delhi@tajhotels.com

For more information on the conference program and to register on-line, see: http://www.globalfoodchainpartnerships.org/india/

 # # #

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND (JNF) began in 1901 as a dream and vision to reestablish a homeland in Israel for Jewish people everywhere. Jews the world over collected coins in iconic JNF Blue Boxes, purchasing land and planting trees until ultimately, their dream of a Jewish homeland was a reality. JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people.

JNF embodies both heart and action; our work is varied in scope but singular in benefit. We strive to bring an enhanced quality of life to all of Israel’s residents, and translate these advancements to the world beyond. JNF is greening the desert with millions of trees, building thousands of parks, creating new communities and cities for generations of Israelis to call home, bolstering Israel’s water supply, helping develop innovative arid-agriculture techniques, and educating both young and old about the founding and importance of Israel and Zionism.

JNF is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and United Nations NGO, which continuously earns top ratings from charity overseers.

For more information on JNF, call 888-JNF-0099 or visit www.jnf.org.