To
celebrate its 20th anniversary, the International Fund
for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a U.N. agency based in Rome,
presented a multi-media science and technology exhibition entitled
"From Hope to Harvest."
"From
Hope to Harvest" is based on IFAD’s 20 years of field
experience in assisting the poorest of the world – small farmers,
landless poor, artisinal fishermen, nomadic herdsmen and poor rural
women. There is major emphasis on the preservation of the environment
and the promotion of environmentally friendly technologies.
The
exhibition offered displays of objects, three-dimensional models,
videos, multimedia presentations, charts and posters. Displays included:
- success stories on improved traditional crops
and commodities, like millet, sorghum, coconut, date palm, bamboo,
rattan and jute, and related exhibits reflecting the ingenuity of
smallholder artisans in processing and manufacturing improved new
products for enhancing their incomes;
- programmes on environmentally friendly
technologies portraying, for instance, biological control of important
agricultural pests, such as the desert locust, and animal diseases,
such as trypanosomiasis - the sleeping sickness caused by the tse-tse
fly;
- local innovations and tools and equipment from
the field, used by the rural poor, with simple, minor innovations,
that make their utilization more efficient, contributing to productivity
and food security;
- refined traditional technologies, such as
agroforestry, aquaculture and other simple techniques for increasing
agricultural productivity in areas threatened by desertification;
- knowledge networks opening cyberspace to the rural poor for the
exchange of knowledge and experiences; and
- microfinance initiatives helping smallholders
and the rural poor obtain access to credit and savings facilities.
The inaugural ceremony took place in the Aula Magna of the
Palazzo dei Congressi on February 6 1998. Rome’s former mayor, Francesco
Rutelli and Dr. Hans Herren, an internationally renown scientist and winner
of the "World Food Prize," were the keynote speakers.
The ceremony was followed by a reception featuring traditional African
cuisine.
Furthermore, His Excellency Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, former
President of the Italian Republic visited the exhibition on 11 February
1998 in the occasion of the Twenty-First Session of the Governing Council
of IFAD.
"From Hope to Harvest" offered the viewers
a good understanding of how sensitive and innovative collaborations between
all sectors of society – from governments to grassroots organizations
– can make a difference in combating hunger and rural poverty, and
help millions of the world’s poor people take control of their destiny.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development expresses
its gratitude to the Governments of the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic
of Finland, Ireland, and the Italian Republic for their generous contributions
to the organization of the Expo.
