Agriculture as a Business: The Paradigm and the Challenges
Penang, Malaysia - This conference is on agriculture and the potential contribution of agriculture for a more robust, sustainable and equitable growth and development of Malaysia.
This conference is on agriculture and the potential contribution of agriculture for a more robust, sustainable and equitable growth and development of Malaysia. Now designated as the nation's third engine of growth after the industrial and the services sectors, agriculture is poised to create an impact in the national development agenda. It was the commitment of our country to make agriculture a more viable and vibrant sector to propel the nation to greater heights and more balanced growth in the many years to come that takes agriculture away from the back seat to the center stage of development again.
Agriculture is a business like any other business, but with one major difference - the non-marketed externalities it produces jointly in the process of producing marketable food and products. These non-trade concerns include environmental protection, food security, sustainability and viability of rural communities. The multifunctionality of the sector demands policy strategies that are beyond business and economics.
This conference aims at defining the paradigm of agriculture as business and identifying the challenges. It attempts to identify strategies to enhance the competitiveness of the agriculture sector without jeopardizing its sustainability, the environment and the farm community.
Conference Topics
Agribusiness and management: agribusiness and marketing strategies.
Human resource development: extension and value orientation, agriculture education and entrepreneurial development.
Agriculture finance: risk management and agricultural insurance.
Agriculture extension and education: Transfer of technology, commercialization, market incentives, R&D (agriculture research), business extension, and farm management.
Marketing and trade: supply chain management, WTO, market access, food safety, "halal" food, and competitiveness.
Resource and environment: renewable energy and biofuels, sustainable agriculture, resource management.
Agriculture institutions: smallholders, corporate culture in agriculture, cooperatives, farm families, agencies, incentives and supports.
Food security: food availability, demand and consumption.
Infrastructures: Market information and intelligence, communication, logistics, agriculture accessibility, and agriculture intelligence.
Agricultural law: land use conservation, land matters, and water rights.
New agriculture: biotechnology, alternative farming system, floriculture, ornamental fisheries and new source of growth.
Agricultural productivity: land, labor and capital efficiency and productivity growth.
This conference is co-organized by three partners – The School of Social Sciences of Universiti Sains Malaysia, the Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies of Universiti Putra Malaysia and the Malaysian Association of Agricultural Economics.
The theme chosen for this first conference of the three partners is "Agriculture as a Business: The Paradigm and the Challenges".
Contact Us
Secretariat
School of Social Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-6533369
Fax: +604-6570918
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
The Conference
Mr. Ng Keng Yap
Tel: +60 19 383 3969
Email: [email protected]
