12:00 noon
February 28, 2008

Theme

"Agriculture, the Fuel for Sustainable Economic Development"

The Forum is intended to treat comprehensively the extraordinary roles of agriculture in economic development and improved human well-being around the world. To raise poor people from their condition, there are no substitutes to bettering agriculture! Although this is partially understood and appreciated, there is new evidence and truly exciting data that will be laid out for participants.

The Riley Memorial Lecture will constitute the keynote address of the event. It will set the tone of the Forum: scientific, technical, and analytical. This is consistent with the vision of Charles Valentine Riley: "...none but the well informed are successful, for success in agriculture today implies knowledge-scientific knowledge."

Three shorter presentations will follow the Lecture, highlighting the pervasive influence of agriculture in the world's developing economies and the benefits back home in the U.S. to investing in international agricultural development.

Developing country professionals will be present to provide reality checks. And participants will have time to pose hard questions to the Riley Lecturer and to the presenters.

A proceedings document will be made available to registrants.