* Senior Plant Production and Protection Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.Welcome to the FAO Regional Office and to this Expert Consultation which has been organized and sponsored by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. I am grateful to all of you for coming here to contribute to this meeting.
As you know crop diversification could be a very important instrument for food and nutrition security, income growth, poverty alleviation, employment generation, judicious use of natural resources, sustainable agricultural development, and environmental and ecological management/improvement.
Remarkable progress has been achieved in crop diversification in certain countries of the Region, while in others the progress is very limited. The opportunities for further promotion of crop diversification appear to be good. However, at the same time the problems to be addressed are many and varied. I am sure that aspects relating to crop diversification will be adequately deliberated during this Consultation and some useful conclusions and recommendations will be drawn.
Strengthening cooperation among countries, institutions and individual scientists in this field is very important. A forum like this will allow us to learn from each other. We must explore the possibilities of sharing our experiences for mutual benefit. It is in this context, that this Consultation has been convened. Briefly, its objectives are the following:
a) To review the status of crop diversification in the Asia-Pacific region and discuss the problems faced as well as strategies required for overcoming existing constraints.This is the second time FAO has held an Expert Consultation on Crop Diversification in this Office. Dr. R.B. Singh, ADG/RR, organized the First Expert Consultation on Crop Diversification in Bangkok in September 1987. FAO continues to attach high priority to this issue and the presence here of the Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP), FAO, Rome, Dr. Mahmud A. Duwayri, is an indication of the importance which the AGP Division is attaching to Crop Diversification.b) Elaborate on the potential and opportunities for crop diversification for food and nutrition security, poverty alleviation and ecological security.
c) Discuss ways and means of strengthening collaboration on crop diversification.
I wish you all productive discussions and good contacts among one another for the exchange of information, experience and expertise.
