Sorghum in the 21st Century- “Food, Feed and Fuel in a Rapidly Changing World”

Cape Town, South Africa (9-14 April 2018)

The role of sorghum in the future global agricultural economy will remain strong as new opportunities for utilization compound upon existing utilization patterns and as heat and moisture stress affect the comparative advantage of competing crops. Yet, despite current demand and future prospects for sorghum, a global convening around the crop has not occurred in decades.  It is time for the world’s sorghum community to come together around research, industry and opportunity. The need for cross-border collaboration and exploration of cutting-edge technologies and developments has never been greater. “Sorghum in the 21^st Century” will concentrate on all of this and will contribute to the identification of global priorities to drive the future of sorghum science.

The programme will comprise five cross-cutting themes:

• Accelerating progress in advanced breeding for improved crop adaptation to climate risks
• Improving productivity and increasing profitability to expand opportunities across global markets
• Enhancing resilience in the face of biotic and abiotic challenges
• Tackling key issues in food security and farming systems for improved livelihoods for the smallholder farmer
• Exploring the future of the value-added: Nutrition, biofuels and feedstuffs for evolving consumer demands

These five themes will be explored through cutting-edge, topical sessions, plus:

• Cross disciplinary plenary sessions highlighting the opportunities and future of sorghum
• Expert Symposia – To further examine the most pressing issues in the sorghum industry today (included in the registration fee)
• A major Research and Industry Exhibition
• Regular opportunity for discussion and networking among the widest gathering of sorghum scientists in over 30 years

The Scientific Programme Committee encourages sorghum researchers worldwide to submit abstracts on their research for consideration of inclusion in them meeting. This is a rare opportunity to showcase your research to the world sorghum community.

Abstracts submission deadlines:

Oral Presentations Deadline – 30 November 2017 / Poster Presentations Deadline – 31 January 2018

All relevant information at https://21centurysorghum.com/