test inserimento contenuti anno 2008
CIGR V and AIIA feel honoured to invite you to the International Conference on Innovation Technology to Empower Safety, Health and Welfare in Agriculture and Agro-food Systems, that will be held from 15th to 17th of September 2008 at Ragusa. Ragusa is a lovely town situated in the south east of the greatest Island of the Mediterranean sea and Ibla, the ancient town, is known for its Baroque architecture. Here is located the Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Degree which is part of the Agricultural Faculty of the University of Catania, whose researchers work for the development of the territory, always bearing in mind that this part of Sicily could be taken as a sort of landmark for Countries washed from the Mediterranean sea.
The countryside runs from wonderful beaches on the blue Ionian sea to the green highlands where Ragusa is situated, and shows a great variability of agro – industries as crops obtained in open fields (mainly carrots and potatoes) or in greenhouses (mainly tomatoes and then aubergines, peppers, zucchini, but also flowers); also it is easy to meet modern packing houses, wineries, dairies, nurseries and so on.
Because a lot of people work in agriculture (rural sector and /or food industries) as owners or employees, and because of the great variability of the agro-industries, workers, public administrators and researchers are greatly interested in safety, health and welfare. Moreover, as concerns the last theme, since a great part of the local economy is based on milk cow farming, it would be a good idea to include in the Conference a topic about the connection between animal welfare and the milking parlour.
Also greenhouses are widespread in the area; consequently, themes such as air pollution and workers contamination during pesticides spreading have to be investigated. Probably, this operation will be the first to be carried out in the next future by means of a robot or a remote controlled vehicle, towards a strategy based on “risk zero”. In the meantime, assistive technologies are very important too.
In conclusion, we can look upon the South East of Sicily as a great and complete laboratory concerning Safety, Health and Welfare in which all Researchers will take part to the Conference (agronomists, engineers, physicians and so on) can expound their presentations sure to receive the highest consideration while spending some fruitful and lovely days.
