Highlights

Italy to Host the First-Ever G8 Agriculture Summit
The province of Treviso, Italy will be the host to the world's first G8 Agriculture Summit from 18 to 20 April 2009. The G8 Agriculture Ministries' Meeting is setting out to agree upon a joint strategy for the action needed to curb sky-rocketing food prices and minimize the impact of future global food crises. A key element for consideration must be the essential role of agricultural research in ensuring future food security and farm livelihoods in the medium to long term, as resources become increasingly constrained, populations increase and consumption trends change. Attendees at this important Summit will include the Agriculture Ministers of the eight major economies, the EU Council Presidency and the EU Agriculture Commissioner, together with Ministers representing Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt, Australia and Argentina. Representatives from other organizations will also be present. This Summit stems from a final statement of world food security approved at the 2008 G8 Summit in Japan; in order to address the grave problem caused by rising agricultural commodity prices, the G8 leaders called on agricultural ministers to come up with concrete proposals to combat this issue..

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