The call for papers for the CHEMRAWN XII Conference on The Role of Chemistry in Sustainable Agriculture and Human Well being in Africa has been received with great enthusiasm in South Africa and many other African countries. More than 160 abstracts were received before the deadline for submissions - almost 120 of those from 18 different countries in Africa.
CHEMRAWN (CHEMical Research Applied to World Needs) falls under the auspices of IUPAC (International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry) and this will be the first CHEMRAWN meeting to be held in South Africa. It will be hosted by Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape Winelands region from 2 to 5 December 2007.
The conference chair and past IUPAC president, Prof Pieter Steyn, expressed his delight at the great number of abstracts received. "This has far exceeded our expectations for the conference and proves that the topic of sustainable agriculture and food safety fits solidly into the political and developmental agenda of many African countries," he said.
The CHEMRAWN XII organisers have also agreed to join forces with the organisers of a separate conference on Biofuels, also to be held in Stellenbosch from 5 to 6 December. The Biofuels Conference on Sustainable Biofuels for the Future is sponsored by the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI) under the auspices of the SANERI Chair of Energy Research (CoER) awarded to Stellenbosch University in March 2007.
It is proposed that joint sessions will be held on 5 December on the role of agriculture in building a sustainable energy base in southern Africa and current biofuel technologies and their application in rural communities.
Early registrations for CHEMRAWN XII and the SANERI Biofuels Conference will be accepted until 28 September, after which the normal registration fee will apply. Participants can register on the conference website at www.chemrawn.co.za or contact the conference secretariat at conference@chemrawn.co.za for further information.
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