CATIE to Host the 8th Annual Wallace Scientific Conference
The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) is holding the eighth Wallace Scientific Conference May 31 - June 3, 2023 at their campus in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Since its inception in 2002, the Wallace Scientific Conference has provided a forum for high-level discussion on strategies in science and technology for tropical agriculture, natural resources, and the conservation of biodiversity in the tropics.
This year, the VIII Wallace Conference will focus on analyzing food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the face of environmental degradation and climate change, using a systematic approach to analyze the biodiversity and ecosystem services, food production, as well as the economic, social, cultural, and political aspects that are key for the functioning of such systems.
Global scholars, government officials, researchers, and community partners from around the world will convene at the conference which kicks off on the morning of May 31 with a Keynote presentation by University of Maryland scholar Erle C. Ellis on Land Use and Ecological Change: A 12,000-Year History. Over the course of the next four days, participants will attend thematic sessions on topics critical to global food system sustainability.
2023 Wallace Conference Topics
Impacts of water and land degradation on LAC food systems - Led by Bruce Campbell, Global Center on Adaptation/Climate at the University of Copenhagen
Strategies and Innovative Pathways for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Actions: Promoting Synergies and Addressing Trade-offs to Reach Sustainability Across the LAC Region - Led by Lucas Garibaldi, Institute of Natural Resources, Agroecology, and Rural Development (UNRN/CONICET)
Governance for Transformative Change in Food Systems - Led by Agroecology Coalition (Cecilia Elizondo- Mexican Society of Agroecology (TBC), Paulo Niederle- professor of agri-food studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Valentina Robiglio, CIFOR-ICRAF, Lorena Gamboa, Forest Garden Products, Fergus Sinclair-moderator)
Sustainable Food Production and Consumption Patterns: Required Behavioral Changes - Led by Nicolás Bricas, CIRAD
Uplifting Women, Youth and Local Populations for Equitable Access to Nutritious Food - Led by Victoria Reyes García, University of Cataluña, and Francisco Rosado-May, Intercultural Maya University of Quintana Roo
Finance, Investments and Agribusiness to Promote Adoption and Scaling - Led by Carlos Manuel Rodriguez – CEO Global Environmental Facility
Various partners have come together to sponsor the conference including Southwest Airlines®, one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, which recently donated $25,000 to support both the conference and CATIE’s mission which is rooted in the notion that the purpose of an academic institution is to serve society through research, education, outreach and innovation. Today's challenges of poverty, climate change, food insecurity, deforestation and biodiversity loss call for research, evidence-based solutions, and partnerships that can deliver impact. Together with CATIE's member countries and extensive network of partners and funders, CATIE works collaboratively to build and scale local and regional capacity to transform food and farming systems that nourish the health of both people and the planet.
CATIE would like to acknowledge the contribution of The Tropics Foundation (TTF) for its role in facilitating the partnership with Southwest Airlines. TTF is an Atlanta-based 501c3 nonprofit organization that exists to stimulate and promote inclusive sustainable development and conservation in the American Tropics.
Wallace Conference Practical information:
Date: May 31 - June 3, 2023
Location: CATIE campus, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica
Registration Information can be found on the Conference Website
For more information, contact:
Katie Modic
Development Officer
The Tropics Foundation
(641) 629-0868
katie.modic@catie.ac.cr