Opened by Dr Radhakrishnan, the Director of the NRSA, attendees were welcomed by Ms Alice Lee (UN expert on Space Applications), Mr Chris de Cooker (Head of Internal Relations, ESA), Mr James Zimmerman (IAF President) and Dr B.N. Suresh (Co-Chair of IPC and Chair of IAC 2007 LOC).
Dr G. Madhavan Nair, Chair of the Indian Space Commission and President of the Astronomical Society of India gave the inaugural address.
Initiatives in the area of space science and technology applied to sustainable development of food security lead to the poverty eradication in developing countries that is being carried out by various entities through international cooperation. The workshop also looked for ways to build synergies among them.
The programme of this two and a half day workshop considered, through plenary sessions, working groups meetings and discussions, applications of space science and technology to management of food security including land degradation, rain-fed agriculture and farming, irrigated systems in agriculture, watershed/wasteland development and precision agriculture.
The primary objectives were:
To increase awareness among decision makers and academic community about the use of space technology applications for sustainable development programmes supporting food security in developing countries
To examine low-cost space-related technologies and information resources available for addressing food security needs in developing countries
To strengthen capacity building in the area of food security and space technology
To strengthen international and regional cooperation in the subjects
To discuss education and training for various target groups on using space technology for addressing food-related challenges
Space experts, policy- and decision-makers, representatives from academic community and private industry from developing and industrialised countries have been exchanging their experiences in the application of space technology for food security and also discussed opportunities for increased regional and international cooperation among developing countries or between developing and industrialised countries.
Space Generation has conducted a study/survey in order to provide input to this workshop. The survey aimed to gather opinions of students and young professionals in the age group 18-35+, on the studied topic. SGAC Executive Officer, Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, presented the results of the study during the workshop. The survey illustrated that the awareness among young people regarding the subject matter is very low yet space continues to be a fascinating topic. The survey turned attention of the present experts and polititans into a great need for space education and better outreach programs. SGAC considers this study a great success due to large amount of feedback received during the workshop and illustrated need for such studies. To see Agnieszka Lukaszczyl's presentation click here: http://www.spacegeneration.org/files/downloads/UNIAC_presentation_-_fina...
In an iniative this year, the IAF and UN-OOSA organised a Round Table with the participation of heads of space agencies and other relevant national, regional and international institutions and organisations from both space faring and non-faring countries. A direct dialogue can in this way be established with the workshop participants on how space technologies and policies can contribute to sustainable development programmes in developing countries, with a focus on food security.
The Round Table, which took place on Saturday opened an exchange of pragmatic ideas between decision-makers and leaders from international organisations and the participants of the workshop.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the panelists agreed that a sustained and clear vision over many years was the key for a country's successful entry into the space industry and its exploitation.
Moderated by Dr Gerard Brachet, Chair of UN-COPUOS. the panelists for the Round Table were:
Ms Mazlan Othman (Director General, National Space Agency of Malaysia)
Mr Alchin Shirin-Zadeh (Director General, National Aerospace Agency of Azerbaijan)
Mr Hector Gutierrez (General Coordinator, Chilean Space Agency)
Ambassador Ciro Arevalo (Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN in Vienna)
Mr Ian Kolar (Head, Czech Space Office, Czech Republic)
Mr K. Radhakrishnan (Head, National Remote Sensing Agency of India)
Mr Marius-Ioan Piso (President, Romanian Space Agency)
Mr Manuel Serrano (Spanish Delegation to ESA, Spain)
Mr Ridha Methnani (Chief of Cabinet, Ministry of Research, Education and Technology, Tunisia)
Mr Richard Tremayne-Smith (BNSC, UK)
Mr Chris de Cooker (Head of Internal Relations, ESA)
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