Tac Members Meet to Deliberate on Center's Strategic Plan
18th FFTC Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting
The 18th FFTC TAC meeting proved to be a very productive and rewarding one, particularly as it gave the TAC members an opportunity to impart valuable comments, suggestions and recommendations on the proposed FFTC Strategic Plan for 2007-2011. The deliberation on the Plan led to a better understanding on how to address the gaps, opportunities, as well as the priorities of FFTC in performing its role as a regional information center in the years to come.
The meeting was a gathering of distinguished participants and guests from eight countries within the ASPAC region, composed of FFTC-TAC members, FFTC Working Group members, resource speaker, key officials and guests from partner institutions, and staff and consultants of FFTC.
During the Opening Program, Mr. Sing-Hwa Hu, FFTC Director, gave a fitting welcome message by first expressing the Center's appreciation to the TAC members for supporting the programs and activities of FFTC through the years, and for consistently providing valuable recommendations on how the Center can further improve its future work programs. He then expressed his hope for the TAC members' valuable contribution and active participation during the meeting which, he added will be very important in setting the future directions, programs, and activities of the Center, and in finalizing the proposed FFTC Strategic Plan for 2007-2011.
Meanwhile, in his Opening Address, Mr. Jia-Chyuan Su, Minister of the Council of Agriculture (COA) of Taiwan ROC, expressed his appreciation to FFTC for its instrumental role in the promotion of institutional and technical cooperation in agriculture among countries in the ASPAC region, which in turn has benefited millions of resource-poor farmers in terms of achieving improved agricultural productivity, sustainable and effective use of natural resources, and increased income and better livelihood opportunities. He also expressed COA's commitment to continue its cooperation and support to FFTC's technology transfer programs and activities.
A special presentation entitled Improvement of Crop Varieties and Cultivation Management, delivered by Dr. Wen-Hsiung Ko, Chair Professor of the National Science Council and the National Chung-Hsing University, highlighted the achievements and contributions of agricultural development to the economic and social progress of Taiwan in the past 50 years.
The Report on FFTC Programs and Activities by FFTC Director Sing-Hwa Hu was a comprehensive overview of the Center's past, present, and proposed programs and activities and its accomplishments for the last two and a half years (2004-June 2006).
As the main agenda of the meeting, Dr. Hideo Imai, FFTC Deputy Director, presented the Framework of the FFTC Strategic Plan for 2007-2011. He outlined FFTC's strategic missions, and the Center's overall policy to intensify its technology transfer activities toward achieving the said missions. The presentation became the main reference document for the productive and rewarding discussion and deliberation among the TAC members.
The meeting was highlighted by the TAC Members' Discussion on the Proposed FFTC Strategic Plan for 2007-2011, followed by the TAC Members' General Discussion on the Future Directions, Programs, and Activities of FFTC. The exercise aimed at soliciting valuable recommendations and suggestions from the TAC members on how to refine and finalize the Strategic Plan, in particular, and how to focus the Center's policy and work programs to priority and more pressing concerns of regional proportion, in general. The deliberations included an assessment of the proposed Strategic Plan by mission, aimed at ensuring that the Center's activities can best benefit the small-scale farmers of the region and provide new opportunities to stakeholders, and a general discussion on technical and policy options to improve the work program and operational environment of FFTC. This exercise has, in effect, led to a better understanding of regional development needs toward identifying focused and problem-oriented programs for sustainable agricultural development.
The activity was capped by a Field Tour of government and non-government agricultural facilities in Danshui, Taipei and Miao-Li County in Taiwan aimed at providing the participants with some insights into Taiwan's outstanding and successful agricultural programs and agri-industries.
Index of Images
Figure 1 The FFTC 18TH Tac Meeting
Figure 2 FFTC Tac Members Deliberate on the Proposed FFTC Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 and on the Future Directions, Programs and Activities of the Center.
Figure 3 FFTC Tac Members and Staff Visit Outstanding and Successful Agricultural Programs and Agri-Industries in Taiwan. Pear Grafting Farm at Shih-Men (Above); Ta-Hu Wine Lodging (Right); Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (Top Right).
