Southern and Eastern African Cotton Forum: Platform for the advancement of cotton production in Africa

摘要

The Southern and Eastern African Cotton Forum (SEACF) was established in 1996 under the auspices of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) that had supported three African regional meetings prior to the formation of SEACF: in Sudan (1982), Tanzania (1984) and Togo (1989). In 1994, researchers from the southern and eastern African countries set up the African Cotton Research Network, which later merged with SEACF. Initially, the main purpose of the forum was for each country to present national reports on cotton activities, but in 2010 the format was altered to a scientific symposium at which the regional network of researchers would present research results to their peers. The objective of SEACF is to promote cotton production through collaborative research and technology transfer and bi-annual research symposia are held in different member countries. Since its inception, SEACF has held 14 meetings. The chair of SEACF rotates with the country that hosts these symposia; member countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.