UNESCAP to discuss rural prosperity

JAKARTA: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Center for Alleviation of Poverty Through Secondary Crop Development (CAPSA) will organize a regional workshop on rural prosperity and secondary crops.

The focus of the workshop will be on applied pro-poor research and policies.

The four-day workshop, which starts on Tuesday in Bogor, is aimed at educating people about research and policies to contribute to prosperity among rural poor populations, the UN Information Center said in a media statement last week.

Fourteen Asian and Pacific countries, including Indonesia, and seven regional/international organizations, will participate in the workshop, which is also jointly-organized by the governments of Indonesia and Japan.

"Asia and the Pacific still have 900 million extremely poor rural people. Of these, at least 375 million live in dry uplands where secondary crops provide sources for subsistence and livelihood. Still, little research or policy attention is given to these crops, in spite of their importance for poor rural populations," UNIC said in the statement.

The workshops will be held at the UNCAPSA Building on Jl. Merdeka 145 in Bogor. -- JP