Inaugural Conference of IGU Commission, Yulin, calls for ‘Global Rural Plan’

The IGU Commission on Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering, chaired by Professor Yansui Liu of the Institute of Geographical Science and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has called for the establishment of a Global Rural Plan.  The conference, which is hosted by the University of Yulin, Shaanxi Province, is attended by 200 researchers from 17 countries.  Paper sessions cover aspects of rural geography including economic and environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, land use land land cover change, and rural transformation and governance.  Several internationally leading scientists presented keynote addresses, including Holly Barcus, co-chair of the IGU Commission on Rural Sustainability, Guy Robinson, University of Adelaide, Hans Westlund of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Brigitte Norgaredes of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research and Bob Nanes of MIT.  The conference is being co-chaired by Academician Bojie Fu, President of the Geographical Society of China and Dean at the Beijing Normal University, and IGU Secretary-General Mike Meadows.  The proposed ‘Global Rural Plan’  calls for a series of actions: 1. To promote the setting up establishment of the “Global Rural Plan” at the United Nations. It is very considered essential necessary to propose the theme of rural revival to counter the effects of urbanization across the globe; 2.To promote collaborations among the IGU commissions Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering, Sustainability of Rural Systems, Land Use and Land Cover Change to bring the world’s rural scholars together; 3. To hold the annual global meetings and regional conferences with the a rural focus such as rural land in the countryside, agriculture, livelihoods and education; 4. To launch the joint scientific investigation of the socioeconomic, resources and environmental situations of villages of different areal types in the world, and to release a global world’s rural development report; 5. To promote and intensify communications and collaborations with the World Bank, FAO, UNDP and UNEP; 6. To mobilize resources to support villages in the least developed countries and provide to seek solutions for rural revival and sustainability. We do hope the proposal could can be accepted and taken into consideration by the United Nations. The “Global Rural Plan” is intended to make the world a better place.