South African Roundtable Update

In April, in cooperation with the South African Agricultural Research Council, the Herb Research Foundation will cohost the Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products Roundtable. This unique event, scheduled to take place April 4-6, 2000 in Cape Town, South Africa, will provide a valuable educational forum for a gathering of pan-African natural products producers as well as buyers from both the regional and worldwide natural products marketplace. In addition to the important networking opportunity the event will provide for both producers and buyers, workshops will cover topics that are relevant to anyone involved in this burgeoning market, such as the trend toward sustainable herb cultivation; an examination of market development linkages, constraints, and opportunities; intellectual property rights and indigenous knowledge; international trade and regulation of plant based products; and a general overview of the state of the international natural products marketplace. The Roundtable is part of a three-year project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The project, known as A-SNAPP (Agribusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products), is a pan-African venture with a vision toward fostering sustainable herb production, developing and enhancing African rural enterprises, and improving quality of life in African rural communities while protecting the environment. As project manager, HRF will provide natural products production and marketing expertise to Africa producers via a variety of communication channels, including regional workshops, international agribusiness seminars, publications, an internet update service, and others. By the end of the project, we hope to see a substantial increase in the variety and volume of sustainably produced herbs grown in Africa for both the African and the worldwide marketplace. If you are interested in attending the Roundtable or in learning more about A-SNAPP, please contact Margaret Blank at HRF: email or phone (303) 49-2265. - Margaret Blank Margaret Blank, Herb Research News