Establish present scientific information, farmer knowledge and know-how. Explore research pathways and production pathways.

The principal objective of the conference is to stimulate and favour exchanges between research scientists, rice growers and other stakeholders in the organic rice production and commercialisation chain.

These exchanges, focused on organic rice production in different regions throughout the world, will be organised in order to :

• assess actual knowledge of the functioning of organic rice production systems on different time and space scales
• identify innovations being undertaken and obstacles that block the development of these systems
• analyse the impact of different types of organic rice production on food quality and health and their contribution to the construction of the pillars of sustainable development
• analyse the impact of public policy and to propose guidelines

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Finally, as the United Nations declared 2004 the "international year of rice" and 2010 the "international year of biodiversity", the ambition of this conference is to link these two events.