Nairobi — A congress on the horticultural sector in Africa is to be held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

The congress dubbed 'All Africa Horticulture Congress' is scheduled for August 31-September 3, 2009.

The Executive Director Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), Jacqueline Mkindi, told East African Business Week the congress will provide information on trends in horticultural trade, promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables within local communities for improved health and promote horticultural production practices that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.

"The theme of the congress will focus on 'Horticulture for Improving Livelihoods in Africa.' The format of this congress will allow several research themes to attract sufficient quality speakers and papers to be presented in parallel symposia, not all necessarily scientific," she stated.

Mkindi also noted that the congress aims at bringing African horticultural stakeholders together, facilitating researcher-consumer-producer interactions for integrating research and creating a forum for African stakeholders in horticulture to exchange ideas, experiences and design coordinated perspectives.

The event is also expected to promote and facilitate public-private sector partnerships in horticulture, to give rise to a forum for the dissemination of horticultural research innovations and the joint formulation of proposals and to encourage training and education in the horticulture industry to attract young and skilled entrepreneurs.

"Our association, TAHA, being an agent for change in the horticultural industry in Tanzania, wishes to invite Tanzanian scientists, researchers, professionals and business allies to effectively participate in this very important event," she appealed.