The Tenth International Students Summit (ISS)
on
Food, Agriculture and Environment in the New Century

Students Taking Action:  Expanding Knowledge Sharing
in the Agriculture, Energy and Environment Sectors

September 30 – 1 October 2010

Statement

The contemporary world is facing a crisis of sustainability, and we see it as tremendously important to draw together the wisdom and vitality of youth, the torchbearers of the future of mankind. There are especially wide ranging missions for agricultural students, as agricultural science plays a key role in the solution of fundamental problems in food production and safety, environmental conservation, energy, and human health. The system of food production and consumption is without doubt closely related to the condition of the natural environment, the stage of economic development, and food culture in each country, and their patterns and problems reflect regional characteristics. It is thus important to understand how agriculture and food systems should be organized and maintained in each society.

In November 2001, Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA) organized the “International Students Summit on Food, Agriculture and Environment in the New Century” to provide students from our global partner universities with an opportunity to gather and exchange views and ideas on global food, agricultural and environmental issues, and also to discuss their own roles in sustainable development. The outcomes were announced as the “Tokyo Declaration.” Since then, the International Students Summit has been held every year. The participating students adopted Action Plan in 2002 and agreed to establish the International Students Forum (ISF) from 2003. In 2005, Global NEFA was established by the former participants of ISS/ISF as a venue for continued sharing of information and knowledge on food, agriculture and environment issues.

The International Students Summit has now come to the tenth time, and this will be held on 30 September - 1 October 2010 at the TUA Setagaya Campus in Tokyo. The sub-theme for this summit is “Students Taking Action:Expanding Knowledge Sharing in the Agriculture, Energy and Environmental Sectors,” which was adopted at the 9th ISS in 2009. In the past ISSs, the participants discussed the role of students in promoting food safety, environment conservation, and agricultural development in their respective countries. At the commemorative Tenth ISS, participating students are expected to report their actual actions in the spirits of the ISS in their respective universities, in order to share the path and activities for sustainable development of mankind. The presentation should be focused on a particular and unique action program of students executed by each university.  Only one presentation will be accommodated for each participating university in the following sessions.

Plenary Session: Opening ceremony and keynote speeches by past participants of ISS
Session 1: Universities with Students’ Actions in Conserving Environment
Session 2: Universities with Students’ Actions in Promoting Agriculture
Session 3: Universities with Students’ Actions in Securing Food Safety
Session 4: Action Plans by Participants
Closing Session: Discussion and adoption of joint communique

Depending on the nature and kind of students’ action programs to be reported, the presentations by each university will be organized to one of the Sessions 1 to 3. At the same time, all participating students are divided into four groups and expected to propose common action plans in the four fields of food safety, environment conservation, sustainable agricultural development, and bio-energy in Session 4, as the outcome of their session discussions prior to the ISS.

Organizing Committee & Students Committee,
International Students Forum,
Tokyo University of Agriculture