MONTPELLIER, France – ‘Combining sustainability and coffee quality’ is the theme of the 28th International Conference of the Association for Science and Information on Coffee (ASIC). This biennial conference, which had not occurred in Europe since 2006, will take place from 22 to 25 June 2020 in Montpellier.
It is being organized by CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Agropolis International, Agropolis Fondation, and Montpellier University of Excellence (MUSE), with support from the Occitanie Regional Council.
Over 400 participants are expected to attend the event: researchers, PhD students, decision-makers, coffee professionals and civil society actors.
Specialists from around the world and representatives from more than twenty coffee-producing southern countries will share scientific results and address challenging issues about sustainable production, climate change adaptation, coffee quality and traceability, and health effects.
All new developments in science and technology of the coffee sector will be presented and discussed during the four days: agronomy (genetics, botany, agro-technology, pests and diseases, agroecology, etc.); chemistry (coffee analysis, chemical composition, aroma, etc.); technology (green coffee processing, roasting, grinding, extraction, decaffeination, packaging, storage, etc.); markets, certification, traceability, human physiology (coffee and health).
Also on the agenda of the conference: two public events
The afternoon of 24 June will be open to the public, upon registration: visitors will have the opportunity to meet producers, professionals and nongovernmental organizations around their stands and discover virtuous initiatives in favour of economically, socially and environmentally sustainable production.
A round table, ‘Science serving the development of coffee ’, will enable a comparison of consumer, producer, company and NGO expectations regarding the coffee sector.
‘Will it still be possible to drink coffee in 2050?’ That is the question that will be asked at a conference-debate, open to all, on 25 June (between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, Montpellier, Salle Rabelais), addressing sustainability and health issues.
With the participation of: André Charrier (Former professor at Montpellier SupAgro), Astrid Nehlig (researcher at INSERM Strasbourg, author of the book Coffee and health , 2016), Bruno Rapidel (CIRAD scientist, author of the book The agroecological transition of agricultural systems in the Global South , 2019) and actors in the roasting and coffee trades.
