9 - NSF Digital Library

donor agencies. Chief among these are the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) in ~ienna, the Australian Centre for International
Agr~cultural Research (ACIAR), the Overseas Development
Administration (ODA) of the UK and the Government of the
Netherlands.
The Reg~oaal Symposium which we are here to inaugurate today
has several objectives. It will critically review the work done under the
second phase afthe SARECINARESA buffalo research and development
programme, and share these experiences with eminent scientists in other
Asian countries. It will also draw on their experiences in the application
and dissermnation of technical knowledge to rural farmers in their own
countries, and discuss strategies for wider application of selected
technologies. Finally, it will identify potential areas for further study and
technology transfer. Clearly, an important challenge for dI of us in the
future is to develop innovative management packages, utilizing locally
available resources, which will be sustainable under the more intensive
land use systems that are evolving in most parts of the Asian continent.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for your attention.