Sorghum is a staple crop for millions of people in the harshest of agroclimates, while also offering countless opportunities for food product development, livestock nutrition and biofuels. In a world of growing populations and mounting climate change, sorghum plays a key role both in food security and economies around the globe.

Major changes are impacting the global sorghum economy: the sorghum genome has been mapped, high-throughput phenotyping is emerging, and novel and traditional enduses are rapidly evolving for human food (health-promoting phytonutrients, gluten-free), animal feeds (gut health), and as a renewable energy source (grain and cellulosic). Many of these sorghum developments are driven by new interest in alternative food and energy sources, as well as the continued nutritional importance for the world’s resource poor, as global health is threatened by both over- and undernutrition.

The time is right for the world’s sorghum community to come together around research, industry and opportunity. The need for global collaboration and exploration of cuttingedge technologies and developments has never been greater. “Sorghum in the 21st Century” will concentrate on all of this and focus on the identification of global priorities to drive the future of sorghum science and technology.

Join us in Cape Town on April 9-12, 2018 to be a part of this conversation and help shape the next generation of sorghum science and development!

Dr. Timothy J. Dalton
Director, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet, Kansas State University

Web - http://www.k-state.edu/smil/

The programme will comprise five cross-cutting themes:

• Accelerating progress in advanced breeding for improved crop adaptation to climate risks
• Improving productivity and increasing profitability to expand opportunities across global markets
• Enhancing resilience in the face of biotic and abiotic challenges
• Tackling key issues in food security and farming systems for improved livelihoods for the smallholder farmer
• Exploring the future of the value-added: Nutrition, biofuels and feedstuffs for evolving consumer demands

These five themes will be explored through cutting-edge, topical sessions, plus:

• Cross disciplinary plenary sessions highlighting the opportunities and future of sorghum
• Expert Symposia - To further examine the most pressing issues in the sorghum industry today (included in the registration fee)
• A major Research and Industry Exhibition
• Regular opportunity for discussion and networking among the widest gathering of sorghum scientists in over 30 years

Conference Registration and Call for Oral and Poster Papers will be made available in an upcoming Second Announcement.

Note:
Registration discounts for early registration and competitive scholarships for young professionals and graduate students will be available. Be watching 21centurysorghum.com for more information.

Sponsorship Opportunities
A number of customized sponsorship packages are available for organizations and companies to capitalize on the marketing opportunities provided by this unprecedented global sorghum conference.

Exhibition Opportunities
The Research and Industry Exhibition will be a major feature of the sorghum conference. Specific times within the programme will be dedicated to the Exhibition, while all tea breaks and lunches will take place in the exhibition area, maximizing interaction and networking opportunities between participants and exhibitors.

Sponsorship and Exhibition Prospectus
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“Sorghum in the 21st Century: Food, Feed, and Fuel for a Rapidly Changing World”

Conference Website: https://21centurysorghum.com/

Cape Town, South Africa
Century City Conference Centre
9-12 April 2018

Organised by: The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (SMIL), Kansas State University, USA International Organising Committee; including members from: SMIL (USA), Sorghum Checkoff Program (USA), University of Pretoria (South Africa), Indian Institute of Millets Research (India), University of Queensland (Australia), CIRAD (France), Embrapa (Brazil), EIAR (Ethiopia), ZARI (Zambia), CERAAS/ISRA (Senegal), Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences (China)

Professional Conference Organiser: Turners Conferences (South Africa)