November 2010: The International Conference on Coconut Biodiversity for Prosperity met in Kerala, India from 25-28 October 2010 and produced a declaration calling for coconut crops to be “promoted as a food for nutrition, health care and environmental services to safeguard the interest of millions of people and their livelihoods”. The Declaration also called for more investment and research into pest and disease management. Presentations at the meeting, which was organized by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (part of India’s Ministry of Agriculture), highlighted coconut farming’s importance for income generation by small-scale farmers, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, as well as its strong cultural heritage. Bioversity International, a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), participated in the meeting. [Press release] [Kasaragod Declaration]