CONVENORS
	Conservation International Conservation International believes that Earth's natural heritage must be maintained if future generations are to thrive spiritually, culturally and economically. Our mission is to conserve the Earth's living heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature. CI applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents. Contact: Goetz Schroth International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the 16 International Agricultural Research Centres funded by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Its mission is to enhance food security, income and well-being of resource-poor people, primarily in the humid and subhumid zones of sub-Saharan Africa by conducting research related activities to increase agricultural production, improve food systems and sustainably manage natural resources, in partnership with national and international stakeholders. IITA is involved in 12 networks and is the coordinating centre for the Ecoregional Programme for the Humid and Subhumid Tropics of Subsaharan Africa. This is a network, which specific objectives are to identify, develop and promote technologies for sustainable production and post-harvest systems for small- and medium-scale farmers. It conducts research activities in benchmark areas and at pilot sites located in moist savannahs and in humid forests. Contact: Stephan Weise Mars Incorporated Over the years, Mars has built a portfolio which has few equals. From M&M'S, TWIX, MARS, and SNICKERS in snackfood, to PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, CESAR and SHEBA in petcare, and UNCLE BEN'S in food, our brands are recognized, used and trusted on every continent and in almost every country on earth. Mars takes very seriously our responsibility to the cocoa farming families who provide us with this important ingredient. Our privately owned company's heritage is based on a genuine commitment to the communities that are touched by our business. Driven by that commitment, Mars has taken a leadership role in our industry's efforts to ensure a sustainable future for the family farms where our products begin, for the children who live on those farms, for the communities that rely on those farms and for the ecosystems in which those farms play an important role. Our efforts seek to raise overall farmer incomes and encourage sustainable cocoa cultivation. Contact: Howard Shapiro Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) CATIE is a regional scientific knowledge center for agriculture and the management of natural resources, dedicated to sustainable rural development and poverty reduction in tropical America. Its mission is to contribute to rural poverty reduction in tropical America by promoting competitive and sustainable agriculture and natural resource management, through higher education, research and technical cooperation. Global change and especially climate change is one of CATIE's priority areas. Contact: Eduardo Somarriba World Agroforestry Centre The World Agroforestry Centre is the international leader in the science and practice of integrating "working trees" on small farms in rural landscapes. We combine excellence in scientific research with innovative development partnerships to address poverty, hunger and environmental problems throughout the tropics. Contact: Tony Simons