To coincide with the conference, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between CePHMa and the University of Chapingo (Universidad Autonoma Chapingo) in Mexico during the opening session of the conference.  The signing ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Mexico in Southern Africa, His Excellency Mauricio de Maria y Campos, the Rector of the University of Chapingo, Dr. José Sergio Barrales Domínguez, Dr. Enrique Arias, Chief Horticultural Officer of the FAO of the United Nations in Rome, and the Vice-Rector: Academic Planning of the UFS, Prof. Magda Fourie, amongst other important guests.  The MOU is intended to facilitate the negotiation of international cooperative academic initiatives between the respective institutions with regard to the exchange of students and faculty members, curriculum development, research, and community service. 
CePHMA is uniquely positioned to be a major role player in improving food security in southern Africa.  The Free State has the largest percentage of arable land and is the largest producer in South Africa of important staple foods such as wheat, maize, peanuts and sunflower.  Regarding the competitiveness of South Africa’s nine provinces, the Free State is ranked first based on physical resources alone.  The UFS also has existing and proven expertise in at least ten disciplines of relevance to crop production and crop protection which are coordinated by CePHMa. 

The vision of CePHMa is to champion research and development in plant health management in South Africa (in particular) and the rest of Africa (in general).  Its mission is to establish a sound diagnostic, research and consultation base in plant health management through coordination of a wide spectrum of expertise and will ultimately serve agricultural, forestry and natural environments.   In striving to achieve this, CePHMa is bound by the following specific objectives:

a)     To stimulate, establish and expand expertise in holistic plant health management at the UFS on the highest level.

b)     To promote and coordinate multi-disciplinary research and development in plant health management at the UFS.

c)      To coordinate, present and promote multi-disciplinary training in plant health management.

d)     To initiate and implement multidisciplinary co-operative agreements, determined by the needs of individuals, communities, organizations and industries, under the auspices of the Centre. Such projects will inevitably be research driven, but will also provide a professional diagnostic and advisory service in plant health management to clients. 

e)     To place South Africa in the international arena with regard to proactive, holistic plant health management.

In an age when global warming and its negative impact on Earth’s climate has become an everyday subject of discussion, the exploitation of salt and drought tolerant crops will undoubtedly have many socio-economic benefits to communities inhabiting semi-arid regions - and possibly even those currently living in areas with sufficient rainfall.  In recent years there has been increased interest in cactus pear for the important role the plant can play in sustainable agricultural systems in marginal areas.  These plants have developed phenological and physiological adaptations to sustain their development in adverse environments.  They can thus serve as a life saving crop to both humans and animals living in marginal regions by providing highly a digestible source of energy, water, minerals, and protein.  As a multi-purpose crop, with great capacity to be grown in severely degraded soils not favoured by other crops, plantations of cactus pear grown for fruit and forage and vegetable production, as well as for cochineal augmentation have, over the last two decades, been established in many countries in America, Europe, Asia and Africa. 

In his keynote address entitled, “Positioning cactus pear as a world class product: Research and development efforts” Dr Candelario Mondragon-Jacobo from Mexico explained how cactus pear has evolved into a formal crop during the last three decades which is infiltrating the European and American markets as an interesting, exotic fruit and vegetable.  The amazing versatility, or diversity of uses, of cactus pear became very evident from the many excellent presentations that followed.  Various areas of interest were discussed, including perspectives from commercial cactus pear farmers in South Africa, the health management of cactus pear orchards, the selection of new cultivars of cactus pear, and the nutritional and medicinal value of the crop. 

It is hoped that the sharing of new scientific information with fellow researchers from all over the world will benefit, not only the upliftment of poverty stricken communities living in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa, but also scientists and farmers involved in the local cactus pear industry. 

 Some of the guests attending the signing of the memorandum of agreement were in front from the left Prof Wijnand Swart (Chairperson: Centre for Plant Health Management at the UFS), His Excellency Mauricio de Maria y Campos (Ambassador of Mexico in Southern Africa), Prof Magda Fourie (Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS) and Dr José Sergio Barrales Domínguez (Rector of the University of Chapingo in Mexico).