The Cornell African Students Association (CASA) will host a conference on sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa on Saturday, March 30, in Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium.

Free and open to the public, the conference will feature faculty members, some of whom have lived and worked in sub- Saharan Africa, from Cornell's Africana Research and Studies Center and departments of natural resources, agricultural and biological engineering, soil, crop and atmospheric sciences and agricultural resources and managerial economics. Also participating will be Bal Ram Singh, professor of soil science at the University of Norway, and Adenike Ojo, of the World Bank in Nigeria, who will take part in a late-afternoon panel.

As the phrase implies, sub-Saharan Africa includes all African nations south of the Sahara desert, including those in the Sahel region. According to Vuvu Manseka, CASA president, most countries in this region have extremely poor economies and are struggling with how to improve those economies without harming their environments through, for example, the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers. "Currently, there is a growing interest in sub-Saharan Africa on how available resources can be used without jeopardizing the potential for future generations to use them," said Manseka, a graduate student in fruit and vegetable science.

"The essential feature of sustainability," he continued, "is a recognition that while in some cases there will be a trade- off between economic growth and the environment, economic management can impact positively on the environment, and improved environmental quality can enhance the performance of the economy."

Speakers at a morning session from 9:15 to noon titled "Environmental Aspects of Sustainability" will include Richard McNeil, Cornell professor of natural resources, who will give an overview of sustainable development, and William Jewell, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, who will discuss the role of waste-water recycling. The session will be moderated by Muna Ndulo, a visiting professor in the Cornell Law School.

In an afternoon session titled "Technical and Economical Aspects of Sustainability" from 12:40 to 3:45 p.m., Erick C.M. Fernandes, assistant professor of soil, crop and atmospheric sciences, will discuss successful agroforestry and farming technologies; Singh will discuss the effects of acid rain, a major threat to crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa; Jeffrey White, research associate in soil, crop and atmospheric sciences, will discuss the role of indigenous knowledge in sustaining agriculture; and Duane Chapman, professor of agricultural resources and managerial economics, will discuss the role of industrial management in sustainable development. Moderating the afternoon session will be Kifle Gebremedhin, professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

Wrapping up the conference will be a discussion panel from 3:55 to 5 p.m. for all conference participants, moderated by David Lewis, director of Cornell's Institute of African Development.

CASA's goals include fostering solidarity among Cornell's African students and scholars and raising awareness and interest in African culture and affairs in the Cornell community. Its adviser is Salah Hassan, assistant professor in Cornell's Africana Studies and Research Center, who will give a welcome address at the conference.