AIPH hold two meetings annually with this being their “Spring” (most AIPH members are from the Northern Hemisphere) meeting, which for the first time is being held in Australia, so it is the Spring meeting in Autumn/Fall. The slogan for the AIPH is “The world’s champion for the power of plants” with the mission to reignite and uphold an appreciation of plants that we believe is a basic human instinct.
The NGIA Board held a joint session with the AIPH Board to provide details of the Australian nursey industry and to discuss areas of interest. The AIPH meeting was conducted in Melbourne, to also showcase MIFGS, the gardens and the flower show to the AIPH delegates, so there is a global appreciation of the Australian industry and MIFGS.
The week of activities for the AIPH delegates included:
- Update on International Horticultural Expo Conferences
- Understanding the global industry for ornamentals
- A session on Plant Health - including a presentation on Australia’s plant health certification scheme by John McDonald. The Nursery Production Farm Management System programs of NIASA, EcoHort and BioSecure HACCP were well regarded by the AIPH delegates with comments of how advanced they are.
- An International Green Cities Conference being held at MIFGS
- The tour of MIFGS gardens and flower show
- A Professional Tour to visit Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery, Ball Australia and the Melbourne Botanical Gardens
A diverse and fascinating range of topics was covered, presentations included how to make high-density cities healthier places to live in through greening, and how/why green space matters so much in the ongoing fight to prevent heart disease, type2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Also covered was the role of green roofs, with in-depth case study examples from both South Korea and Singapore, as well as why managing the relationship between water and landscape within a city is so critical.
For more information:
Nursery & Garden Industry Australia
Kobie Keenan
(02) 8861 5100
info@ngia.com.au
www.ngia.com.au