During the last three decades, new revelations about the value of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) have been carried out in many human requirements. The choice of medicinal and aromatic exploitation systems and MAP species has spread with globalization. Both producers and consumers of MAP are interested by new therapeutic and cosmetic uses and their impact on human health. However, scientific documentation on the cultivation, botany and valorisation of many MAPs is limited. As a result, the adoption of these plants in the health care programs is slowed. For all these considerations, and in order to enhance MAP valorisation, it becomes more and more necessary to reinforce the collaboration by:

- declining technical, economical, social and environmental challenges;

- respecting regulatory and normative exigencies;

- declining organisational challenges and enhancing collaboration between all the actors.

To achieve these goals, The Institut des Régions Arides (IRA), Institution de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles (IRESA), the Ecole doctorale « Sciences, Ingénierie et Société », the  Concerned Ministries, the International Center of Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS) with the support of many other national and international partners, organize the 4^th International Symposium on Medicinal and Aromatic plants (SIPAM 2012) on March 22-24, 2012. The symposium will be enriching framework gathering scientists, producers, consumers and all persons and institutions academicians and industrials from all over the world interested in medicinal and aromatic plants. Indeed, SIPAM 2012 will constitute a global open platform to all researchers, who would like to present their relevant studies as well as to establish new collaborations between participants. The symposium constitutes indeed, an opportunity for industrials wishing to promote all MAP product types, whatever their application field (therapeutic, cosmetics, environmental…) and for decision makers to develop their national MAP sector strategies. The organizing committee looks forward to welcome and host you in Djerba - Tunisia on March 22-24, 2012.

 Topics

The symposium will cover plenary lectures by distinguished invited speakers, oral and poster presentations on the topics of all aspects related to medicinal and aromatic plants including plant ecophysiology, cultivation and harvesting, plant genetics and biotechnology, natural product chemistry and pharmacology, livestock performances and products quality, processing and marketing of medicinal plants, ethnobotany as well as ethnomedicine and culinary herbs, small farmers’ community development. It will address key issues regarding the following topics:

• - Agro-Ecophysiology, Genetics and Biotechnology of MAP;
• - Extraction process, analysis and chemistry of natural compounds;
• - Valorisation of natural compounds in different industries (food, pharmacy, cosmetic ...);
• - Phytotherapy between traditional use and alternative medicine;
• - MAPs and animal health;
• - MAP chain value: Socio-economical aspects, regulatory and normative requirements.