On behalf of my colleagues, members of the organizing committee, it is our pleasure to invite you all to participate in the international conference on Agricultural Engineering �New Technologies for Sustainable Agricultural Production and Food Security�, to be held on 24-26 February 2013.

The Conference will be held at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the premier university in the Sultanate of Oman. The university is situated on a modern campus, located about 15 km from the International Airport. The grounds of the University are sensitively landscaped.

The Sultanate of Oman lies at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and Asia. The capital city, Muscat, provides a captivating blend of the old and new characteristics of this ancient civilization. Increasing numbers of tourists are taking advantage of the desert and coastal scenery, the spectacular mountains and marine eco-tourism. The visitor cannot fail to be impressed by the warmth and friendliness of a people who leave lasting impressions on everyone they meet. Oman is a country of forts, falajes, frankincense, date palms, desert plains and spectacular mountains.

The main objective of this International Conference at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman is to provide a forum for engineers and associated professionals for discussion and sharing of information on current research developments, achievements and practical applications in all disciplines related to Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

With keynote speakers from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR), European Federation of Food Science & Technology (EFFoST), Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering (AAAE), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), and a Lead author of the UN FAO publication "Crop Evapotranspiration�, the conference will give additional opportunities for comprehensive discussion on specific fields of interest and for initiation of joint activities, collaborations and developing ideas for innovations.

The conference will consist of invited papers, oral and poster presentations, technical and social events. English will be the official language in this International Conference. Travel grants will be provided on special cases. Accepted papers will be published in a refereed Scopus indexed journal �Acta Horticulturae�.

I look forward to seeing you in the conference�