As
amended at the AGM held on Wednesday 13th December 2000
Tropical
Agriculture Association (UK)
Constitution
SECTION
1:The
Association, its purposes and status
1.01There shall be an association established in the United Kingdom by the name of the Tropical Agriculture Association (United Kingdom), hereinafter referred to as the Association. This Constitution defines the purposes and status, membership and governance of the Association.
1.02Any alteration of this Constitution shall receive the assent of a simple majority of the ordinary and honorary members of the Association present and voting at a meeting specially called for the purpose provided that notice of any such alteration shall have been received by the General Secretary in writing not less than two months before the meeting at which the alteration is to be proposed. At least one month’s notice in writing of such a meeting, setting forth the terms of the alteration, shall be sent by the General Secretary to each member of the Association provided that no alteration shall be made which would have the effect of causing the Association to cease to be a Charity at law.
1.03The purposes of the Association are to be an association of practitioners (including research workers, teachers and advisers, development specialists and students) of the science and practice of agricultural and rural development in those regions of the earth which have tropical, sub-tropical and winter rainfall climates, and particularly in developing countries as defined by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, provided that the Executive Committee of the Association shall determine the limits of those regions according to its discretion in particular instances, and to make the public aware of the work of the Association.
1.04In furtherance of the said objects but not otherwise the Association may:
(1)Bring together in conference representatives of voluntary organisations, Government departments, statutory authorities and individuals, to address memoranda and the like to United Kingdom or international public and private agencies and to present evidence to commissions of inquiry and the like;
(2)Promote and carry out or assist in promoting and carrying out research, surveys and investigations and publish the useful results thereof;
(3)Arrange and provide for or join in arranging and providing for the holding of conferences, seminars, meetings, workshops and the like;
(4)Collect and disseminate information on all matters affecting the said objects and exchange such information with other bodies having similar objects whether in this country or overseas;
(5)Encourage and in appropriate cases promote the training of workers for service in support of agricultural and rural development in the regions defined in Clause 1.03 above, including the provision of opportunities to obtain overseas experience;
(6)Undertake, execute, manage or assist any charitable trusts or award funds which may lawfully be undertaken, executed, managed or assisted by the Association;
(7)Cause to be written and printed or otherwise reproduced and circulated, gratuitously or otherwise, such papers, books, periodicals, pamphlets or other documents or films or recorded tapes (whether audio or visual or both) as shall further the said objects;
(8)Purchase, take on lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and any rights and privileges necessary for the promotion of the said objects and construct, maintain and alter any buildings or erections necessary for the work of the Association;
(9)Make regulations for any property which may be so acquired;
(10)Subject to such consents as may be required by law, sell, let, mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or assets of the Association;
(11)Subject to such consents as may be required by law, borrow or raise money for the said objects and accept gifts on such terms and on such security as shall be deemed to be necessary;
(12)Act in such other ways as may support the objectives set out in Clause 1.03 of this Section.
1.05The Association shall:
(1)Raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscriptions and otherwise provided that the Association shall not undertake permanent trading activities in raising funds for the said objects;
(2)Invest the moneys of the Association not immediately required for the said objects in or upon such investments, securities or property as may be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions (if any) as may for the time being be imposed or required by law;
(3)Do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the said objects.
SECTION
II:Membership of the Association
2.01Categories of membership
Membership is open to all qualified members of the public. There shall be four categories of membership of the Association, namely: Corporate Members, Ordinary/Overseas Members, Honorary members and Student Members. Members shall receive all relevant papers, notices and reports issued by the Association. Only members may attend Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings and Visits.
2.02Ordinary members
Full membership of the Association shall be open to:
(1)Persons 18 years old or over who are normally resident in or otherwise associated with the United Kingdom and either:
(i)hold appropriate degrees or higher national diplomas or other qualifications of British or other institutions acceptable to the Executive Committee of the Association, and who have been engaged professionally in service related to agricultural and rural development in countries in the regions of the earth specified in Clause 1.03 above for a significant period of time (normally exceeding one calendar year) or;
(ii)whose professional work is or has been directed to agricultural and rural development in the regions of the earth specified in Clause 1.03 or;
(iii)are normally resident in or otherwise associated with the United Kingdom and are regarded by the Executive Committee of the Association as having professional experience equivalent to that specified in (i) or (ii) above or;
(iv)have been members of the former Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture Association (ICTA).
2.03Corporate Membership to be open to National, International and Local Companies and Organisations, National, International and local voluntary organisations, whether corporate or unincorporated, which are interested in furthering the said work and have paid the annual subscription. Each member organisation shall appoint one individual person to represent it and vote on its behalf at General Meetings of the Association. In the event of such individual person resigning or otherwise leaving an organisation, he or she shall forthwith cease to be a representative thereof. Each member organisation may appoint a deputy to replace its appointed representative if the latter is unable to attend any particular meeting of the Association.
2.04Honorary members
Persons who are judged by the Executive Committee of the Association to be rendering or to have rendered distinguished service to agricultural and rural development in the regions of the earth specified in Clause 1.03 may be invited by the Executive Committee to become honorary members of the Association.
2.05Student members
A person who is a registered student in a University or other teaching institution in the United Kingdom approved by the Executive Committee and following a full-time course intended to prepare him or her for professional service in agricultural or rural development, or a full-time student working elsewhere under the sponsorship of an agency of the UK Government which is concerned with agricultural and rural development in regions of the earth specified in Clause 1.03 is eligible to apply for student membership, irrespective of his or her nationality or normal place of residence.
2.06Admission to membership
Applications or proposals for membership shall be made to the Membership Secretary in such manner as may be prescribed by the Executive Committee. The names of persons accepted into membership shall be notified to the members of the Association.
2.07Termination of membership
The
Executive Committee may at its sole discretion remove from membership any
member of organisation whose activities are deemed to be contrary to the
objectives of the Association provided that the individual member concerned
or the individual representing such organisation (as the case may be) shall
have the right to be heard by the said Executive Committee before a final
decision is made.
SECTION
III:Governance of the Association
3.01Government of the Association
(1)The Association shall be governed by an Annual General Meeting for which a month’s notice has to be given, at which all members are entitled to be present and to speak but only the ordinary and honorary members may vote in person, by correspondence or by proxy.
(2)The Annual General Meeting, chaired by the President or in his absence the Chairman, shall elect the Officers of the Association and the elected members of the Executive Committee and shall appoint an auditor or auditors. It shall receive and discuss the reports of the Executive Committee and the Officers and may approve, amend, refer back or reject any of these reports. It shall consider and determine proposed changes in the Constitution and it shall determine the policies and programmes of the Association.
(3)If fewer than 20 ordinary and honorary members are present, the Annual General Meeting shall be postponed to a later occasion at which the quorum shall similarly be 20 ordinary and honorary members.
(4)An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Executive Committee or at the request of not fewer than 50 ordinary and honorary members of the Association, made in writing to the General Secretary. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall have all the powers of an Annual General Meeting.
3.02The Executive Committee
(1)The affairs of the Association shall be conducted between Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings, in accordance with the objectives set out in Clause 1.03, by an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers (see Clause 3.03) and six members, nominated and seconded from the ordinary and honorary members, and elected by those members voting in person, by correspondence or by proxy at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association, together with co-opted members as specified below. Notice of the vacancies, for which nominations are required, should be given not less than two months in advance of the meeting.
(2)The President shall have the power to nominate up to four ordinary or honorary members of the Association to be co-opted by and to the Executive Committee, and selected so as to ensure that the Executive Committee includes members working in teach institutions, employed by agencies of the UK Government and employed in private companies. Such co-opted members shall have the right to vote at meetings of the Executive Committee.
(3)The Officers and elected and co-opted members of the Executive Committee shall serve for up to three years. They shall be elected or co-opted for such periods as will ensure that one-third of the members and co-opted members retire each year. They shall be eligible for re-election or co-option for further periods.
(4)In the event of any post in the Executive Committee falling vacant for any reason during the year, the Executive Committee may fill the vacancy by nomination which will be effective until the following Annual General Meeting when election will be held in the normal manner.
SECTION
IV:Finance
4.01All moneys raised by or on behalf of the Association and all its funds hall be applied to further the objects of the Association and for no other purpose provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper remuneration to any employee of the Association or the repayment to members of the Committee or of any committee appointed under Clause 3.07 hereof of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
4.02The Honorary Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Association.
4.03The accounts shall be audited at least once a year by the auditor or auditors appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
4.04An audited statement of the accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Committee to the Annual General Meeting as aforesaid.
4.05A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Association with Barclays Bank plc, of Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey, or with such other bank as the Committee shall from time to time decide. The Treasurer and the General Secretary of the Association and President and Chairman of the Committee are authorised to sign cheques on behalf of the Association.
4.06Subscriptions
(1)With the exception of Honorary Members, subscriptions for all classes will be an amount determined at an Annual General Meeting. Honorary Members will be excluded from such payment.
SECTION
V:Dissolution
If the Committee by a simple majority decide at any time for any reason that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall call a meeting of all members of the Association who have the power to vote, of which meeting not less than one month’s notice (stating the terms of the Resolution to be proposed thereat) shall be given. If such decision shall be confirmed by a simple majority of those present and voting at such meeting, the Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or on behalf of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Association as the Committee may determine.
SECTION
VI:Notices
Any notice may be served by the General Secretary on any member either personally or on his/her appointed representative as the case may be, or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his/her last known address.
SECTION
VII:Interpretation
For the interpretation of this Constitution, the Interpretation Act, 1978, shall apply as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of Parliament.