The increasing pace of complex environmental problems generated by a number of major industries, such as textile, leather, pulp and paper, food, brewery, pesticide and other agro-industries necessitates urgent and effective solutions based upon available scientific information and experience. Sewage treatment in rural area and flush-out of pollutants from agricultural area has also been attracting attention. Management of wastes from agro-industries was first addressed in an international forum in the “1st International Symposium on Waste Management Problems in Agro-Industries” held in Istanbul, Turkey in 1989. The success of event, with its high quality contributions and the interest of participants from all over the world, established it as a regular IAWQ symposium. Following the success of the first two held in Turkey, the third in Mexico and the fourth in Turkey, the fifth international symposium was held in Japan, in 2001 after the merger of IAWQ and IWSA to IWA and the sixth IWA specialty symposium was organized in Korea in 2003 primarily addressing “Strong Nitrogenous and Agro-Wastewater”. The Seventh International IWA Symposium on “Waste Management Problems in Agro-Industries” was held in The Netherlands in 2006. The eighth symposium in the series was organized in Çeşme-İzmir, Turkey in 2011. The 9th was held in Kochi, Japan in 2014. The tenth symposium (AGRO’2019) in the series is proposed to be organized in Rhodes, Greece, in 26-28 June 2019. The purpose of AGRO’2019 is to provide a forum for discussion of as many aspects as possible within the context of the symposium title.

“International Symposium on Waste Management Problems in Agro-Industries” has been held with IWA support beginning 1989 and previous 9 symposiums were organized under the same umbrella. It will be 30th year of the symposium with the 10th AGRO’2019 next year. The success of the symposium is evident in each one attracting scholars from all over the World. So the symposium series has become one of the well-known IWA activity in the field.