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New Report from Eurostat

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:44:00 +0100

According to a new report released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, organic farming in the 27 countries of the European Union covered almost eight million hectares in 2008, up by seven percent compared with 2007. In 2008, the five member states with the largest organic area in the European Union were Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and France.

Between 2007 and 2008, the total organic area increased in all member states for which data are available, except Italy (- 13 %). The highest increases were recorded in Spain (+ 33 %), Bulgaria (+ 22 %) and Slovakia (+ 19 %).

The report was published in the Eurostat series Statistics in Focus.

More information

External links

epp.EUROSTAT.ec.europa.eu: Statistics in Focus 10/2010. Area under organic farming increased by 7.4 percent between 2007 and 2008 in the EU-27
epp.EUROSTAT.ec.europa.eu: Organic area up by 21% in the EU between 2005 and 2008. Press release of March 1, 2010

GOMA Launches Website and Publishes First Newsletter

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:12:00 +0100

The Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) project seeks to simplify the process for trade flow of organic products among various regulatory and/or private organic guarantee systems.

GOMA focuses on harmonization and equivalence of organic standards and certification performance requirements as mechanisms for clearing trade pathways. It provides two practical tools for this purpose.

The GOMA tools

The tools were developed by the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture (ITF), comprised of representatives from governments, intergovernmental organizations and private sector representatives, and subjected to international consultation.

The Guide for Assessing Equivalence of Standards and Technical Regulations (EquiTool) and the International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) can be used by any government or private sector organic label scheme as tools for recognizing other organic standards and certification performance requirements as equivalent to their own.

GOMA project activities

Project activities include:

outreach to share knowledge about the tools and possibilities for cooperation;
pilot projects to test the tools in various environments;
technical assistance to governments and private sector stakeholders to implement the tools and related recommendations;
facilitation of new regional initiatives for cooperation on harmonized organic standards development and multi-lateral equivalence;
analysis of the organic trade system and evaluation of the trade-facilitating tools.

GOMA is overseen by a steering committee comprised of representatives from FAO, IFOAM and UNCTAD. The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

The GOMA Newsletter

The GOMA newsletter is published in cooperation with The Organic Standard, published by the consulting company, Grolink. Although The Organic Standard has a broader scope than Harmonization and Equivalence, both newsletters cover topics of interest to GOMA. Since the topic has a relatively small group of stakeholders, we considered it better to partner than to compete. The partnership means that you will see some articles in this newsletter that are reproduce or adapted from The Organic Standard, and vice-versa. We will also endeavor to find other ways to expose readers to The Organic Standard, because we consider it to be a relevant and even necessary publication for many organic government regulators and certification bodies.

More information

Contact

Diane Bowen
GOMA Project Manager
d.bowen@ifoam.org

April 6-7, 2010: International Conference on Organic Farming (ICOF) in Khartoum, Sudan

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:08:00 +0100

Call for Papers

The main objective of the conference is to provide an opportunity for updating scientific information on different aspects of organic farming in Sudan - from farmers to consumers.

Experts, researchers, scientists, students and those interested in organic farming are invited to submit their abstracts describing their innovative contributions to the multidisciplinary areas of organic farming. Accepted full papers will be published in proceedings as well as in a special issue of the Journal of Science and Technology (SUST).

Conference Themes

Technical paper submissions covering a broad range of organic production should complement the main conference themes.

Main Theme

Assessment of current situation, prospects and potential of Sudan in Organic Farming.

Specific Themes

Organic Farming Policies (Legislations and Standards).
Risks of chemicals and pesticides residues.
Economics of organic farming.
Organic Horticultural Products.
Organic Field Crops Products.
Organic Animal Products.
Organic Forestry Products.
Processing of Organic Food Products.

Papers Format

Abstracts for oral and poster presentations should be limited to 400 words in single spacing Times New Roman Font size 12. The title should be in capital letters, bold and 14 point. The abstract should briefly summarize the individual’s or group’s work, with particular emphasis on describing the problem, solution, results, and conclusions. Name of corresponding author’s (including the e-mail address) as well as the names of co-authors and their affiliations should appear below the title font 12. In case of many authors, underline the presenter. Abstracts are encouraged to be submitted electronically as an e-mail attachment file to the ICOF2010 Secretariat at organicfarming.confr@gmail.com or elaminsaifeldin@yahoo.com. Presenters will be notified by scientific committee whether their presentation will be as a paper or poster.

The registration for presentation and participation is free of charge.

Important dates

Deadline for the submission of abstracts: 31st January, 2010.
Notification of acceptance: 15th February, 2010.
Deadline for submission of full paper: 15th March. 2010.
Conference date: 6 – 7th April, 2010.

ICOF 2010 exhibition

During the ICOF conference, exhibition space will be provided. Individuals or companies willing to participate are invited to contact ICOF2010 secretariat at: organicfarming.confr@gmail.com.

More information

Conference homepage

SUSTech.edu: Conference homepage

Contact

ICOF 2010 Secretariat
College of Agricultural Studies
Sudan University of Science and Technology
Khartoum North, Sudan
Fax +249 1853 11896
Tel. +249 912343989 or +249 912340723
organicfarming.confr@gmail.com
orgfarmdoc@gmail.com

June 10-11, 2010: Sustainable Food Summit in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:50:00 +0100

The next Sustainable Foods Summit will take place in Amsterdam, June 10-11, 2010.

Like similar events organised by Organic Monitor, it will bring together key stake-holders (food manufacturers & retailers, ingredient suppliers, industry organisations & certification agencies, investors, packaging companies, etc.) and create a forum to debate and discuss key issues in a high-level forum.

The first organic food summit took place in June 2009.

More information

Contact

Organic Monitor
20B The Mall
London W5 2PJ
Tel +44 208 567 0788
Fax +44 208 567 7164
E-mail info@sustainablefoodssummit.com
www.organicmonitor.com

Summit homepage

www.sustainablefoodssummit.com

Organic Cotton: New Organic Exchange Report

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:25:00 +0100

Production grew an impressive 20 perct over 2007/08 to 175'113 metric tons grown on 253'000 hectares. Organic cotton now represents 0.76 percent of global cotton production. According to the fourth annual Organic Exchange Farm and Fiber Report 2009, organic cotton was grown in 22 countries worldwide with the Top Ten producer countries being led by India, and including (in order of rank) Turkey, Syria, Tanzania, China, United States, Uganda, Peru, Egypt and Burkina Faso. Approximately 220'000 farmers grew the fiber.

Despite major market players sticking to their commitments to use organic cotton in their apparel and home textile products, there simply wasn’t the market for products (organic or conventional) in general, given the global economic downturn. In addition, a number of farmers had planted vast acreage of organic cotton on speculation and in response to what had appeared to be a healthy, burgeoning marketplace. As a result, unsold stocks which represent between 17 and 22 percent of production (some 30'000 to 35'000 tons of organic cotton has yet to find buyers.

According to the report, global retail sales of organic cotton and home textile products topped 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2008. The report not only provides data on land under organic cotton, quantities, and yields of organic cotton produced, but also detailed analysis of the challenges and barriers to this successful industry, examples of how the sector is responding, and a special overview of three major production regions: India, Latin America and Africa. In addition, it provides an in-depth overview of the conventional cotton market.

For the 2010 edition of The World of Organic Agriculture the organic cotton expert Simon Ferrigno has provided a detailed analysis of the current situation of the organic cotton markets world-wide.

More information

Links and documents

OrganicExchange.org: Homepage of the Organic Exchange
OrganicExchange.org: Press relase Global Organic Cotton Production Grows 20% in 2009, New Organic Exchange Report Shows. India, Turkey, and Syria are the leading organic cotton producers.
Organic-World.net: Organic Cotton Production and Fiber Trade 2008/09: In the Eye of the Storm (263 KB). Article by Simon Ferrigno as published in the 2010 edition of The World of Organic Agriculture

Italy: Tutto Bio 2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:24:00 +0100

Tutto Bio 2010, the yearbook of organic farming is available now. Published by Egaf Edizioni, this year's edition has 328 pages and costs 16 euros. In its 16th edition, information on about 8000 operators is published, of which more than 3100 are farm-gate sales. Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Tuscany confirm their leading role regarding absolute numbers of organic operators.

The yearbook includes the annual Bio Bank Report, which reveals that between 2007 and 2009, various numbers of organic operators in Italy have increased – farm gate sales grew by 32 percent, restaurants by 31 percent, internet sales by 25 percent, school cafeterias by 23 percent, holiday farms by 22 percent, farmers' markets by 10 percent and stores by 2 percent.

This year's edition of Tutto Bio is dedicated to the subject "Organic, eco, ethics: out of the labyrinth in 141 steps." The yearbook can be found in various stores in Italy, or be ordered at www.biobank.it.

More information

biobank.it: Homepage of biobbank
biobank.it: Current Biobank repoort, book info (Italian)

June 21-22, 2010: Third European Organic Congress, Part 2, in Bari, Italy

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:35:00 +0100

1. The first part of the European Organic Congress 2010 - “New Green Deal for Sustainable Food Chains - Save Climate and Biodiversity – careful use of resources and creation of green organic jobs in the food sector” takes place in Madrid on 27 of May and is organised in cooperation with the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture SEAE. It will focus on the question how to best use and promote the potentials the organic sector has to offer in order to contribute to the mitigation of climate change, the halt of biodiversity loss and the creation of jobs.

2. The second part of the European Organic Congress is set in Rome on 21 and 22 of June and is arranged in conjunction with Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari IAMB in Italy. This congress will provide a platform to evaluate the first year’s performance of the EU Regulation for Organic Food and Farming (EC 834/2007), to find out what the bottlenecks and challenges are and to identify areas where special attention should be paid to in future. Moreover, new areas that are expected to be included in the regulation soon will be explored.

High level speakers from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the organic sector will attend both conferences. Further information will be available on the website www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org from 1 of March. More information and registration option will be posted on the website.

The European Organic Congress of the IFOAM EU Group is the third
after the European Organic Congress in 2007 and 2009, providing a
platform to discuss current developments that are of high concern for the
organic second. In 2010 the European Organic Congress will for the first
time take place outside Brussels in two different locations: Spain (Madrid)
and Italy (Rome). More information to be found after March 1 at:
www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org.

May 27, 2010: Third European Organic Congress, Part 1, in Madrid, Spain

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:35:00 +0100

September 13-24, 2010: 1st UNAAB International Summer School on Organic Agriculture

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:19:00 +0100

The Organic Agriculture Project in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria OAPTIN was founded in 2004 in response to the global quest for the development of holistsic and sustainable agricultural systems. In response to demand, the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria UNAAB holds a summer school in September 2010.

Its focus is capacity building, skill and technology development in organic agriculture.

The summer school is designed to give opportunity for sound training in organic agriculture for scientists, farmers, businessmen, and policy makers.

More information

ICROFS.org: First announcement and summer school programme
UNAAB.edu.ng: Organic Agriculture Project in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria OAPTIN
Organic-World.net: Africa

May 4-6, 2010: NJF seminar: Climate Change and Agricultural Production in the Baltic Sea Region

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists, NJF, holds a 3-days seminar in May 2010 in Sweden.

Climate change will affect agriculture in the Baltic Sea Region in many ways. The expected warmer climate in Northern Europe will have an influence on crop production, animal husbandry and health as well as on the natural flora and fauna.

The scientific program of the conference is open to all fields dealing with effects of climate change on agriculture and animal husbandry including reindeer production.

Main topics include

Climate change scenarios,
Crop production
Crop protection, new pests and diseases and risk assessments
Animal husbandry
Animal health, new diseases and risk assessments
Economy and policy, research and research cooperation.

More information

BioFach and Vivaness 2010: Closing report

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:47:00 +0100

The international share of visitors was again 38 percent, and the buyers came from 121 countries: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. The 2'557 exhibitors (2009: 2'733), two-thirds of them international, were very satisfied. 85 percent of the BioFach exhibitors expect good follow-up business, according to the results of a survey by an independent institute. These figures are up 12 and 16 percentage points respectively on the year before – clear proof of an optimistic view of the future.

“The organic market has defied the crisis. The past four days at the exhibition proved that this sector has retained its impetus. The trend to organic and ecologically sustainable consumption is uninterrupted. Periods of slower growth offer an opportunity for taking stock and preparing joint future concepts, which provide the best conditions for sustainable development of the market and its annual get-together. We were particularly pleased about the great political and media attention attracted by Organic + Fair, the Theme of the Year in 2010,” says Claus Rättich, Member of the Management Board of NürnbergMesse.

More and more customers focus their consumption on quality and values. The basis for this is organic, and fair production and trading conditions are other vital aspects. The exhibition duo BioFach and Vivaness was geared to Organic + Fair in 2010. 52 exhibitors and around 100 product presentations reflected the whole variety of the Theme of the Year.

Almost 8'000 participants used the 180 events at the BioFach Congress and the six special forums to exchange views on the market with special emphasis on the fairness and sustainability aspects. The Fair & Ethical Trade Forum alone attracted some 750 interested visitors.

In 2011, BioFach will take place from Wednesday to Saturday, 16–19 February 2011.

Source: Brief closing report: BioFach and Vivaness 2010 - sector pleased about undiminished appetite for organic. Press release of NürnbergMesse of February 20, 2010

More information

Contact

Barbara Böck and Ellen Rascher
Tel. +49 (0)911 8606-83 28
www.biofach.de

35 Million Hectares of Organic Agricultural Land World-wide

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:11:00 +0100

(Joint press release of IFOAM and FiBL of February 15, 2010). The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) will present the latest statistics about organic agriculture world-wide at BioFach 2010. The results of the study, compiled in the book The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2010, will be presented at the world’s largest trade fair for organic products on Friday, February 19, 2010, at 10 a.m. in Room St. Petersburg of the Messezentrum Nürnberg.

35 million hectares of agricultural land are certified according to organic standards (data as at the end of 2008). “Compared to the 2007 data, almost three million hectares more were reported,” says Helga Willer of FiBL.“ Growth was strongest in Latin America and Europe.” There are almost 1.4 million organic producers.

“That is good news,” states Markus Arbenz, IFOAM's Executive Director. “The markets world-wide continue to demand more organic produce despite the economic turbulence.” Referring to the growth of organic agriculture in the South, he adds, “We particularly welcome smallholders from developing countries into the organic movement. We have learned in recent years that conversion to organic agriculture supports food security, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.”

The greatest share of the global organic surface area is in Oceania (34.7 percent), followed by Europe (23.4 percent) and Latin America (23 percent). With its vast grazing lands, Australia continues to account for the largest certified organic surface area, with 12 million hectares, followed by Argentina (4 million hectares), and China (1.9 million hectares). The global market for organic products reached a value of over 50 billion U.S. Dollars in 2008, with the vast majority of products being consumed in North America and Europe, according to Organic Monitor.

"Policy makers in developing countries need to know the number of farmers involved in organic agriculture as well as its challenges and development potential globally. This type of information is difficult to find but is crucially important to help support the sector's development. ”The World of Organic Agriculture provides a unique and important global service in this regard," says Alexander Kasterine, Senior Market Development Officer at the International Trade Centre.

The results of the study The World of Organic Agriculture will be presented for the eleventh consecutive year at BioFach. In addition to the chapter on organic agriculture world-wide, the book contains completely revised reports about the emerging trends in all geographical regions, as well as background information on issues like standards and legislation, activities in the field of development cooperation, and on two principal crops, coffee and cotton. The study includes comprehensive data sets and numerous illustrations and graphs. Further data will be available at www.organic-world.net starting in mid March 2010.

Since 2008, support has been provided by the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO), within the framework of its support activities for organic production in developing countries, and by the International Trade Centre (ITC). NürnbergMesse has supported the implementation of the global survey and the publication of the yearbook, carried out by IFOAM, FiBL and the German Foundation Ecology & Agriculture SÖL, since 2000. The data collection in Africa has been supported for many years by the Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries (Hivos, Netherlands).

More information

Media enquiries during BioFach (February 17–20) should be directed to:

Dr. Helga Willer, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Tel. +41 79 218 0626, E-mail helga.willer@fibl.org, www.fibl.org

Contact

Dr. Helga Willer and Lukas Kilcher, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Ackerstr., 5070 Frick, Switzerland, Tel. +41 (0)79 218 0626, E-mail helga.willer@fibl.org, www.fibl.org
Markus Arbenz, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Charles-de-Gaulle-Str. 5, D-53113 Bonn, Germany, Tel. +49 228 926 5010, headoffice@ifoam.org,www.ifoam.org
Dr. Alexander Kasterine, International Trade Centre (ITC), UNCTAD/WTO, Rue de Montbrillant, 54-56, 1202 Geneva 10, Switzerland, Tel. +41 22 7300 111, Kasterine@intracen.org, www.intracen.org/organics
Barbara Böck, NürnbergMesse, Messezentrum, 90471 Nürnberg, Germany, Tel. +49 911 8606 8328, barbara.boeck@nuernbergmesse.de, www.biofach.de

Book info

Quote

Helga Willer and Lukas Kilcher (Editors) (2010): The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2010. IFOAM, Bonn, and FiBL, Frick

Order book

Printed copies of The World of Organic Agriculture can be ordered from FiBL and IFOAM at shop.fibl.org and www.ifoam.org.(50 Euros + postage, for IFOAM members 25 Euros+postage)
ISBN 978-3-940946-67-6 (IFOAM) and 978-3-03736-180-1 (FiBL)

Table of contents

Graphs and maps

For high resolution graphs and maps please contact Helga Willer of FiBL.

New logo selected for all EU organic products

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:14:00 +0100

The winning design is from a student from Germany, who gained 63 percent of the overall vote for his 'Euro-leaf' logo.

From 1st July 2010, the organic logo of the EU will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic products that have been produced in any of the EU Member States and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes.

The 'Euro-leaf' design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background. It is a very straightforward sign containing two clear messages: Nature and Europe (see also commentary by FiBL director Urs Niggli, member of the jury).

Source: New logo selected for all EU organic products. Press release of the European Commission of February 8, 2010

More information

BioFach and Vivaness: Plenty of information at the congress

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:15:00 +0100

With some 180 individual events and six different main sections, the congress reflects the issues that currently concern the sector and shows trends and developments.

Attendance at the congress is free. The complete programme is available in the fair journal or on the Internet. Some 8'000 visitors attended the congress last year.

FiBL and IFOAM are both offering an extensive programme at the BioFach congress covering a wide range of topics. The FiBL and IFOAM booths are in Hall one (no 240 and 330 respectively).

Ghana: Organic sector now represented in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:40:00 +0100

Considering the multiples benefits of organic agriculture and the growth of the organic sector in Ghana, a Desk for Organic Agriculture has been established in the Ministry of Agriculture. The desk works as a contact point for organic agriculture to liaise between the government and the organic industry.

The desk plans to increase awareness of organic agriculture and build the capacity of officers of the Ministry of Agriculture a t the district and regional levels, so that they can better serve the interests of organic farmers and support the further development of the organic sector in the country.

According to the 2010 urvey on organic agriculture world-wide, carried out by IFOAM and FiBL, in Ghana, more than 26'000 hectares are under organic agricultural management; there are more than 9000 farmers (data 2008). The latest data on organic agriculture world-wide will be presented at BioFach, on February 19, 2010.

During BioFach, the new edition of the yearbook The World of Organic Agriculture can be ordered at a reduced price at the booths of IFOAM (Hall 1, no. 330) and FiBL (Hall 1, no. 240), and will be available at the FiBL and IFOAM webshops from the of end February.

More infomation

Contact

Samuel Adimado
National Coordinator
Ghana Organic Agriculture Network (GOAN)
E-mail adimadosam@yahoo.com

Emilia Monney
Ministry of Agriculture
Desk Officer for Organic Agriculture
E-mail eomonney@gmail.com

Organic grapes: 21 percent increase in 2008

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:00:00 +0100

The countries with the largest organic grape areas are Italy, Spain and France.

The latest grape figures are now available at this website and were compiled in the framework of their annual survey on organic agriculture worldwide.

The latest data on organic agriculture world-wide will be presented by FiBL, IFOAM and Organic Monitor on February 19, 2010 at the BioFach Congress.

More information

Organic-World.Net: Grape Statistics
Orgprints.org: Organic Viticulture in Europe: Development and current statistics (2007)
ORWINE.org: Homepage of the ORWINE project

February 19, 2010: Organic farming world-wide: Latest figures at BioFach, Nürnberg

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:18:00 +0100

As every year the session "The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends" will take place on Friday, (February 19, 2010) from 10 to 11 a.m. This year the session will be chaired by IFOAM's new executive director Markus Arbenz.

Venue

Messzentrum Nürnberg, Room St. Peterburg.

Programme

Markus Arbenz: Moderator
Helga Willer, FiBL, Switzerland: Global organic farming statistics
Amarjit Sahota, Organic Monitor, UK: The global market for organic food
Beate Huber, FiBL, Switzerland: Latest developments in the area of organic regulations

The speakers

Markus Arbenz

Markus Arbenz has been the executive director of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM since 2009. Prior to that he was the director of Bio Suisse, the Swiss organic producers' assoction.

Helga Willer

Helga Willer works at the Communication Department at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, she has been an editor of the yearbook ‘The World of Organic Agriculture’ since 2000.

Beate Huber

Beate Huber is head of the Development and Cooperation Department of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL. Activity areas include organic legislation and certification as well as personnel and organization development. She is on the Board of IOAS (International Organic Accreditation Service), Delaware, USA.

Amarjit Sahota

Amarjit Sahota is the director of Organic Monitor, a business research & consulting firm that specialises on the global organic & related product industries. Organic Monitor has been actively tracking the natural personal care products industry for a number of years. He has been involved in the health and well-being industries since 1996. He has assisted a wide range of clients in realising their business potential in emerging industries. His clients range from multinationals, government organizations, to small dedicated organic food companies.

Organic farming world-wide: Latest figures at BioFach 2010

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:18:00 +0100

As every year the session 'The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends' will take place on Friday, (February 19, 2010) from 10 to 11 a.m. This year the session will be chaired be IFOAM's executive director Markus Arbenz.

The latest results on the current status of organic agriculture world-wide, as published in the edition 2010 of The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends, will be presented.

Venue

Messzentrum Nürnberg, Room St. Peterburg.

Programme

Markus Arbenz: Moderator
Helga Willer, FiBL, Switzerland: Global organic farming statistics
Amarjit Sahota, Organic Monitor, UK: The global market for organic food
Beate Huber, FiBL, Switzerland: Latest developments in the area of organic regulations

The speakers

Markus Arbenz

Helga Willer

Helga Willer works at the Communication Department at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, she has been an editor of the yearbook ‘The World of Organic Agriculture’ since 2000.

Beate Huber

Amarjit Sahota

Germany: Market and production data 2009 published

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:55:00 +0100

The data were compiled at the occasion of the Green Week, the largest agricultural fair in Germany.

These preliminary data show:

The overall turnover with organic products in Germany remained at the same level as in 2008 or even decreased slightly.
The volume of organic products sold did, however, increase.
Whereas the general retail trade and the discounters reported less sales of organic products than in 2008, the specialized organic retail trade grew by four percent.
The total food market decreased by 2.4 percent, decrease was lower in the organic food market.

BOELW also presented the latest data on land managed by organic farms that are member of one of the associations that are part of the BOELW: The number of these organic farms increased by six percent, and the organic land by 5.2 percent. If the farms that only work according to EU regulation on organic farming are included the total is approximately 21'000 farms (5.9 percent) managing 950'000 hectares (5.6 percent). Government figures on the land under organic management and the number of farms in Germany are expected to be published by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection early summer 2010.

Source: Press release of the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry BOELW of January 13, 2010.

More information

BOELW:de: Press release of the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry BOELW of January 13, 2010.
BOELW:de: Power Point presentation: Der Bio-Markt: Aktuelle Fakten und Trends
Organic-World.net: Germany: Statistics
Organic-World.net: Germany: Links
AMI.de: Homepage of the Agrarmarktinformationsgesellschaft, on whose data the market information is based

February 16, 2010: 3rd IFOAM Trade Symposium at BioFach, Nürnberg

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:44:00 +0100

The event will be held on the afternoon of February 16th, 2010, prior to the opening of the BioFach, in the Shanghai Room of the Nuremberg Congress Center in Germany.

More information

IFOAM.org: 3rd IFOAM Trade Symposium

BioFach.org: English BioFach Homepage

FiBL.org: FiBL presentations at BioFach

October 28-31, 2008: Organic Asia 2008 in Sarawak, Malaysia

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:07:00 +0100

A total of 164 delegates from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Japan, Brunei, Laos, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Australia, Italy and USA took part in this event. Delegates came from the public & private sectors, lecturers, certification officers, senior officers, business operators,senior managers, farmers, researchers, project managers and directors.

The 4-day conference featured nine plenary sessions, seven concurrent workshop sessions and 12 concurrent forum sessions. Sessions included topics on innovations, productions, challenges, policy recommendations, market development, sector (both public and private) development initiatives, best practice and harmonization and equivalence in organic agriculture.

More information

organic-asia.blogspot.com: Conference info

Asia: Data collection group formed

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:45:00 +0100

The idea is to work as a group on the collection of data for the yearbook The World of Organic Agriculture as well as for regional development planning purposes.

The regional collaboration meeting of the East Asia Forum and a follow-up of the Organic Asia conference in 2008, took place in conjunction with the East Asia conference organised by the Organic World Congress (OWC) 2011 Korean conference organising committee as a run up to the OWC 2011.

The group is coordinated by Keerthi Mohotti, Sri Lanka.

More information

Regional Information Asia

ISOFAR Journal: Call for papers

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:56:00 +0100

Organic Agriculture provides a platform for the sharing of knowledge on all aspects of Organic Agriculture and Food Systems.

The journal features scientific articles on a range of topics, including, but not exclusively:

- Arable crop production
- Vegetable production
- Soil fertility
- Nutrient management
- Plant breeding
- Crop health and weed management
- Comparison of cropping systems
- Livestock husbandry and breeding
- Livestock health and nutrition
- Farm management
- Quality of organic products
- Socioeconomics
- Natural resources and agro-ecology
- Research methodology, on-farm research and innovative knowledge transfer

Drawing on systems approaches within Organic Agriculture, the journal welcomes original interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary papers alongside the reports of focussed disciplinary studies that accord with the principles of Organic Agriculture.

The journal also welcomes papers which take a critical approach to one or more aspects of organic agriculture and/or initiate critical discussions of the principles on a scientific basis.

The journal will also include scientific reviews, invited papers on topical issue, overviews of the status of Organic Agriculture in particular regions / countries and technical notes which draw together the results of a number of research studies in a format suitable for wider application.

More information

Links and documents

Call for contributions (154 KB)
Springer.com: Greetings from the Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Stockdale
Springer.com: Instructions for authors
Springer.com: Submit online
ISOFAR.org: Homepage ISOFAR
Spinger.com: Homepage Springer

Contact

Professor Elizabeth Stockdale, Editor-in-Chief, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Agriculture Building, Newcastle University, ewcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK, Tel. +44 191 222 6915, e.a.stockdale@ncl.ac.u k

EU organic logo: FiBL commentary

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A jury of four leading European graphical designers and of four organic experts as well as the former bicycle racer Miguel Indurain, selected ten logos from several thousand submission by young graphical designers and design students. The criteria for the selection were clearly defined, e.g. they should give the message of organic agriculture and of EU origin in a picture, not in words; the logo should be easily recognisable, have high quality graphical design elements and should be applicable in different colours and sizes on food labels. The young designer contest started in May 2009, the jury selected in July 2009.

After legal, administrative and other investigations, the European Commission selected, from the 10 proposals selected by the jury, the three above mentioned logos for a public internet vote which is open now until the end of January 2010.

It did not come much as a surprise that once published, the three proposals aroused a lot of criticism.

According to Urs Niggli, all three logos which are proposed by the Commission are eligible. It is a very good range submitted to public voting by the Commission. Each of them has a real potential to become an EU-wide appreciated logo. It is now important to insist vis-à-vis the Commission, that the final logo has to be used with a word-mark “organic” in the respective national language.

The full text of the commentary by Urs Niggli can be viewed at the FiBL homepage.

Source: New EU organic logo: Commentary by Urs Niggli, December 23, 2009

More information

Expert group for technical advice on organic production: Call for applications

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:13:00 +0100

The expert group will ensure an easy and systematic access to highly qualified technical expertise in a wide range of fields related to organic production. In particular, the group will also deliver independent, excellent and transparent technical advice to the European Commission.

More information

ec.europa.eu/agriculture: Information on the Expert group for technical advice on organic production
ec.europa.eu/agriculture: Call documents for the Expert group for technical advice on organic production
EUR-LEX.europa.eu: Call for applications regarding Commission Decision 2009/427/EC setting up the expert group for technical advice on organic production

Round Table on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change established

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:39:00 +0100

(RTOACC media release) ”Organic agriculture has a strong potential for mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon in the soils at high rates and by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases due to avoidance of synthetic fertilizers and optimal use of organic material, ” said Urs Niggli, Director of FiBL and member of the Round Table.
The Round Table on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change (RTOACC) is a multi-stakeholder initiative with eight founding members. It brings together stakeholders and partners along the organic food production chain. The principal objectives of the round table are

Initiate, support and facilitate research on organic agriculture and climate change,
Advise the international community on organic agriculture and climate change issues,
Develop a measurement method to enable reliable quantification and certification of carbon sequestration in organic agriculture.

To achieve these goals, the members agreed on an action plan for the years 2010 and 2011. The main activity in 2010 will be the development of a methodology for the carbon market that will comply with general development goals such as the benefits for smallholders in developing countries. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL coordinates these activities.
Antonio Compagnoni of ICEA agrees that the round table is a kick-off for putting organic agriculture on the agenda of the negotiations on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol and that it is an effort by the global organic community to make organic agriculture the leading system of sustainable agriculture.

Further information

The members of the Round Table: Contacts

Antonio Compagnoni
ICEA, Italy
E-mail acompagnoni@interfree.it
Niels Halberg
International Centre for Research in Organic Farming Systems ICROFS, Denmark
E-mail niels.halberg@icrofs.org
Urs Niggli
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Switzerland
Tel. +41 62 865 72 72, Mobile +41 79 218 80 30
E-mail urs.niggli@fibl.org
Johan Cejie
KRAV ek för, Sweden
E-mail Johan.Cejie@krav.se
Tel. +46 706 65 93 76
Timothy LaSalle
Rodale Institute, US
Mobile +1 80 56 30 12 42
E-mail timothy.lasalle@rodaleinst.org
Peter Melchett,
Soil Association, UK
Mobile +44 77 40 95 10 66
E-mail pmelchett@soilassociation.org
Markus Arbenz
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM, Germany
Tel. +49 228 926 5010
E-mail m.arbenz@ifoam.org
Nadia El-Hage Scialabba
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO, Italy
Tel. +39 06 5705 672

Further information

Dr. Matthias Stolze
Chair of RTOACC, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Ackerstrasse, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
Tel. +41 62 865 72 55, Mobile + 49 179 209 41 85
E-mail matthias.stolze@fibl.org

Related information on the internet

www.climate.fibl.org: FiBL pages on climate change and organic farming
www.rodaleinstitute.org: Information on organic farming and climate change on the pages of the Rodale Institute.
www.soilassociation.org: Info on soil carbon at the homepage of the Soil Association
www.fao.org/organicag: Organic farming pages at the FAO homepage

Agriculture can slow global warming – but which type of agriculture?

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:51:00 +0100

(For full version of this comment please see FiBL.org).

In Copenhagen, farmers and their organisations are fighting to present agriculture in a new light – as being climate-friendly. The key aspects are to work more carefully with soil fertility, to encourage humus formation, to produce biomass and biodiesel, and to use more efficient cultivation techniques in order to avoid the release of unnecessary amounts of greenhouse gases.

Agriculture has a huge potential to slow global warming. Even just a moderate rate of humus formation could elegantly fix between 5 and 15 gigatonnes of CO₂annually, thus reducing total anthropogenic GHG emissions by between 10 and 30%. And the potential is even bigger than that. Many agricultural soils contain only a fraction of the amount of organic matter they would have contained prior to the industrial revolution. So why shouldn’t we use this natural potential for carbon storage as long as our society continues to be dependent on burning fossil fuels?

The farmers at COP 15 agree. Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of the FAO in Rome, has called for agriculture to be included in the negotiations not merely as a cause of climate change but also as an integral part of the ultimate package of climate change solutions. During the first week of negotiations a tough struggle was fought on this issue and it appears the FAO has been successful. Whether the farming sector will in future receive support for its efforts in combating climate change will only be decided in the second week of negotiations, but for once the group of 131 developing countries (G-77) and the major agricultural exporting countries (CAIRNS) are moving in the same direction.

However, if agriculture becomes part of the mitigation strategy the fight is only just beginning. Which type of agriculture is really suited to sustainably mitigate climate change? How divergent expert opinion is on this matter became evident during the first days of the conference. Many parallel discussions wrestled with the question of which strategy was the most convincing. After all, there is a lot of money at stake. Here are some impressions:

Supported by industry groups, non-organic farmers praised “no-till farming”. While this method prevents soil erosion and increases soil humus content, there are many drawbacks. The plough is replaced with non-selective herbicides in order to clear weeds from the fields. Genetically modified maize and soybean cultivars are planted which can withstand the non-selective herbicides. Moreover, no-till generally involves increased use of energy-consuming chemical fertilizers and the soils are less well aerated which increases the amounts of the other two GHGs, methane and nitrous oxide, they release.

But old ideas are also presented in new packaging. Experts unabashedly advocate the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides in order to boost harvests. The more biomass is produced on arable land the better for the climate, they say. But they ignore that fact that intensive agriculture has already contributed significantly to the degradation of ecosystems and the environment and that it makes very inefficient use of energy and fertilizers. For example, the rate at which nitrate fertilizer, which is produced from crude oil, is actually taken up by plants to form biomass is now as low as 17%. The remainder pollutes our soils, watercourses, and the air.

In contrast, the proposals forwarded by experts on the biochar method appear more interesting. The model for this type of carbon sequestration is derived from the fertile Terra Preta soils the Amazon Indians created 500 to 800 years ago. These indigenous peoples charred the wood derived from clearing parts of the rainforest to create fields by carbonizing it at high temperature in the absence of oxygen, and this charcoal was then incorporated into the soil of the new fields. Charcoal prepared in this way has led to sustainable humus formation and this humus is stable, even in tropical soils where organic matter such as compost is quite rapidly broken down and disappears.

Can biochar technology be transposed to modern agriculture in that harvest residues, straw, compost material, wood, shrubs, or even paper are charred and incorporated into soils? Johannes Lehmann, the world’s leading researcher on this topic at the US-American Cornell University, is aware that the knowledge gaps on biochar systems are as yet too significant to recommend this method for practical application. Nevertheless, some companies have commenced production of small and large pyrolysis units. The smallest units are stoves costing less than $ 10 which generate heat for cooking and produce biochar as a by-product.

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is the only organization to call for radical rethinking in the farming sector. According to IFOAM, arable and livestock production should once again be harmonized in natural cycles, soil fertility and fertilizers should solely be based on organic substances (livestock manure, compost, green manure, and clover), energy-intensive chemical fertilizers produced from crude oil have no place in sustainable agriculture, and chemical pesticides reduce biodiversity and impact on the environment.

Two weeks before the Copenhagen summit, scientists of the CarboEurop European research team published worrying new data on intensive farming and livestock production. According to Detlef Schulze of the Biogeochemistry Department of the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany, who was the leader of the study, GHG emissions from intensive farming and livestock production exceed carbon sequestration by forests and grasslands. In Copenhagen, agriculture now has the unique opportunity to distance itself from this negative image. But this requires courageous steps forward onto a path of resolutely sustainable farming. Organic farming will be a driving force on this path.

Urs Niggli, December 13, 2009

Further information

Contact

Urs Niggli, Director FiBL

Reducing greenhouse gases, sequestering carbon – Harnessing the potential of organic farming!

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:34:00 +0100

From 7 to 18 December the 15^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change takes place in Copenhagen with the aim of agreeing a new global treaty on climate change, a post-2012 successor to the Kyoto Protocol. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) is present in Copenhagen, working in close cooperation with other sustainable agriculture institutions to advocate the major potential organic farming offers as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy.

The full FiBL media release Reducing greenhouse gases, sequestering carbon – Harnessing the potential of organic farming! is available for download at the FiBL homepage.

More information

FiBL.org: FiBL media release Reducing greenhouse gases, sequestering carbon – Harnessing the potential of organic farming!
FiBL.org: Climate change and organic farming
IFOAM.org: IFOAM at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

Organic food at the Copenhagen Climate Conference

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:55:00 +0100

Besides ensuring healthy, tasty, and reasonably priced food, Denmark has chosen to guarantee a minimum of 65 percent organic food and beverages including fair-trade products such as coffee and tea.

According to the latest FiBL statistics on the European market, 6.7 percent of all Danish food sales are organic (2008). Denmark is thus probably the country in the world with the highest share. The data are based on figures of Statistics Denmark and Organic Denmark and were provided by kirsten Lund Jensen of the Danish Agriculture & Food Council.

More information

COP15.dk: Sustainable Food for COP15
COP15.dk: Homepage

EU organic logo: Online vote

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:08:00 +0100

These three designs can now be voted upon by the public.

The public online vote on a new EU organic logo is open from 7 December 2009 until 31 January 2010 at the logo competition homepage.

More information

IFOAM EU Group: Key demands for a sustainable CAP 2014-2020 presented to the public

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:53:00 +0100

Unsustainable agricultural practices degrade ecosystems which are crucial for human survival. At the 2nd European Organic Congress of the IFOAM EU Group experts and policy makers outline the necessary changes required throughout the food chain and present policies that must be implemented to allow us to face the challenges climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.

"In order to align food production to face future challenges, truly sustainable food systems are urgently needed. If we are to see real progress in Europe, the future CAP must mainstream strategies to face the future challenges within a sustainable, socially just and ethical food and farming system. Organic farming offers a comprehensive model. The IFOAM EU Group stresses the need for a reform in our Key demands for a sustainable CAP 2014-2020 that are launched today", states Christopher Stopes, President of the IFOAM EU Group, in his opening speech.

"Farming must play its part in climate change mitigation and adaption. But we should not forget about other aspects of sustainability if combating climate change. Organic farming is a solution multiplier. It emits less carbon as is uses fewer inputs and sequesters higher carbon in soils, while delivering better results in biodiversity conservation, animal welfare and soil conservation. Therefore organic practices have to be considered by decision makers in their climate mitigation strategies", declares Thomas Dosch, Deputy President of the IFOAM EU Group, who will represent the IFOAM EU Group at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.

Urs Niggli, Director of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, underlined the importance of research: "It is worthwhile to consider the organic concepts of eco-functional intensification and rural empowerment in order to improve global food security. Despite the fact that organic research can count by now only on one percent of the amount of the research budget that is spent for conventional farming, organic farming performs already well in yields and sustainability. Further investments in research and training in organic practices are crucial to mainstream sustainable organic systems."

Source: Press release of the IFOAM EU Group of December 1, 2009: High Time to Align Agricultural Practices to Face Future Challenges (81 KB)

More information

Documents

IFOAM EU Group: Press release of the of December 1, 2009: High Time to Align Agricultural Practices to Face Future Challenges (81 KB)
IFOAM EU Group: Towards a Sustainable CAP – Key demands of the IFOAM EU Group for a sustainable CAP 2014-2020 (268 KB)
FiBL: Organic farming in Europe. An overview. Prepared for the 2nd European Organic Congress

Soil carbon and organic farming: New report from the Soil Association

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:59:00 +0100

According to new research from the at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each yearm if all UK farmland was converted to organic farming.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 89 percent of agriculture’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential is from carbon sequestration.

The key findings of the Soil Associatiomn's resarch are:

The widespread adoption of organic farming practices in the UK would offset 23% of UK agricultural emissions through soil carbon sequestration alone, more than doubling the UK Government’s pathetically low target of a 6-11% reduction by 2020
A worldwide switch to organic farming could offset 11% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Raising soil carbon levels would also make farming worldwide more resilient to extremes of climate like droughts and floods, leading to greater food security
On average organic farming produces 28% higher levels of soil carbon compared to non-organic farming in Northern Europe, and 20% higher for all countries studied (in Europe, North America and Australasia)
In the UK, grasslands and mixed farming systems also have a vital role to play, and soil carbon may go a long way to offsetting the methane emissions from grass-fed cattle and sheep.

Source: Soil Association Homepage: Soil carbon. Accessed November 26, 2009

More information

SoilAssociation.org Soil carbon
SoilAssociation.org: Soil carbon and organic farming: Report Summary
SoilAssociation.org: Soil carbon and organic farming: Full repoort
IPCC.ch: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change
IPCC.ch: IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change. Chapter 8: Agriculture

First newsletter of the LowInputBreeds project now available

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:25:00 +0100

The newsletter aims to keep its readers up-to-date on progress of the LowInputBreeds project. In the first issue the project is presented; furthermore it contains reports on meetings and subproject activities.

The newsletter is published every six months and freely available. It can be subscribed to at the LowInputBreeds website.

More information

Contact

Helga Willer, Dissemination manager LowInputBreeds, FiBL, Frick

February 17-20, 2010: BioFach Congress 2010 - FiBL presentations

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:49:00 +0100

The FiBL sessions cover a wide range of topics like food quality, processing, and traceability. Many of the of the sessions are in English.

Furthermore several current EU-funded research projects will be introduced: Ecropolis, Certcost, LowInputBreeds and NUE crops.

The latest statistics on organic agriculture world-wide and in Europe as well as current market trends will be presented.

The programme is available at www.biofach.fibl.org/de/biofach-2010.html; the English version will be available in the next days. The programme of the overall BioFach Congress is expected to be available at the BioFach homepage soon.

More information

Contact

Helga Willer, FiBL, Frick, Switzerland

Global organic survey: Graphs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0100

The presentation has 90 slides, summarizing the key data on organic farming world-wide as published in the 2009 edition of The World of Organic Agriculture.

The following is available:

1) Graphs and texts on the status of organic agriculture world-wide in 2007

2) Graphs and texts on selected crops grown in organic agriculture 2007

3) Graphs and texts on organic farming in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania (countries with the most organic land, land use, market data if available).

The graphs and texts can be downloaded as a PDF file. The printed and the PDF versions of the 2009 edition of the yearbook The World of Organic Agriculture contain a password (on page 2) which will give access to the Power Point presentation.

Currently the new survey on organic farming is carried out jointly by FiBL and IFOAM. The latest results will be presented at the BioFach Organic Trade Fair, to take place in Nuremburg, Germany, February 17-20, 2010.

More information

Documents

Organic Agriculture Worldwide. Key results from ‘The World of Organic Agriculture 2009’, published by FiBL and IFOAM. Graphs with explanatory notes. (675 KB)
Password protected area (access to the Power Point version, for password see The World of Organic Agriculture 2009, page 2).

Contact

Helga Willer, FiBL, Frick, Switzerland

February 19, 2010: Management and breeding for organic plant and livestock production systems

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0100

BioFach is the world’s largest organic trade fair and takes place annually in Nürnberg, Germany. At the BioFach Congress numerous lectures, forums, workshops and panel discussions related to the development of the organic sector are presented.

In recent years the BioFach Congress has also been used as forum to present and discuss results of European research projects.

Programme

Presentations

Prof. Dr. Carlo Leifert, Newcastle University, UK
Effect of organic, low input, and conventional production measures on crop quality: a summary of results of the QLIF project
Dr. Veronika Maurer, FiBL, Switzerland
The need to breed robust livestock for organic and ‚low input‘ production systems (LowInputBreeds project)
Dr. Monika Messmer, FiBL, Switzerland
First results from the European project NUE Crops - Improving nutrient use efficiency in major European food, feed and biofuel crops to reduce negative environmental impacts of crop production.

Chair

Dr. Danièle Tissot, European Commission, DG Research, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Aquaculture

More information

Contact

Dr. Helga Willer, FiBL, Frick, Switzerland

Austria: Organic apple production to increase in the near future

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0100

This will change with effect from next year. A number of young fruit growers in Stiermarken have cleared their conventional apple orchards and replanted to start organic cultivation. This crop will be on the market next year. The most important varieties are Topaz, Gala, Braeburn and Golden Delicious.

"With this development Austria is a forerunner. About 8 percent of the apple harvest will be organic in 2010 and consequently cover the domestic demand completely. In Europe the share of organic apples is only 1 percent " Erika Karner, who is in charge of organic products of at AMA-Marketing says.

Source: Stiermarken largest apple region. Austrian biological apple production doubled. Fresh Plaza, November 13, 2009

AMA-Marketing.at: Press release of November 9, 2009

Background

According to the latest organic farming statistics, there were 1863 hectares of organic temperate fruit in Austria in 2008. A further breakdown of the land area is currently not available.

According to the latest edition of The World of Organic Agriculture around 25'000 hectares of organic apples were grown world-wide (see article by Granatstein et al).

The total organic fruit area (temparete fruit and berries as well as grapes) was 290'000 hectares in 2007 according to the msot recent FiBL and IFOAM survey.

More information

AMA-Marketing.at: Organic farming pages
Organic-World.net: Austria: Organic farming statistics 2008
Organic-World.net: Austria
Granatstein et al: The Production Base for Organic Temperate Fruit, Berries and Grapes (277 KB). In: The World of Organic Agriculture 2009, IFOAM & FiBL Report.

Expert group for technical advice on organic production: Call for applications to be published soon

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:44:00 +0100

The text of the call and the relative application forms will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, series C, and will also be accessible from the European Commission Organic Farming website at www.organic-farming.eu.

The documents for the application will be accessible in PDF and WORD format in order to allow them to be downloaded, filled in and signed.

More information

Eur-Lex.europa.eu: Official Journal of the European Union
Organic-Farming.eu: Organic farming homepage of the European Commission

FAO Glossary on organic agriculture now online

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0100

The concepts have been selected from FAO and international documents and publications on organic agriculture, as well as from the proceedings of meetings of experts discussing related issues, such as the International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security which was held in May 2007.

FAO pays particular attention to enhance a common language and to standardize technical terminology for its meetings, documentation and publications. It also promotes standard best practices for terminology management and storage, facilitating growth, interoperability and exchange.

It should be noted that organic agriculture involves many disciplines and subdomains such as: certification, standards, accreditation, culture, food security, livestock, biodiversity, ecology, land use, processing, production, knowledge, tradition, agricultural inputs, etc. It has been necessary, therefore, to limit the selection of terms on the basis of those directly related to organic agriculture and to the most commonly used concepts in the domain.

The bibliographic references of both the concepts and their definitions are indicated in section 5 on bibliographic sources in the trilingual pdf document.

It is hoped that this Glossary will facilitate multilingual communication and documentation in FAO's long-term objective to enhance food security, rural livelihoods and economic resilience and environmental integrity by building capacities of member countries in organic production, processing, certification and marketing.

Source: FAO Organic Agriculture Homepage

November 30, 2009: COST Exploratory Workshop on Low Input/Organic Agriculture: The Farm of Tomorrow? in Brussels, Belgium

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:02:00 +0100

More public and private investments in sustainable farming could boost food supplies and ensure global food security. Low input farming and organic farming may comply with the needs of producing high quality safe food in an environmentally sustainable, cost-effective and socially acceptable way. However, many organisational, scientific and economic issues need to be addressed to foster further development in this field.

To illustrate the new vitality in this sector and to attempt to provide answers to such questions, COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is convening a multidisciplinary one-day Exploratory Workshop on Low Input/ Organic Agriculture: the Farm of Tomorrow? The overall objective of the workshop is to identify the need and potential for a structured COST Action on this topic. This will define suitable indicators that may assist stakeholders and policymakers in their decisions.

At this event, Urs Niggli, academic coordinator of the European research project QualityLowInputFood QLIF, and Carlo Leifert, coordinator of both the QLIF and the new LowInputBreeds project will both speak at the event.

COST actions are networks centred around nationally funded research projects in fields that are of interest to at least five COST countries. The financial support averages EUR 100 000 per year for a four-year period.

More information

cost.esf.org: Workshop description
cost.esf.org: Workshop programme
cost.esf.org: Homepage of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology COST

Global organic market: Positive mood

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:28:00 +0100

(October 2009, BioFach press release): Although the growth in sales of organic food and drinks has slowed down in 2009, growth is still apparent,” says Amarjit Sahota of market researcher Organic Monitor in London. “The biggest growth is in Europe and North America, but demand is also increasing in the Asia-Pacific region and in Latin America,” the internationally recognized organic expert continues.

In 2007, 32 million ha were farmed organically throughout the world and sales of organic food were 46 billion US dollars. This figure should have topped the 50 billion US dollars mark in 2008.

According to the latest figures from the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), both the organic areas and markets grew strongly again at international level in 2008. “The organic area in Europe has risen from 7.8 to 8.3 million ha, which is 6 % more,” says Helga Willer of FiBL. The provisional figures for the EU countries show that the area has increased from 7.2 to 7.7 million ha. Spain registered the biggest growth with 33 %, and the area of organic land grew by 10 % in Poland, the Czech Republic and Denmark. The organic area in Italy decreased, but is still more than 1 million ha. However, the country with the most organic land in Europe is now Spain with 1.3 million ha, of which 1.1 million ha are farming land. Only a few figures are available for countries outside Europe. In Argentina, for example, the area has risen by 40 % from 2.9 to 4 million ha, including a very large share of grassland.

USA: Impressive market growth boosts organic market

Growth in the USA in 2008 was a remarkable 16 % despite the economic crisis that began in the second half of the year. Some 20 % had been achieved in each of the preceding years. Sales of organic food and drinks meanwhile amount to some 23 billion US dollars, and as much as 24.6 billion US dollars if the non-food sector is included. The fastest-growing segments were bread and grain products with 35 % and drinks with 31 %, according to the Organic Industry Survey, the annual report published by the American Organic Trade Association (OTA) of Greenfield, MA. The non-food sector experienced a real boom and expanded by almost 40 % to more than 1.6 billion US dollars. The 3.5 % organic share of total spending on food is comparable with Germany.

Europe: 18 billion EUR organic sales in 2008

European sales of organic products in 2008 rose by 10 % over the previous year and are estimated at 18 billion EUR. Except in Great Britain, where the market grew by only 1.8 %, the effects of the economic crisis were not yet noticeable in the other countries. Switzerland can be pleased about an even steeper rise than in the years before with 11 % growth to 0.9 billion EUR. Some 80 % of Danish organic sales in 2008, which rose by a remarkable 28 % to 620 million EUR, are achieved in the retail trade. The figures do not include direct marketing and specialist organic shops. The market in the Czech Republic grew by 40 % (2007: 70 %).

Germany: Growth in the specialist trade – decline for discounters

According to the German association, Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) Herstellung und Handel of Berlin, and the sales barometer of the German trade magazine, BioHandel, the organic food market has grown by 1.5 % in the first half of 2009 on the same area. The consumer researcher, Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK) in Nürnberg, Germany, assumes a drop of 4 % in all sales channels of the organic market in the first half of 2009. Discounters even had to accept a loss of 6 %. Prices dropped by 7 %. One possible reason for the decline in prices and total sales is that customers are changing to cheaper organic products and conventional products.

The prices for organic products in the organic food retail trade remained largely stable in the first half of 2009. Experts attribute this to the customer structure in this trade segment, which is traditionally frequented by convinced intensive buyers and fewer occasional buyers.

The number of Germans who regard environmental and social compatibility of certain products as very important dropped in line with the global economic crisis. Nevertheless, the German consumers’ desire to spend remained unchanged at a good level and, according to GfK, the German customers are increasing their spending on environmentally and socially compatible products all the time, regardless of whether occasional, frequent or intensive buyer. So there is still a trend to green and ethically correct consumption.

France: Record growth for organic products in 2008

The organic market in France grew by 25 %, stronger than ever before in the past years, and in 2008 reached 2.6 billion EUR for the first time. The size of the organically farmed area has increased from 210,000 ha to 580,000 ha within ten years. The conversion areas have increased by 36 % in only a year and there are 11 % more organic farms. According to the semi-public Agence Bio in Paris, as much as 6 % of the agricultural area is to be farmed under organic conditions by 2012 – three times more than today, and as much as 20 % more by 2020. At the beginning of August it was decided to double the maximum subsidy rate for organic farms as a measure to specifically promote organic agriculture. This is based on the Loi Grenelle act, the result of two years of social discourse. Article 31 defines clear targets for French organic farming. The act defines aspects such as the national action plan for fighting climate change and passes specific implementing regulations for segments like energy, transport, waste and agriculture. All measures are intended to contribute towards sustainable development of the country.

Italy: 7 % growth in the first six months of 2009
Organic sales in Italy are growing again this year and rose by 7 % in the first half of 2009, according to information from the Italian market researcher Ismea/AC Nielsen, Rome, Italy. Fruit and vegetables, drinks and eggs were particularly in demand. The organic supermarket chain NaturaSì with currently 66 large organic stores achieved 15 % more sales in the same period. The specialist trade also sold 10 % more in the first quarter, reports Italy’s leading organic food wholesaler Ecor, which also owns the NaturaSì stores. Ecor offers the retail trade its B’io marketing programme, in which 250 specialist stores participate. “The Ki Group, another important organic food wholesaler, achieved 14 % more sales, which is mainly attributed to the extension of its range and the development of promotional measures in the shops,” reports the Italian organic market expert, Roberto Pinton.

Turkey: Focus on organic exports
Turkey is committed to the production of organic products. This applies to both the national market and exports. Estimates by a working group involving official bodies and the organic association Bugday show that the organic growing area could increase from the present 0.8 % to 3 % and the value of the national market from 5 to 50 million US dollars by 2012. The export figures are forecast to rise from 150 million to 1 billion US dollars in the same period.

Source: BioFach press release of October 2009

More information

Contact

Petra Trommer
Barbara Böck
Ellen Rascher
Tel +49 (0) 9 11.86 06-83 28
Fax +49 (0) 9 11.86 06-82 56
press@biofach.de
ellen.rascher@nuernbergmesse.de
www.biofach.de

Note

Data collection on organic farming world-wide and the publication of the yearbook is funded by NürnbergMesse, the organiszers of the BioFach organic trade fair since 2000. Since 2008 funding in order to extend and enhance data collection has also been made available by the International Trade Centre ITC and the Swiss state secretariat of Economic Affairs SECO.

The complete data on organic agriculture world-wide will be presented at the next BioFach Congress in February 2010.

European Organic Congress: Programme now available

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:28:00 +0100

The will be three workshops, focussing on the themes of the congress:

In the first workshop, initiatives based in businesses from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands will present best climate practice examples in the food chain.
The second workshop, with Ladislav Miko, Director for Natural Environment, DG Environment, and Hilkka Summa, Head of Unit for Bioenergy, Biomass, Forestry and Climate change in DG Agriculture as speakers, will provide a broader view on necessities to reshape agriculture related EU policies in order to tackle climate change and halt the loss of biodiversity.
The third workshop focuses on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and its potential to better contribute to facing future challenges, especially with regard to the CAP reform in 2013. Anastassios Haniotis, Head of Unit for Agricultural Policy Analysis and Perspectives, DG Agriculture, will contribute to this workshop from the side of the Commission; Ariel Brunner will present the view of Birdlife Europe whereas Alessandro Triantafyllidis from AIAB will introduce the IFOAM EU position on the next CAP reform.

All workshops will take place in parallel in the afternoon.

Source: Press release of the IFOAM EU Group of October 27, 2009

More information

Conference info

www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org: Congress homepage
www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org: Programme

Contact

IFOAM EU Group
Tel. OO32 2 280 12 23
Fax OO32-2 735 73 81
info@ifoam-eu.org
www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org
www.ifoam-eu.org

European Organic Statistics

The lastest (per 31.12.2008) European organic farming statitics are avaialble now at www.organic-world.net. Not for all countries data have been received yet though. Currently more than eight million hectares of agricultural land are managed organically in Europe. In addition to the agricultural land there are further areas like forest, aquacultre an grazing on non-agricultural land. Finally there are large wild collection areas, particularly in Finland and in the Balkan countries.

Organic-World.net: European Organic Statistics

Organic coffee: International Coffee Organisation ICO releases new export figures

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The organic coffee export statistics are based on Certificates of Origin and and the Monthly Reports of the ICO member organisations. Earlier data show the development over several years.

The International Coffee Organization is the main intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together producing and consuming countries to tackle the challenges facing the world coffee sector through international cooperation. It makes a practical contribution to the world coffee economy and to improving standards of living in developing countries through various measures.

The ICO was set up in London in 1963 under the auspices of the United Nations because of the great economic importance of coffee. It has administered six International Coffee Agreements (ICAs), the most recent of which entered into force provisionally on 1 October 2001 and definitively on 17 May 2005. Its 77 Members include 45 coffee exporting and 32 importing countries, and it functions through the International Coffee Council, the Executive Board, the Private Sector Consultative Board, the Executive Director and a small Secretariat.

According to the ICO homepage, coffee is one of the world’s largest traded commodities produced in more than 60 countries, providing a livelihood for some 25,000,000 coffee farming families around the world. Many of these countries are heavily dependent on coffee, which can account for over 75% of their total export earnings. Among consumers coffee is a universally popular drink, with over US$70 billion in retail sales a year. ICO exporting Members account for over 97% of world coffee production and its importing Members are responsible for around 80% of world coffee consumption.

Source: ICO Homepage, Accessed October 29, 2009

More information

Editor's note

Some of the data compiled by ICO seem not to be consistent with those compiled by FiBL and IFOAM in the frame of the global organic survey. FiBL and partners are currently working on this issue.

Europe: Technology Platform Organics: Consultation on Strategic Research Agenda

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:20:00 +0200

TP Organics successfully implemented a stakeholder forum in July of 2009 with EU umbrella organisations, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), representatives of the European Commission, civil society and research community. The first public consultation round on the first draft of the SRA was completed and a specified consultation for the SME has been launched.

Currently the Strategic Research Agenda SRA, the second major document of TP Organics, is finalized. The aim is to secure the broadest possible participation and ownership and therefore consults the organic sector and stakeholders.

The current consultation is running until October 26, 2009. Suggestions with highest priority will then be included in the SRA as proposals for research topics.

In December 2009, the final findings will be presented to the EU institutions to get a last feedback before the document is officially published.

More information

Online consultation

TP Organics invites all to vote (and comment) the research needs for each research area by the proper online forms, following these links:

Documents

Contact

Eduardo Cuoco
TP Organics
Coordinator
Tel. +32 2 2 280 12 23,
Fax +32 2 735 73 81
E-mail info@tporganics.eu
www.tporganics.eu

Latin America and Caribbean: Fourth organic meeting successfully concluded

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0200

Participants came from 16 countries, most of them from Central America, representing the organic movement, competent authorities and market players.

The event had been organised by CLUSA which promotes organic farming in El Salvador. Further players from El Salvador represented in the national committee were the national organic movement MAOES, CORDES, FUNDESYRAM, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería and Universidad de El Salvador.

The event was financially supported by the Swiss State Secretariats for Economic Affairs SECO and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation DEZA, the Austrian Development Cooperation ADA, the Unidad Regional de Asistencia Técnica RUTA and others.

The International Committee provided assistance to the local organisers, with Gabriela Soto, CATIE (Costa Rica), María del Rocio Romero Lima, Universidad Agraria de Chapingo UACH (Mexico), Gregorio Varela, Universidad Nacional Agraria UNA (Nicaragua), Francisco Moyo, Organic Producers Association of Bolivia AOPEB, and Salvador Garibay, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL (Switzerland).

This event was the fourth in this conference series. The next meeting will take place in Peru, in the autumn of 2010.

During the conference the 4^th producers fair took place, displaying the large range of products from the region.

Data collection workshop

At the conference FiBL held a workshop at which the participants could exchange their experiences with data collection on organic farming. Helga Willer of FiBL who, together with IFOAM conducts the global organic survey annually, explained that in more and more countries governments collect the basic data (land, operators) on organic agriculture. In Central America, until three to four years ago, for many countries these data had only been available from some certifiers or they were compiled in the framework of projects, and there was no continuity of data collection. This has now completely changed, and apart from El Salvador and Belize all countries have government collection systems.

In addition to the basic data, many Central American countries make efforts to provide also export data. These data are available for Costa Rica, Mexico and Nicaragua, In Honduras a system for export data is currently set up.

Background

According to the data compiled by FIBL in cooperation with IFOAM more than 6 million hectares are under organic management in Latin America. There has been considerable growth in the past years. A lot of the products are for export. In Central America it is particularly coffee, that plays an important role.

In El Salvador coffee accounts for about half of the land under organic management, further important crops are cashew nuts, coconuts, and sesame seeds. Even though most of the organic products are exported, the local market is developing. Vegetables, flowers and coffee for instance are available on the local market.

More information

Document

Workshop on data collection and processing on October 16, 2009, Salinatas, El Salvador. Presentation (625 KB) by Helga Willer, FiBL, Frick, Switzerland

Contact

Beatriz Alegría
Mercadeo - CLUSA El Salvador
Calle La Ceiba y 3a. Calle Poniente
#5010, Col. Escalón
San Salvador
El Salvador
Tel. +503 2264 7106
beatrizalegria@integra.com.sv
www.elsalvadororganico.com.sv

October 28-20, 2009: BioFach América Latina

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:26:00 +0200

Besides an interesting fair, there will be attractive seminars and conferences on organic cotton and the sustainable fibers market, the non-GMO market challenges and opportunities, family farming and business partnerships, organic products in schools as well as sustainable fisheries, organic agriculture and water.

More information

www.biofach-americalatina.com.br

BioFach América Latina /ExpoSustentat Conference

March 4 - 17, 2010: Organic Agriculture Development Training Programme, Thailand

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200

The Organic Agriculture Development training programme will give theoretical and practical knowledge in important subjects for the development of organic agriculture in developing countries.

Main components of the curriculum are:

Standards and certification
Supporting structures and policies
Markets for organic products
Production systems
Program/project design and implementation

The training programme has taken place for several years now, and it is organised by Grolink, funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Sida/Asdi.

Contact

Grolink AB
Torfolk
684 95 Höje, Sweden
Tel: +4...
Fax: +46-563 72066
doa@grolink.se
http://www.grolink.se/Projects/OAD/OAD-Training.htm

European project LowInputBreeds begins: Improving animal health and product quality in European organic and ‘low input’ livestock production systems

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:01:00 +0200

(Project press release of October 7, 2009) The LowInputBreeds project unites 21 partners from Europe and further afield and will develop integrated breeding and management strategies to tackle the issue of improved animal health and food quality. It will run until 2014 and is co-funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

“Recent studies have shown that livestock breeds developed for ‘high input’ production systems lack sufficient focus on traits like robustness, which are required for organic and ‘low input’ systems,” says Professor Carlo Leifert of Newcastle University, who is coordinating the project. “There are currently only a few breeding concepts available which focus on the needs of ‘low input’ systems, which include extensive grazing or free range.”

Dr. Veronika Maurer of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the scientific coordinator of the LowInputBreeds project, added: “We will develop integrated livestock breeding and management strategies with the aim to improve animal health, product quality and performance in European organic and ‘low input’ milk, meat and egg production systems.”

The project has four main objectives:

To develop and evaluate innovative breeding concepts to deliver genotypes with ‘robustness’ and quality traits required under ‘low input’ conditions.
To integrate the use of improved genotypes with innovative management approaches. These will focus on issues where breeding or management innovations alone are unlikely to provide satisfactory solutions e.g. mastitis and parasite control.
To identify the potential economic, environmental and ethical impacts of the project’s results. The project needs to ensure that the results are in line with society’s different needs, priorities and consumer expectations.
To establish an efficient training and dissemination programme aimed at rapid application of project results in organic and ‘low input’ livestock farming.

LowInputBreeds focuses on six major livestock production systems: dairy and beef cattle, dairy and meat sheep, pigs and laying hens.

The project consortium includes 15 academic centres of excellence and six industrial partners in 15 countries in Europe and also Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and Tunisia. It is coordinated by Newcastle University in the UK (overall coordination) in collaboration with the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL (scientific coordination).

More information

Contacts

Professor Carlo Leifert, Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, Newcastle University, Stocksfield, Northumberland, UK, Tel. +44 1661 830222, E-mail: C.Leifert@ncl.ac.uk
Dr. Veronika Maurer, Animal Husbandry, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland, Tel. +41 62 865 72 57, E-mail: veronika.maurer@fibl.org

Project website

The project website is available at www.lowinputbreeds.org

Project partners

List of the 21 partners of the LowInputBreeds project

Editorial Note

LowInputBreeds is the acronym of the collaborative project: “Development of integrated livestock breeding and management strategies to improve animal health, product quality and performance in European organic and ‘low input’ milk, meat and egg production”.

The project is co-financed as a Collaborative Project by the European Commission, under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (Grant agreement No 222623). However, the views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission, nor do they in any way anticipate the Commission’s future policy in this area.

October 22-23, 2009: Romanian Organic Forum 2009. International Meeting on the Processing and Marketing of Organic Food

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:09:00 +0200

Everywhere in Europe the consumers’ interest in organic food is on the rise. In Romania a strong growth of organic agriculture can be also observed. This is true for the domestic market of organic food and especially for the production and export of organic raw materials.

Many Romanian organic farmers, food processors and traders have noticed this development and stepped already into the organic market. All of them – experienced organic entrepreneurs and beginners – are looking for future organic trends and new ideas, know-how and strategies for their organic business.

They come to benefit from good practices of other entrepreneurs, exchange experiences, and make new business contacts in their country and region. The two days in Bucharest are made for bringing new ideas and new ways of success to your business in the organic market.

More information

Links and Documents

Programme (798 KB)
www.organicforum.ro

Registration/Contact

Bio Romania
Bdul Marasti nr. 59, 011464 Bucharest 1
Tel. +40 374 006 994
+40 374 006 994
+ 40 752 077 771
E-mail: office@bio-romania.org

Organisers

Bio Romania - Association of the Ecological Agriculture Operators, Str. Muzelor, Nr.1 Bucuresti sector 1 , Romania; www.bio-romania.org; info@bio-romania.org
EkoConnect - International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe e.V., Arndtstraße 11, 01099 Dresden, Germany, www.ekoconnect.org, info@ekoconnect.org
International Trade Centre (ITC), Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland;www.intracen.org, itcreg@intracen.org
Ministry for SME`s, Trade and Business Environment of Romania, Ion Câmpineanu 16, Bucharest 1, Romania, www.mimmctpl.ro; comunicare@minind.ro

Romanian Organic Forum 2009 - International Meeting on the Processing and Marketing of Organic Food, in October 2009

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:09:00 +0200

More information

Links and Documents

Programme (798 KB)
www.organicforum.ro

Registration/Contact

Bio Romania
Bdul Marasti nr. 59, 011464 Bucharest 1
Tel. +40 374 006 994
+40 374 006 994
+ 40 752 077 771
E-mail: office@bio-romania.org

Organisers

Bio Romania - Association of the Ecological Agriculture Operators, Str. Muzelor, Nr.1 Bucuresti sector 1 , Romania; www.bio-romania.org; info@bio-romania.org
EkoConnect - International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe e.V., Arndtstraße 11, 01099 Dresden, Germany, www.ekoconnect.org, info@ekoconnect.org
International Trade Centre (ITC), Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland;www.intracen.org, itcreg@intracen.org
Ministry for SME`s, Trade and Business Environment of Romania, Ion Câmpineanu 16, Bucharest 1, Romania, www.mimmctpl.ro; comunicare@minind.ro

organic-world.net-RSS-Newsfeed

New Report from Eurostat

More information

External links

GOMA Launches Website and Publishes First Newsletter

The GOMA tools

GOMA project activities

The GOMA Newsletter

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Links

Contact

April 6-7, 2010: International Conference on Organic Farming (ICOF) in Khartoum, Sudan

Call for Papers

Conference Themes

Main Theme

Specific Themes

Papers Format

Important dates

ICOF 2010 exhibition

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Conference homepage

Contact

June 10-11, 2010: Sustainable Food Summit in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Contact

Summit homepage

Organic Cotton: New Organic Exchange Report

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Links and documents

Italy: Tutto Bio 2010

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June 21-22, 2010: Third European Organic Congress, Part 2, in Bari, Italy

Links

May 27, 2010: Third European Organic Congress, Part 1, in Madrid, Spain

Links

September 13-24, 2010: 1st UNAAB International Summer School on Organic Agriculture

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May 4-6, 2010: NJF seminar: Climate Change and Agricultural Production in the Baltic Sea Region

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BioFach and Vivaness 2010: Closing report

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Contact

Links

35 Million Hectares of Organic Agricultural Land World-wide

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Media enquiries during BioFach (February 17–20) should be directed to:

Contact

Book info

Quote

Order book

Table of contents

Graphs and maps

New logo selected for all EU organic products

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Links

BioFach and Vivaness: Plenty of information at the congress

Links

Ghana: Organic sector now represented in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture

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Links

Contact

Organic grapes: 21 percent increase in 2008

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February 19, 2010: Organic farming world-wide: Latest figures at BioFach, Nürnberg

Venue

Programme

The speakers

Links

Organic farming world-wide: Latest figures at BioFach 2010

Venue

Programme

The speakers

Links

Germany: Market and production data 2009 published

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February 16, 2010: 3rd IFOAM Trade Symposium at BioFach, Nürnberg

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October 28-31, 2008: Organic Asia 2008 in Sarawak, Malaysia

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Asia: Data collection group formed