Growing Organic A Comprehensive Information Package for Building Sustainable Organic Sectors International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements 1
IFOAM s mission IFOAM'smission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity. Our goal is the worldwideadoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the Principlesof OrganicAgriculture. 2
Principles of Organic Agriculture The Principles of Organic Agriculture serve to inspire the organic movement in its full diversity. They guide IFOAM s development of positions, programs and standards. Furthermore, they are presented with a vision of their world-wide adoption. Organic agriculture is based on: The principle of health The principle of ecology The principle of fairness The principle of care Each principle is articulated through a statement followed by an explanation. The principles are to be used as a whole. They are composed as ethical principles to inspire action. 3
Definition of Organic Agriculture Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. 4
Origin of IFOAM Members 700 Membersin 108 Countries IFOAM Member Organizations and Associates by Region Central and Eastern Europe 6% Western Europe 43% Oceania 2% Africa 9% Asia 24% North America 8% Latin America 8% 5
IFOAM coming closer IFOAM Liaison Office to the FAO & IFAD, Rome, Italy Africa Office, Coordinator in Bonn Regional Office China, Nanjing Regional Office Latin America IFOAM, Bonn 2003 6
Policy dialogue on diverse issues related to organic agriculture Leaflets and Dossiers describing the benefits of organic agriculture in relation to: Biodiversity Climate Change Desertification Food Security Gender Human Health Participatory Guarantee Systems Rural Development Seed Diversity The Milennium Development Goals 7
Reaching out Fostering Global Support for Organic Agriculture Developing partnerships with International Organizations and Institutions such as the: - FAO - UNCTAD - IFAD - UNEP - UNCCD - UNCSD - UNFCCC - World Bank - WTO - Codex Alimentarius - IUCN, ISO, OECD and others 8
The Comprehensive Information Package: Background Governments, the private sector and other key stakeholders show substantial interest in the topic and are looking for concrete information Lack of comprehensive information on how to promote the development of emerging organic sectors Through the I-GO II Program (HIVOS), IFOAM is developing a comprehensive information package, with the objective to fill this gap. 9
The Comprehensive Information Package: Target groups Development actors from all sectors: Governments of countries with an emerging organic sector Private sector: national organic movements local & international NGOs Development / Donor agencies Consultancies 10
The Comprehensive Information Package: Contents a wealth of background information and guidance on: Advocacy: Arguments for Organic; Advocacy tools Market Development: Tools for Quality Assurance and Marketing Strategic Relations: Role of, and relationship between development actors from all sectors Extension and Training Training manuals, courses and links to training providers Policies in support of Organic Examples of existing policies; Guidance for policy makers Research in Organic Agriculture 11
The Comprehensive Information Package: Key Texts Two collections of lessons learned, based on case studies from 16 countries: Best practices for organic policy ( UNCTAD et al. 2007 ) Targeted at developing countries governments Focus on policy formulation Building Sustainable Organic Sectors ( IFOAM 2008 ) Targeted at governments, private sector organizations, development / donor agencies, consultancies Guidance on the whole process of developing the organic sector 12
The Comprehensive Information Package: Where to find it? The Comprehensive Information Package will be available on the IFOAM website at: http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic From November 2008 13
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Growing Organic on the IFOAM website 15
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IFOAM is now recruiting an Executive Director who will lead the organization from the Head Office. Applications should contain an application letter, a CV and professional references from at least three persons, all in English. Any special requests for salaries and other working conditions should be specified. The applications shall be addressed to the IFOAM President, by e-mail to recruitment@ifoam.org Applications shall have reached us no later than 1 January, 2009. For more information and full job description: www.ifoam.org. 19
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements www.ifoam.org 20