Organic Farming Ecological Agriculture

1
Organic Farming - Ecological Agriculture

• Organic agriculture is a holistic production
  management system, which enhances agro-ecosystem
  health, utilizing both traditional and scientific
  knowledge

Organic agricultural systems rely on ecosystem
management rather than external agricultural
inputs
2
Organic farming in the future

• A report by The International Assessment of
  Agricultural Science and Technology for
  Development (IAASTD, 2008) stated
• Organic agriculture can contribute to delivering
  global food security, help tackle climate change,
  protect soils and conserve wildlife
• The report criticizes industrial agriculture for
  being too narrowly focused and calls instead
  for a more holistic systems-orientated approach
  to food production and farming.
• http//www.agassessment-watch.org

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
3
Mitigation

• Organic systems contribute to climate change
  mitigation by
• Reducing greenhouse gases, especially nitrous
  oxide, as no chemical nitrogen fertilizers are
  used and nutrient losses are minimized
• Storing carbon in soil and plant biomass by
  building organic matter, encouraging
  agro-forestry and forbidding the clearance of
  primary ecosystems
• Minimizing energy consumption by 30-70per unit
  of land by eliminating the energy required to
  manufacture synthetic fertilizers, and using
  internal farm inputs, thus reducing fuel used for
  transportation

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
4
Adaptation

• Organic systems contribute to climate change
  adaptation by
• Preventing nutrient and water loss through higher
  organic matter content and soil covers, thus
  making soils more resilient to floods, droughts
  and land degradation processes
• Preserving seed and crop diversity, which
  increases crop resistance to pests and diseases.
  Maintenance of diversity also helps farmers
  evolve new cropping to adapt to climatic changes
• Minimizing risk as a result of stable
• agro-ecosystems and yields,
• and lower production costs

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
5

• Organic Agriculture
• is an alternative for the agriculture sector in
  the mitigation and adaptation to climate change

Enjoy your organic meal at Green Week !
Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
6
International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements
Join us! Join the Organic
Movement!!
Rue du Commerce 124, 1000 Brussels Phone
32-2-280-12-23 Fax [phone] Email
info_at_ifoam-eu.org Website www.ifoam-eu.org
Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
7
IFOAM - global umbrella

• is the umbrella organisation of the worldwide
  organic agriculture movement
• 750 member organisations - 108 countries

• Mission and Goals
• Leading, uniting and assisting the organic
  movement in its full diversity
• The worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially
  and economically sound systems that are based on
  the principles of Organic Agriculture

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
8
IFOAM EU Group European umbrella

340 members in the EU

• consumer associations
• producer associations
• other professional groups
• research establishments
• certification bodies
• consultants
• development organisations
• commercial companies
• retailers

Dimitrios Bilalis
Thomas Dosch
John Portelli
Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
Marian Blom
9
IFOAM EU Group

• Aims and Objectives
• Promotion of organic agriculture and food
  production as set out in the IFOAM standards
• Coordination and representation of IFOAM members
  in EU
• Facilitation of information exchange between
  IFOAM members and other bodies

• Coordination and dissemination of research in
  organic food production
• Establishment of common policies within the Group

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009
10
IFOAM EU Group

• Current projects
• Influencing the revision of the EU regulation on
  organic farming (2092/91 and new 834/2008)
• Pushing for implementation and revision of the
  European Organic Action Plan
• Participating in research projects on organic
  issues and in Technology platform Organics
• Campaigning for lowest possible labelling
  thresholds for GM contamination in seeds, calling
  for an EU-wide coexistence regime to protect
  GM-free farming
• Preparation of the European Organic Congress on
  Climate Change, in December in Brussels

Green Week, 23 26 June 2009