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Organic Federation of Australia Organic Update October 2005 |
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The last week of Sept 2005 has been one of the most significant for the world and Australian organic sectors with the outstanding success World Congress, the Go Organic Festival and the IFOAM General Assembly. This edition of the Organic Update is devoted entirely to these events to inform every one about many of things that have transpired. A November edition of the Organic Update will feature a wide range of organic news and issues.
World Congress
More than 1000 delegates from 72 countries participated in the
largest organic event to ever happen in Australia. The threes days of
the World Congress featured 360 papers, numerous workshops and three
concurrent conferences – The IFOAM World Conference, the ISOFAR
Scientific Conference and the Organic Viticulture and Wine Conference.
A broad range of issues were covered that included improved production methods, development policies, biodiversity, climate change, fossil fuel depletion, carbon sequestration, fair trade, social justice, food security, organic food quality, animal husbandry, animal welfare, national perspectives and organic agriculture’s contribution to rural development.
The 8th International IFOAM Organic Viticulture and Wine Conference saw several of the world’s experts on organic viticulture discuss the many challenges and opportunities for improving the production, quality and marketing of organic wine.
The International Scientific Conference on Organic Agriculture delved into the latest research and technical advances in organic agriculture. Organized by the International Society for organic Agricultural Research (ISOFAR), the newly established global scientific research authority for organic agriculture, the conference advanced the global cooperation in research, methodological development, education and knowledge exchange.
The keynote speakers covered a wide range of interesting topics, however if there was an overall theme it was the importance of embracing diversity and sustainability. As part of the environmental sustainability delegates contributed to a greenhouse carbon levy to pay for planting of trees that will sequester the greenhouse gases generated by the conference and associated conference travel.
The 15th IFOAM Organic World Congress passed a Congress Declaration that calls upon governments worldwide to actively endorse and practically support organic agriculture. The complete text of the Adelaide Declaration can be found later in this organic update. For more information on the world congress: http://www.ifoam.org/press/press/Organic_World_Congress_Results.html
Go Organic Festival
The Go Organic Festival exceeded all expectations. Over 200
hundred stallholders and more than 25,000 visitors participated the two
days of festivities. The festival had and extensive range of organic
and eco products from fresh fruit and vegetables at he farmers markets,
to juices, wines, cooked food, cosmetics, natural health products,
books, farm products, workshops, cooking demonstrations and continuous
presentations by a range of interesting speakers.
The Festival organisers are to be congratulated for organising such a successful event and I hope to see this an annual event.
I would like to thank all our sponsors and exhibitors for contributing to the success these events. I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Congress organising committee for the enormous amount of time and work they have devoted to the success of these events. These are Jan Denham, Robin Austin, Liz Clay, Tim Marshall, Rod May, George Devrell and Ian Doyle.
I would particularly like to thank Jan
Denham, the conference convenor, and NASAA for providing the funding
and organisational support for this huge undertaking. NASAA is one of
Australia’s largest and the oldest organic certification organisations
with just under 1000 certifications in Australia and 8,500
certifications in Asia and the Pacific. NASAA has a history of
organising and participating in events and processes that benefit the
whole of the organic sector, not just its own organisation.
Finally, I would like to thank IFOAM
for uniting the organic world and providing such an important forum for
us. This was a magnificent opportunity for all of us to form links with
our colleagues around the world.
Best Regards
Andre Leu
Chair
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ADELAIDE DECLARATION
The 15th Organic World Congress of the International Federation of
Organic
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) calls upon governments worldwide:
It also calls on international agribusiness to listen to the consumer and to embrace more organic principles, and thus develop truly sustainable agricultural and food systems.
The 1,000 delegates from over 70 countries supported this declaration at the 15th Organic World Congress held in Adelaide, Australia from September 20th – 23rd 2005. The Congress presented 360 papers on a broad range of issues including development policies, contributions of organic agriculture to biodiversity, climate change, fossil fuel depletion and carbon sequestration, social justice, food security and quality, animal husbandry and animal welfare, and national perspectives of organic agriculture’s contribution to rural development.
The associated scientific conference underpinned the organic perspective with data to support and prove the claims made.
Organic agriculture is a comprehensive system affecting all levels of sustainability –ecological, social and economic. Organic practices enable farmers to improve soil fertility and prevent soil degradation, one of the world’s main agricultural problems.
The safety and security of food are enhanced by the integrated and traceable approach to production which draws on century old traditions and the latest best practice ecological sciences to work in balance with nature and biodiversity. Organic agriculture concerns itself with more than output. It values the input of those who produce the food and the health and wellbeing of those who eat it – people. Other farming systems claim to be sustainable, but offer only partial solutions, sometimes creating new problems without addressing systemic issues.
Organic agriculture has the leading role in shaping sustainable systems.
September 23, 2005
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IFOAM
General Assembly
This event was conducted over three days with around 250 IFOAM
member organisations discussing and voting on a range of issues. The
most significant were the elections of the new world board and the
adoption of a revised set of organic principles.
The approved Principles of Organic Agriculture consist of 4 principles upon which organic agriculture is based:
The Principle of Health - Organic Agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal and human as one and indivisible.
The Principle of Ecology - Organic Agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.
The Principle of Fairness - Organic Agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.
The Principle of Care - Organic Agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well being of current and future generations and the environment.
The Preamble explains that the "Principles apply to agriculture in the broadest sense, including the way people tend soils, water, plants and animals in order to produce, prepare and distribute goods. They concern the way people interact with living landscapes, relate to one another and shape the legacy of future generations." Each principle is followed by an action-oriented explanation.
IFOAM’s newly elected president Gerald A. Herrmann from Germany stated, "The formulation of the Principles of Organic Agriculture at the global level is a major achievement. The Principles of Organic Agriculture have been approved at a time when governments are revising their regulations of organic agriculture. The public demands a value oriented and credible system based on a clearly identifiable framework, and IFOAM is just the organization to provide this. The Principles of Organic Agriculture should also be recognized as a foundation for public regulations. IFOAM will make significant efforts to ensure that the Principles of Organic Agriculture are recognized by the Codex Alimentarius, other United Nations agencies and governments worldwide."
IFOAM General
Assembly Elects New IFOAM World Board
>From a slate of 19 candidates, the General
Assembly of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM), which took place from September 25th-27th in
Adelaide, Australia, elected 10 World Board members, including 4
standing members. The new World Board has chosen Gerald A. Herrmann,
Germany, as its President and Mette Meldgaard, Denmark, and Alberto
(Pipo) Lernoud, Argentina, as Vice Presidents.
Members coming from more than 70 countries, thus representing the broad constituency of the federation, established the quorum of the IFOAM General Assembly. The new World Board will serve a term of three years until the next General Assembly in 2008.
"This board, representing our full membership, is committed to not only the success and future of IFOAM, but the organic sector in its entirety," remarked Angela B. Caudle, Executive Director of IFOAM. "I am delighted with our new and returning board members and know that they will provide strong leadership and vision to IFOAM."
The presidency of IFOAM is a three-year term. "Throughout my involvement in the movement, I’ve been passionate about working with all the dedicated people from around the world," Herrmann reflected. "Their support and knowledge are a tremendous strength for moving organic food and farming forward as they are reflecting the interests and great diversity of the organic sector."
Brief information about each World Board member for the 2005-2008 period:
Gerald A. Herrmann, Germany – Gerald A. Herrmann has been involved in the organic sector since 1985 and first began working with farmers assisting their conversion to organic. He was the President and Executive of Naturland, an IFOAM Accredited Certifier, for more than a decade, and has authored many publications and spoken widely about organic agriculture. He has been serving as the IFOAM Executive Director for the last year. He was member of the Board since 1995, the Treasurer of the World Board from 1998-2000, and its Vice President from 2000-2005. He currently is the Director of Organic Services GmbH, Vice President of Ecoland and board member of the Nature & More Foundation.
Alberto (Pipo) Lernoud, Argentina – Alberto (Pipo) Lernoud began writing articles in 1980 as editor of the magazine Expreso Imaginaro and edited the first book on organic farming in Latin America. He is co-founder of MAPO, the umbrella organization for the organic movement in Argentina. He has served on the IFOAM World Board since 1998, and has been the Vice President since 2002. Together with his wife Maria Calzada, he runs an organic shop, restaurant and catering service El Rincon Organico and has established the foundation Cocina de la Tierra to promote indigenous products and knowledge and support biodiversity in Latin America.
Mette Meldgaard, Denmark – Mette Meldgaard has been involved in the organic movement since 1983, first as a small-scale farmer, and subsequently as a policy analyst for the Danish Association for Organic Farming. She worked as the Danish representative in the IFOAM EU Regional Group serving as chair of the policy committee thus participating in the advocacy for the EU Organic Action Plan. Currently she is involved in organic agriculture policy research projects.
Antonio Compagnoni, Italy – Antonio Compagnoni has been an organic farmer since the mid 1980s, and was later founder and president of an organic farmer’s cooperative, which subsequently became one of the founding organizations of AIAB, the Italian umbrella organization for organic agriculture. He has served IFOAM in different capacities including the Norms Management Committee, the International Task Force on Harmonization, and as an IFOAM World Board member since 1998. He currently works to expand certification services of ICEA, the Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification and serves as the Vice President of AIAB Emilia Romagna and as a board member for Fairtrade-Transfair Italia, among a host of other local and cooperative activities related to organic farming.
Prabha Mahale, India – Prabha Mahale has been a university professor, researcher, development worker and consultant for most of her 35-year career, and has focused on anthropology, gender studies, rural development and environmental issues. She has been extensively engaged in organic agriculture for the last 13 years, has worked for the promotion of the local market for organic products in Delhi, and has worked for a certification body. She has served as an IFOAM World Board member since 2002. Currently, she supports NGO capacity building and trains small and marginal farmers to operate organic farms and manage Internal Control Systems (Smallholder Group Certification) and organic certification.
Brendan Hoare, New Zealand – Brendan Hoare has been committed to organic agriculture for 23 years. Over the last seven years he has served as the President of the Soil and Health Association, the Director of BioGro and Chair of the Organic Federation of Aotearoa New Zeland. Currently, he chairs the National Organic Sector Board of New Zealand, is the Team Leader for the Pacific-focused Journal of Organic Systems, audits a national participatory guarantee program and serves as Chair of the ‘econation2020 Trust’. He is also employed as a senior academic in Sustainable Production Systems at Unitec New Zealand, is the Director of the Unitec Hortecology Sanctuary/ Mahi Whenua, a certified organic demonstration and research facility.
Ong Kung Wai, Malaysia – Ong Kung Wai first became involved in the organic sector in 1983 during a period of voluntary service with disabled adults in the US, which lead him to enroll in training in Biodynamic Agriculture and Rural Development at Emerson College in the United Kingdom. He has been involved with IFOAM since 1990 in various capacities including as a member of the Norms Management Committee, and has served as a board member of the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS) since 1998. He is founder of Humus consultancy for the development of organic agriculture.
Jacqueline Haessig Alleje, Philippines – Jacqueline Haessig Alleje has been involved in organic agriculture for the last 15 years. She has been owner and manager of the Rizal Dairy Farms since 1992, and one of the founders of the first organic market in the Philippines in 1994. In 1995, she co-founded the Organic Producers Trade Association of the Philippines (OPTA). She has been a key player in the development of national organic standards in the Philippines, and is a strong advocate for the recognition of women’s roles in agriculture. She is founder and President of ‘Petra’s Naturally’, the first organic catering service in the Philippines, and Ecological Earth Planners & Consultancy (EEP).
Mwatima Juma, Tanzania – Mwatima Juma holds a PhD in crop physiology from London University. She has been involved in the organic sector since 1997, having been recruited as an organic inspector. She served as the Commissioner for Agriculture, Research and Extension in the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture. She is currently the Tanzanian representative for the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), an active member of the International Task Force for Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture (ITF) a board member of the Tanzanian Certification Organization (TanCert) and Chair of the Tanzanian Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM). She is also a member of the IFOAM Africa Organic Service Center advisory committee and runs her own organic spice farm in Zanzibar.
Johan Cejie, Sweden –Johan Cejie works since many years for the Swedish certification and standard setting body KRAV as the quality and environmental manager, and is responsible for accreditation, project management and process development, including managing a project to establish standards and certification for sustainable fisheries. He has served as the Chair of IFOAM’s Norms Management Committee since the General Assembly in 2002.
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Veg Out St Kilda Farmers’ Market
22nd October and the fourth Saturday of every month in 2005
Peanut Farm Oval, between Chaucer & Spenser Streets, St Kilda
8.00 am – 12.30 pm.
More Information Contact:
Don Linke on 0407 411198 or Miranda Sharp on 0429 146 627
Organic Growers of Australia Inc AGM OCT 29 10.00
Forest Glen Organic Farm 1630 Whiporie Rd
Bungawalbin, NSW 2471 02 6683 2832
Biodynamic Workshops
Biodynamic AgriCulture Australia
P.O.Box 54, Bellingen NSW 2454
ph 02 6655 0566 fax 02 6655 0565
October 29-30 Introductory Biodynamics for Horticulture,
Donnybrook, WA
Nov 1-2, 05 Biodynamics for Viticulture Cowaramup, WA Nov 5 & 6, 05 Permaculture meets Biodynamics Nabiac, NSW Nov 9 & 10, 05 Biodynamics for Horticulture & Market
Gardening Beerwah, QLD Nov 14, 05 Biodynamics for Broadacre Cropping &
Pasture Mngt Wandoan, QLD Nov 16-17, 05 Biodynamics for Horticulture & Pasture
Management Yeppoon, QLD Nov 26-27, 05 Biodynamics for Dairy, Horticulture &
Pasture Mngt Paris Creek, SA Nov 29-30, 05 Biodynamics for Viticulture & Grazing Naracoorte, SA Dec 2 & 3, 05 Biodynamic Dairy Farming Warragul, VIC Dec 5 & 6, 05 Biodynamics for Viticulture Sutton Grange, VIC
October 26-27 Introductory Biodynamics for Horticulture and Olives,
Neerabup, WA
Peaceful Gardens Organic Cooking School Program For 05/06
Phone 03 56640109 for bookings! @Koonwarra, South Gippsland, Victoria.
November:
Saturday 5th And off to market we go! 8.30am – 3pm
Tour the local Koonwarra farmers’ market with Maria, select the best
produce and turn your purchases into beautiful meals!
Tuesday 15th Edible Christmas Gifts 9 – 4pm There is
no greater pleasure than the giving of gifts & making those gifts
yourself, just takes the biscuit!
Saturday 19th Festive Cooking ! 9.30am – 5pm
Glazed ham, pates, mince pies, puddings and Christmas
Wednesday 23rd Strawberry fields & strawberry yields!
8.45am – 1pm
Strawberry picking and jamming with Tina
Tuesday 29th Easy nourishing holiday food for when its too
hot to cook! 9– 4pm
December:
Friday 2nd Farm harvest - picking & jamming 8.45am-1pm
Learn how to select fruit & make jam.
Saturday 3rd Harvest Pantry! To the Market to Make it 8.30am
– 3pm
Friday 9th Preserving a way of life! - with Fowlers Vacola
8.45am – 3pm Saturday 10th Chocolate Lovers Workshop! 9- 3pm
Tina’s chocolate Christmas trees in one lesson.
Tuesday 13th Have a berry good Christmas! Jam and
biscuits! 9 – 1pm
Friday 30th Kids Farmberry Tour 10yrs – 14yrs 9 – 1pm .
Jams & Biscuits
GeneEthics to host national tour by Dr Charles Benbrook,
US GE critic
In the wake of recent revelations of widespread GE
contamination of conventional canola crops, US agricultural economist
Dr Charles Benbrook will offer an important and timely analysis of the
US experience of growing genetically engineered crops. He brings almost
twenty years experience as an adviser and policy analyst at the highest
levels of the US government. Dr Benbrook was the Executive Director of
the Board on Agriculture of the US National Academy of Sciences for
seven years, and has carried out extensive research on the economic and
environmental impacts of growing genetically engineered crops.
The GeneEthics Network Australia is hosting Dr Benbrook for a national tour from 28 November - 9 December. The tour will travel through all states' capital cities, Orange, Horsham and Mt Gambier. Check the GeneEthics website http://www.geneethics.org/ for details of industry and public meetings, and supporters' dinners near you, or contact georgia@geneethics.org for more information.
Itinerary
Mon 28/11 day-time government meetings in Sydney evening
supporters’ dinner in Canberra
Tue 29/11 day-time government & industry meetings in
Canberra evening supporters’ dinner in Sydney
Wed 30/11 day-time government & industry meetings in Sydney
evening public meeting in Orange
Thu 1/12 day-time industry meetings in Orange evening public
meeting in Brisbane
Fri 2/12 day-time government & industry meetings in Brisbane
Mon 5/12 day-time government & industry meetings in Melbourne
evening supporters’ dinner in Hobart
Tue 6/12 day-time government & industry meetings in Hobart
evening public meeting in Horsham
Wed 7/12 day-time industry meeting in Horsham, visit Mt Gambier
evening supporters' dinner Adelaide
Thu 8/12 day-time government & industry meetings in Adelaide
evening supporters’ dinner Perth
Fri 9/12 day-time government & industry meetings in Perth
"EcoV - The Global Organics & Sustainability Show"
Bendigo Exhibition Centre 5 – 7 May 2006
Further details on EcoV can be found on the website www.ecov.net.au
0404 06 1404 (03) 9889 5631 ecov@ecov.net.au
Organic Expo Sydney, 21-23 July 2006
The very successful Organic Expo will held again in Darling Harbour,
Sydney, 21-23 July 2006
Phone +61 1300 657 435 PO Box 166 Oakleigh South Vic 3167 Australia Join the OFA Subscribe to the Organic Update |
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