Organic Update January 2007
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Organic Production is Good News
Climate change and drought continue to be headline news. More evidence is emerging showing that organic agriculture can make a positive contribution in alleviating these events. Organic agriculture's use of compost and crop diversity means it will also be able to better withstand the higher temperatures and more variable rainfall expected with global warming. The OFA wishes everybody a wonderful 2007 Best Regards
Drought Resilience in Ethopia
According to Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia, a village in the Tigray region of Ethiopia that had converted to organic agriculture continued to harvest crops during a severe drought, while neighbouring villages using conventional chemical fertilisers had nothing. Tewolde, who pioneered the organic systems in a number of communities in northern Ethiopia as a way of ensuring food security, reported that the early success has prompted government agricultural departments to adopt organic techniques.
Climate Change
A 23-year side-by-side comparison study conducted by the Rodale Institute showed the carbon levels of organic soils increased while there was little change in the non organic systems. The study also showed that organic systems used just 63 percent of the energy required by conventional farming system. Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels is the principal cause of global warming. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and put it into the soil as carbon compounds. The use of composts innoculates the soil with humus building micro organisms that convert these carbon compounds into humus. CSIRO research shows that humus chains can last thousand of years. El Salvador Organic Coffee Improves Standard of Living
The Santa Adelaida cooperative is expanding its organic production due to high demand. "We need to produce more coffee, because our customers want more of it, the demand is greater than what we produce," said José Sandoval, a Salvadoran small farmer and coop member. "We can visualise our entire production going organic by 2012, that is to say, 650 hectares," With the extra income the cooperative will be able to expand its educational, healthcare, housing, drinking water and electricity programmes for its 200 members, in addition to distributing profits of some 600 dollars each at the end of the year. In contrast, most traditional coffee growers in El Salvador are facing a crisis because of low coffee prices, insecurity, lack of field hands and bank embargoes. Many have abandoned their lands, or are splitting them up into smaller plots for sale. Source: IPS News Service
Asda - 3 Fold Increase in Organic Food Lines
UK Milk Market Grows by 40%
Natural and Organic Cosmetics worth A$1.5 billion
Jackie Chan Launches Organic Skin Care Products
A statement published on Chan’s official website stated: ‘In keeping with Jackie's history of preserving and protecting the environment, the products are composed of natural ingredients which are non-polluting and all packaging is made using recycled materials.’ Source: Organic Monitor Stella McCartney, Launches Organic Skin Care Line
Tesco Develops Organic Personal Care Product Range
Senior technologist Marion Morley says: "We had a gap in our offer. Customers wanted organic, recycled, paraben-free, SLS-free, natural fragrances etc so we tried to pull it all together." Two products that are organic are a hand wash and a cleansing bar, with a lip balm to follow. "We do want to make the range more organic but with one line we've already found it difficult to get supply. The decision made corporately is to be organic where we can," says Morley. Tesco aims to become the leading retailer of organic personal care products as well as organic foods. Source: Organic Monitor Mavi to Introduce Organic Jeans
Ecofarms (India) to Produce and Market Organic Garments
The company will launch menswear and under garments under the brand name, Earth Conscious. Source: India Business Insight
Biofach Feb 15 –18 2007 NEW Drought Portal on Rural RDC website
The Drought Portal will link producers to information from both collaborative projects such as Managing Climate Variability and Grain & Graze, as well as practical tools and information from individual RDCs. Information has been grouped into four topics:
Access the Drought Portal via www.ruralrdc.com.au Australian Vegetable Industry Conference 2007 - Vegetables Claim Centre Plate
Building on the success of the 2006 inaugural conference, 2007 is shaping up to be even bigger, with the general vegetable, onion, fresh potato and processing potato industries merging their conferences into one all inclusive event. The conference theme ‘vegetables claim centre plate’ reminds Australians that the vegetable industry is a serious agricultural contributor and reclaims the rightful place vegetables should have on the dinner plate of all Australians. Visit the AUSVEG website:http://www.ausveg.com.au/events-conferences.cfm to find out about the program, speakers, sponsorship, trade exhibition and registering for the Australian Vegetable Industry Conference 2007. The OFA is on the organising committee of this important national conference. We look forward to seeing you there. New Book on Organic Agriculture
Going Organic explores what it takes to get people involved in growing, selling, processing and eating organic food. It identifies a range of popular misconceptions about involvement in organics: that organic consumers are wealthy environmental and health extremists; that organic farmers are mostly in it for the money; and that growth in the industry will inevitably undermine its values as big business takes over. Going Organic argues that the future of organic food and agriculture will depend on the ability of the organic sector to develop more sustainable food systems; protect and enhance standards; improve the livelihoods of organic farmers; and achieve better supply chain coordination. Orders: www.cabi.org/bookshop
70% decline in Minerals in UK Conventional Food
"These declines are alarming," Ian Tokelove, spokesman for The Food Commission that published the results of the study. The Commission is a British non-governmental organisation advocating for healthier, safer food. The research found that parmesan cheese had 70 percent less magnesium and calcium, beef steaks contained 55 percent less iron, chicken had 31 percent less calcium and 69 percent less iron, while milk also showed a large drop in iron along with a 21 percent decline in magnesium. Copper also declined 60 percent in meats and 90 percent in dairy products. "It seems likely that intensive farming methods are responsible for this," Tokelove said. Source: Stephen Leahy, IPS News Service Pesticides Effect Neurobehavioral Development in Children
The study publish in the peer reviewed scientific journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, compared neurobehavioral development in Ecuadoran children living in two communities with high potential for exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides to that of children living in a community with low potential for exposure. The researchers concluded ‘Residence in communities with high potential for exposure to OP and carbamate pesticides was associated with poorer neurobehavioral development of the child …’. Pesticides Linked to Leukemia and Prostate Cancer
The researchers from the US National Cancer Institute, University of Iowa and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences stated that ‘Relative to the unexposed, leukemia risk was elevated in the highest category of lifetime… among applicators with a family history of prostate cancer, we observed a significant dose–response trend for lifetime exposure-days.’ Pesticides Linked to Childhood Asthma
‘Our results are consistent with other studies that have found associations between exposures to OP pesticides and self-reported exacerbation or onset of respiratory disorders in adults (Hoppin et al. 2002; Zhang et al. 2002) and children (Salam et al. 2004). Salam et al. (2004) found that exposure to herbicides and pesticides, in the first year of life, was associated with higher odds of asthma in children.’
Biofach Feb 15 –18 2007 Biodynamic Workshops
See www.biodynamics.net.au for details or phone 02 6655 0566 Managing the Carbon Cycle For more info: www.amazingcarbon.com Australian Vegetable Industry Conference 2007 - Vegetables Claim Centre Plate
Visit the AUSVEG website:http://www.ausveg.com.au/events-conferences.cfm to find out about the program, speakers, sponsorship, trade exhibition and registering for the Australian Vegetable Industry Conference 2007. Veg Out Farmers’ Market Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmers’ Market Gasworks Farmers’ Market
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