Who is the Organic Agriculture

Researcher?

Joint Workshop8 Dec, 2010 @ AUA

moderator: Dr Anastasios Koutoumanos,

TEI of Athens

Organic ?

●Agriculture, based on:○ Crop rotation,○ Green manure,○ Compost & Biological pest control,○ Hormones & additives free, ○ No genetically modified organisms

●Other names or other business?○ vs. Conventional Agriculture○ vs. Ecological Agriculture (Agroecology)○ vs. Biodynamic Farming (Rudolf Steiner -1924)○ vs. Biological Agriculture○ vs. Sustainable Agriculture

Institutions

● Forschungsring (Germany)●German Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL)● FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

(Switzerland, Germany, Austria), ●Organic Research Centre Elm Farm (UK), ● Louis-Bolk-Institute (NL), ● Intl Centre of Organic Food Systems (ICROFS - DK),●Organic Centre of Canada (OACC)●Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA)●Rodale Institute (USA)● ...●many more university chairs and institutes

Key results from the FiBL and IFOAM survey as published in The World of Organic Agriculture

2010 Source: IFOAM FiBL/Survey 2010.

Regulations

● Private associations certify organic producers since 1970● Large number of standards and specifications by IFOAM:

○ International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (est. 1972)

●Regulations of production methods and final output●OA regulated and legally enforced by many nations

○ EU-Eco (No 2092/1991, supplemented No 1804/1999)○US National Organic Program (NOP - 2002)

● IFOAM "Principles of Organic Agriculture" (2005)

From Land use and crop (as published in The World of Organic Agriculture 2010)Source: IFOAM FiBL/Survey 2010.

Research Networks

● ISOFAR○ International Society of Organic Agriculture Research

● NORA○Network for Organic Agriculture Research in Africa

● MOAN○ Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network

● National initiatives○ COR - Colloquium of Organic Researchers (UK)○ RIRAB - Italian Network of Organic Researchers

ORCA

●Organic Research Centres Alliance (proposed)○ International network○ Joint initiative

■ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO - UN)■ Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL)■ Danish International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems

(ICROFS)■ More partners have joined:

■ IFOAM,■ ISOFAR, ■ and the list is growing!

■ (Sponsor) funding is still awaited...

Who pays?

●Government funding■ e.g. Federal Organic Farming Scheme (BOEL, GE)

○ EU funding■CORE Organic■Organic.Edunet

○USA funding■US Farm Bill

○ Australian Organic "Hub"●Organic industry

Fields

11 ORCA Centres 22 Topics

ORCA Centres

● Five focus on specific agro-ecosystems:○ Coastal and small islands;○ Hilly and mountains;○ Arid and semi-arid;○ Humid and sub-humid; ○ Temperate and irrigated.

● Six focus on cross-sectoral topics:○Climate change;○Urban and periurban agro-ecosystems;○Nutrition, quality and health;○ Economics, markets and trade;○ Post-harvest handling and food safety;○ Seeds and breeds.

Research Agenda

● ISOFAR + the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture○ facilitated a discussion among scientists from European

countries ○ to draw up an organic research agenda○ for the next 20 years.○ Published in 2008○ Technology Platform TP Organics launched Dec'08

■ hosted by the IFOAM EU Group, based in Brussels○Organic research priorities

Research Methodology

● Emphasis in epistemology● Science across disciplines● Focus on diversity & mutual help● Inherent conflict

○ the reductionistic character of analytical sciences ○ and the holistic character of their object

● Participatory design○ Engagement of practitioners (farmers)○ Pragmatic research - aid the developing world

■ Merge traditional and scientific knowledge■ Investigate alternative approaches

Anthroposophical approach

●Biodynamic method of farming, originated from the lectures of Rudolf Steiner (Steiner, 1924).○ Farm as a "living organism"

● Everything which is essential for life on a farm should be produced within the farm.

● Field innovations are pursued:○ enable voices not yet considered by the dominant research

system■ including farmers’ knowledge ■ and empirical experience

Research publication

1. Journals (rated by impact factor)2. International Conferences (refereed)3.National Conferences (refereed)4.Other events and proceedings

But also, tacit knowledge● embedded in work-practices, ● farmer's experiences and 'spirit'

Data collection systems and data sources for basic data (land, operators) by geographical region 2008

VOA3R

Virtual Open Access Agriculture & Aquaculture Repository

Sharing Scientific and Scholarly Researchrelated to Agriculture, Food, and Environment

O.A. forOpen Access & Organic Agriculture

http://voa3r.eu

Food for thought● WHO:

○ Who are the people in your research environment that you want to tell about this great open access service?

○ List user categories/audiences (colleagues, communities, institutions) that you feel would love this service

● WHAT:○ Which research outcomes do you find more appropriate & relevant

to offer through an open access policy/paradigm?■ type / formats, state, policy / access rights

● HOW:○ What lifecycles exist and are used in your community? (collect all

lifecycles for each of your communities)○ What innovations are needed?

VOA3R

Virtual Open Access Agriculture & Aquaculture Repository

Sharing Scientific and Scholarly Researchrelated to Agriculture, Food, and Environment

Online Survey:http://goo.gl/x3gVR