Review of events

On 13 June 2024, IFOAM Organics Europe’s Director Eduardo Cuoco spoke at a session Supporting farmers in times of turbulence at the European Biostimulants Industry Council (EBIC)’s summit. He elaborated on organic farmers’ advantages as agile entrepreneurs, informing the audience that they are innovative, knowledgeable and adaptable, and are used to master new solutions and use the right tools at the right moment.

Why? Organic farmers are truly agile as they invest in their (and our) futures by building a healthy, resilient system as independent from external inputs as possible. Because they do not use synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, they are constant innovators, using a wide toolset from knowledge exchange to digitalisation.

Eduardo ended by stating that, despite steady organic market growth in Europe and the organic logo being widely recognised, organic farmers still face challenges in embracing entrepreneurship. To overcome them they need:

• Technical and financial support for conversion and maintenance – EU policies like the Common Agricultural Policy should reward sustainable farmers and pioneers;
• Robust policies and funding to support educational initiatives and the development of organic farming networks;

Adequate representation at the political level.

On 28 the frame of in the IPMWORKS project, we hosted a webinar on greenhouses and biodiversity – the last one in a series on organic practices. Hosting the webinar, Alba Saez, R&I coordinator at IFOAM Organics Europe introduced the topic and its contribution to the EU Green Deal’s goals and pointing out that more and more farmers understand the role of biodiversity in farming. Two experts shared their research experience on biodiversity management in organic greenhouses.

Mónica González, part of Agrobio‘s R&D department, started research on the selection of native shrubs to promote the presence of beneficial auxiliary biodiversity in greenhouses in 2010. Mónica gave an overview of biodiversity’s role in managing pests and diseases, highlighting that effective biocontrol requires an abundance and diversity of crops’ natural enemies – in balance with naturally existing plant species within and outside the greenhouse. She also talked about ecological infrastructures promoting functional diversity, such as hedgerows, biodiversity islands, and cover crops. All information is available in Mónica’s presentation for the IPMWORKS webinar on greenhouses and biodiversity.

Jérôme Lambion, agronomist at the Research Group for Organic Farming (GRAB) focussing on applied research on crop protection in greenhouses continued. sharing his experience in Southern France, an area where greenhouses are the dominant type of organic vegetable production, Jérome talked about how to integrate service plants in greenhouse horticulture to improve pest control. He presented clear steps to take to manage the functional biodiversity in a greenhouse through habitat management or conservation. These steps included identifying service plants and integrating them into the cropping system through various agroecological infrastructures. His presentation is available online.

If you found this topic interesting, you may also like IPMWORKS’ other webinars:

• #1 on minimising the use of copper in orchards, outdoor vegetable farms and vineyards; and
•  #2 on weed control in organic arable farms

These webinars were part of the EU-funded project IPMWORKS. The project promotes the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, based on a EU-wide network of farmers, who will both progress further in the adoption of IPM – through peer-to-peer learning and joint efforts – and demonstrate to other farmers holistic IPM approaches. IFOAM Organics Europe is a partner in the project.

You can follow @H2020IPMWorks on Twitter, LinkedIn & YouTube to stay tuned.

On 4 July 2024, the LiveSeeding project organised a learning exchange on organic seed databases, using examples from Spain and Austria’s national organic seed databases, the EU Organic Seed Router database and OrganicXSeeds.

The meeting fostered cross-country exchange to increase transparency in the organic seed and breeding sector. This was reflected in the participation that ranged from representatives of competent authorities, agricultural ministries, control bodies, seed authorities, seed database manager, breeder and multiplier of organic plant reproductive material (PRM) and organic farming associations.

Presentations during the webinar:

• Miguel Vega García from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food who presented the Spanish national database ECOSID on the availability of organic and in-conversion plant reproductive material;
• Kaja Gutzen from the German Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL Germany e.V.) who gave a first presentation on the database OrganicXseed and how it can be adapted to national needs and a second one on the EU Organic Seed Router database and new features that will be implemented within the LiveSeeding project;
• Angela Thüringer from AGES Austria who presented the organic seed and planting material database in Austria.

Recording of the webinar Exchange on organic seed and planting material databases are available.

The LiveSeeding project is a four-year Innovation Action on organic seed and plant breeding to accelerate sustainable and diverse food systems in Europe, which started in October 2022 and will run until September 2026. It provides science-based evidence and best practice solutions to help achieve 100 % organic seed. To deliver on its ambitious goal, LiveSeeding brings together 37 organisations from a wide range of sectors operating in 16 European countries and can build on the knowledge developed in the LIVESEED project (2017-2021).

The project has a budget of €6.6 million, funded by the European Union, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). FiBL Europe coordinates this Horizon Europe-funded project and its 37 partners. IFOAM Organics Europe is responsible for stakeholder management. Learn more about and follow the project on www.liveseeding.eu, LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

The second edition of the Organics Europe Youth Event (OEYE) was held at CIHEAM Bari, Italy, on July 8-9, 2024. This vibrant and exciting event provided an inspiring platform for meaningful exchanges on topics crucial to the organic and like-minded movements. It marked a significant milestone in our effort to mobilize, unite, and engage the new generation within the European organic movement, fostering a supportive community where young people can collaborate and find inspiration.

Participants at the event had the opportunity to delve into a variety of discussions, lectures, and interactive sessions led by prominent figures in organic and sustainable agriculture. Notable speakers included Ronald van Marlen, General Director of NaNa Bio, and Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, and scholar. Their contributions, along with those of other experts, helped illuminate critical aspects of organic agriculture and resilient food systems. After the event, participants had also the opportunity to join two excursions to an organic olive oil mill and an organic pasta factory to witness first-hand Italian organic production.

The event was a fertile ground for generating important insights and considerations about the future of organic farming. Both speakers and participants shared visions and ideas, providing valuable guidance for the future of the organic movement.

We selected 10 key takeaways that best reflect the main messages and themes explored during the event. These takeaways were selected also based on input provided by participants at the event:

1. Over 130 young (potential) future organic leaders from all over Europe and the world joined the youth event in Bari, committed to building a more resilient and sustainable food system. Their enthusiasm and dedication to making the world a better place were evident throughout the event, as they actively engaged with speakers and shared their visions for the future of organic agriculture. We are grateful to all participants for their inspirational presence and hope they returned home motivated and inspired.
2. Our panel on organic, agroecology, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture showed that all these farming systems share key principles and want to regenerate our soils and make food production more sustainable. We already collaborate with many of these actors, and we seek positive collaboration with those who don’t have a legally defined standard but share similar goals and are not being used for greenwashing purposes.
3. Biodistricts also have a sustainable farming approach and make local economies more resilient, fostering rural community development. Participants learned about examples from Italy and Germany and their potential to create jobs, preserve traditional farming knowledge, and transform rural areas into vibrant communities.
4. Dr. Vandana Shiva highlighted organic’s pivotal role in ecological activism, encouraging everyone to take action, and highlighting how individuals have the power to build a robust movement for a resilient food system. She also called on the audience to empower young people and actively engage in this effort.
5. Access to knowledge is crucial for young organic entrepreneurs. Because organic is knowledge-intensive, open knowledge exchange and innovation are essential for organic businesses, particularly for those new to the sector. Policies can encourage this! Read more in our manifesto.
6. Ronald van Marlen emphasised the organic sector’s need to reclaim its narrative, positioning organic practices as a powerful driver of positive change in both society and agriculture. He also underscored the importance for organic to remain at the forefront of a wider social movement, highlighting its potential as a socio-economic model contributing to health, environmental protection, and fairness in agriculture.
7. Ensuring the organic movement’s progress requires having the right people in the right positions. We need forward-thinking leaders and conscious policymakers who are willing to address the challenges faced by our food systems. Generational renewal plays a pivotal role in this endeavour, and active youth participation promises a vibrant future for organic.
8. The event highlighted the importance of nurturing diversity and open-mindedness within the organic movement. By embracing different voices, perspectives, and approaches, and aligning with allied movements, we can strengthen our impact.
9. (Organic) certification is an important instrument of transparency and the only way not to succumb to greenwashing. Certification can safeguard the rights of consumers and organic producers and ensure that sustainability is no longer just a tagline for companies.
10. Our youth event was more than learning by attending panels. Participants could connect and network during coffee breaks and networking apéro, joined a yoga session, quizzes, and games, and sweated it off during a dance hall animated by local folk music artists!

Looking ahead, we remain committed to motivating, inspiring, and empowering young people to make a significant impact within the organic movement.

Couldn’t attend the event, but would like to take a peek of its memorable moments? Have a look at our Instagram account.

Stay tuned for the next edition of the Organics Europe Youth Event by subscribing to our newsletter at www.organicseurope.bio/newsletter and following @OrganicsEurope on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Feel free to contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

Following the Strategic Dialogue for the future of EU agriculture’s recommendations, many agrifood stakeholders, high-level policymakers, civil society and the organic movement continued discussing and building the sector’s future.

Opening by the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture

In his opening remarks, Dr. István Nagy, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, both highlighted organic’s contributions to making the world better every day and stressed its role as leading model of sustainable farming.

Following the Minister, organic sector representatives Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe’s President, and Dora Drexler, Managing Director at the Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi), highlighted organic’s role as bridge-builder and innovator beyond technology.

High-level exchanges on the EU agrifood’s common future

Following the opening, high-level representatives of the EU institutions and national ministries exchanged on recent political developments about the new EU political mandate to address current social, environmental and  economic crises.

Farming organisations discuss the CAP’s potential

We continue building a common vision for the EU agrifood’s future, taking a deep-dive into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with representatives of the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, farmers and agri-cooperatives (COPA-COGECA) and young farmers (CEJA).

Since 1962, the CAP has played a crucial role in developing European farming. To date, 31% of the EU budget still goes to the CAP. EU and national policymakers’ decisions about which farming systems and practices to promote through the CAP directly shape the kind of food system we have in the EU.

As European organic movement, we believe that a CAP fit for the future is in line with the Strategic Dialogue’s opinion that a transition to sustainable agri-food systems is necessary and there are solutions that work for farmers, nature and society.

This is why we published the organic movement’s vision on a CAP fit for the future on 10 September. This vision urges that the CAP needs an ambitious reform to enable an agroecological transition of Europe’s agriculture, while:

1. Supporting all farmers who want to transform their farms sustainably using a whole-farm approach;
2. Adequately rewarding farmers engaged in sustainability systems, such as organic farmers, for the benefits they already deliver to the environment and society; and
3. Ensuring the sector’s competitiveness.

Following the summer break for many, harvest time has begun. This is visible in farmers’ produce reaching our forks and in governments being formed. At EU-level, the outgoing European Commission recently presented its report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, guiding the next European Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food. 

The 2024 edition of the European Organic Congress could not have been timelier. High-level representatives of the EU institutions, national ministries and Members of the European Parliament exchanged on recent political developments about the new EU political mandate to address current social, environmental and economic crises with a common vision – across the agri-food sector, civil society and the world of science. Our recap of the first day elaborates on this.

What are our main take-aways as organisers? 

1. In three words: Engagement, consciousness, and political agreement. The organic movement is a bridge-builder across generations, nations, agricultural practices & practitioners, supply chain actors, movements, researchers and policymakers at various levels. 
2. Dr. István Nagy, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, both highlighted organic’s contributions to making the world better every day and stressed its role as leading model of sustainable farming (a thread). 
3. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should change before it can transform agriculture. It must support and reward both farmers who want to transform their farms sustainably as well as those already delivering – at the same time ensuring the sector’s competitiveness (a thread and organic’s vision). 
4. While the EU organic market is a mixed picture across countries and consumers spent less on food overall in 2023 than before, organic consumers remain willing to buy organic products and there is value growth in many EU markets  (a thread). 
5. Opportunities for organic: Setting minimum criteria for organic in sustainable public procurement (infographics), empowering consumers (a thread) & international trade (a thread). 
6. Threats to organic and small and medium-sized businesses: New genomic techniques and patents on them reduce growers’, breeders’ and consumers’ freedom of choice (a thread and infographic). 
7. It is crucial to ensure farmers’ livelihoods and to lower the burden that rules and regulations – which should benefit them – often put on them. 
8. EU research and innovation priorities and dedicated funding (Horizon Europe) can stimulate a transformation of our food and farming system by creating networks for knowledge exchange and ‘real life’ laboratories like living labs and lighthouse farms. 
9. Many organic practitioners are working tirelessly to provide us with healthy and fair food that was produced with the environment and workers in mind. Examples of excellence along the organic supply chain is awarded annually in the EU Organic Awards and extra visible on EU Organic Day on 23 September. 

Relive the 2024 European Organic Congress:

• X with #EOC2024  
• Facebook photo album  
• Congress website with available materials and presentations 

Our next European Organic Congress will take place on 18-19 August 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.