Working together to enable farmers as agile entrepreneurs – European Biostimulants’ summit

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.

The manifesto of the organic movement provides more details on how policymakers can improve farmers’ livelihoods and enable their entrepreneurship.