2020 Highlights of IFOAM - Organics International
2020 has been a year like no other, with the global pandemic leaving us all faced with many unexpected challenges. COVID has provided us with a looking glass and revealed the underlying vulnerabilities of global food production and the necessity of a transformation of our food systems towards true sustainability.
Though many parts of our world were forced to come to a halt, it was a busy year nonetheless! As we look back, we are happy to share with you some of our collective achievements at the global level with the 2020 Highlights of IFOAM - Organics International!
Highlighting Farmers Work | Guiding Organic | From Local to Global and Beyond
No Farmers, No Food, No Future.
#IGrowYourFood
September 25, 2020 marked the second edition of the #IGrowYourFood Action Day. Organic farmers, suppliers, and organizations from around the globe were put in the spotlight, sharing content on the incredible work they do and their experiences growing our food in a healthy, sustainable way.
Food Without Farmers
IFOAM – Organics International and the Global Landscape Forum held the virtual event Food Without Farmers which discussed the role of organic agriculture in shaping sustainable food systems as well as lab-grown food’s potential inalleviating the climate crisis.
With wrong farming methods, we turn fertile land into desert. Unless we go back to organic farming and save the soil, there is no future.
Technical support provided to the development of the first law on organic agriculture in Madagascar.
This first organic regulation in Africa was developed through public and private stakeholder involvement, recognizes Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and other equivalent organic certification systems, and received unanimous approval from both the Parliament and Senate.
Advocacy efforts: requirements for smallholders certified through group certification to remain feasible.
Our advocacy efforts made towards the USDA and the EU Commission require further work, but we have met intermediary success at the EU level, raising the limit of groups from the original 500 to 2,000.
Organic Markets for Development (OM4D)
The first Portuguese Organic Leadership Course (OLC) for Portuguese-speaking African countries was held in Sao Tome and Principe. Since the start of OM4D, the project has aimed to promote and support PGS.
Subsequently, we saw the official launch of PGS in Ghana on October 30, 2020.
Watch the video of the Launch of PGS Ghana
Organic Trade 4 Development in Eastern Europe (OT4D)
The Organic Trade for Development (OT4D) started in 2020 in Albania, Ukraine, and Serbia started in 2020, and aims to help accelerate the uptake of organic farming through the engagement of Organic 3.0.
PROBio in Senegal - Projet de Renforcement Organisationnel du Bio
The PROBio SEQUA Project started in Senegal in 2020, and aims to strengthen the country’s national organic network by contributing to the creation of new jobs and additional revenues in the organic sector..
Mark your calendars!
