| |  | | July 2007, Vol.2, no.7 |
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- Call for African contributions to the IFOAM General Assembly
- Updated information on IFOAM Contact Points in Africa
- National organic workshop, Madagascar
- Launch of a National Organic Agriculture Movement in Ethiopia
- PELUM Association engages School Children in the indigenous foods campaign
- New book: Unmasking the new green revolution in Africa, Motives, Players and Dynamics
- Call for contributions Africa Organic News Vol.2, No.8
- Upcoming organic agriculture-related events
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| | 1. Call for African contributions to the IFOAM General Assembly | | | The IFOAM General Assembly convenes once every three years in conjunction with the IFOAM Organic World Congress. It is the democratic decision making forum for the international organic movement.
At the upcoming General Assembly in Modena, Italy from June 22-24 2008, the organic movement ‘in its full diversity’ from all over the world will deliberate upon the challenges and opportunities for the future.
This is a great opportunity for IFOAM member organizations to have a real impact on the activities of the federation. You can submit motions on topics you feel to be important for the organic sector! You don't have to be a big organization to submit a motion - all voting members can submit motions! Here's the text about motions from the IFOAM Statutes:
"IFOAM members and the World Board may submit motions to the General Assembly. Motions from members must be proposed to the World Board at least 120 days before the session of the General Assembly. Motions must be sent out at least 60 days before the session of the General Assembly. Motions from the floor may only amend the aforementioned motions. Adopted motions must be implemented. Once adopted, the content of a motion can only be changed by a new motion at the next General Assembly."
We also encourage diverse bids to host the 2011 IFOAM Organic World Congress and General Assembly. If you think you are up to it, go for it! Talk to the organic sector in your country or community, your local congress centers, universities or government agencies and see if they can help you put together an attractive proposal that the IFOAM General Assembly might approve.
Finally, you get to choose IFOAM's World Board, and you have the opportunity to submit your candidacy to be on the World Board! You just need to find five IFOAM member organizations that are willing to support your candidacy and fulfill the other basic requirements.
Important Deadlines for the IFOAM General Assembly 2008
1. Deadline for Motions from IFOAM Members: February 23rd 2008
2. Deadline for your World Board Candidacy: March 22nd 2008
3. Deadline for Bids to organize the IFOAM Organic World Congress 2011: March 22nd 2008
4. Deadline for Agenda and Motions to be Mailed Out to Members: April 23rd 2008
For more information, visit
www.ifoam.org/events/ifoam_conferences/IFOAM_General_Assembly.html.
| | | | | 2. Updated information on IFOAM Contact Points in Africa
| | | In order to help institutionalize the organic sector in Africa and to support the networking activities and information flow within the national or regional organic movements in Africa, IFOAM is establishing Contact Points across Sub-Saharan Africa. Contact Points are national organic movements or regional networks involved in Organic Agriculture.
Contact Points provide the IFOAM Africa Office with inputs for the e-newsletter and the IFOAM website and highlight important organic events and projects taking place in their region. Occasionally, Contact Points may also represent IFOAM in specific events when mandated by the IFOAM Executive Director or perform advocacy work in coordination with the IFOAM Head Office.
Contact Points are provided with PR materials from the IFOAM Head Office and have access to the Intranet and the Internet Training Platform of IFOAM. They can share the materials and information within their own network and use them for their lobbying activities.
The organizations hosting contact points commit human resources on a voluntary basis. However, IFOAM provides a small financial compensation in order to pay for communication costs. This compensation is approximately 625 euros per year.
The following Contact Points are currently established:
• The Ghana Organic Agriculture Movement (GOAN) and its coordinator Samuel Adimado (adimadosam@yahoo.com)
• The regional desk of PELUM in Zambia and its staff member Marjorie Chonya
(inforunit@pelum.org.zm)
• The Organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia (OPPAZ) and its staff member Bridget O'Connors (bridget@organic.org.zm)
• The Zimbabwe Organic Producers' and Processors' Association (ZOPPA) and its staff member Christopher Gadzirayi (gadzirayichris@yahoo.co.uk)
• The National Organic Agriculture Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU) and its policy and advocacy officer Jackline Kabahinda (jkabahinda@nogamu.org.ug)
• The Laulanié Green University (LGU, Madagascar) and the President of Laulanié Green Association, Mr. Andrianjaka Hanitriniala Rajaonarison (njakar@gmail.com)
• The Organic Agriculture Project for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria (OAPTIN) and its staff member Dr. Olugbenga Adeoluwa (adeoluwaoo@yahoo.com)
• The Sustainable Agriculture Development Network (REDAD) and its coordinator Lazare Akomagni (akomagnilazare@hotmail.com)
• The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and its staff member Wanjiru Kamau (wanjiruk@elci.org)
The application process for the nomination of Contact Points is still open. We encourage existing national organic agriculture movements or national/regional networks involved in developing Organic Agriculture in Africa to submit their application form as soon as possible.
For more information, visit http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/africa.html.
| | | | | 3. National organic workshop, Madagascar
| | | The national organic workshop was held from July 4-5 2007 in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Some 60 participants attended, including representatives from government, research, NGOs, private sector, certification bodies and other organizations working in the organic sector in the country.
The meeting was a great success. A lot of publicity was given to this event, on radio, television and in the newspapers.
The meeting led to the creation of the National Organic Agriculture Movement of Madagascar. Its first leading team has one year to establish a functional network.
The meeting also provided the opportunity to have further information about the organic sector in the country.
According to ECOCERT Madagascar, approximately 20,000 hectares are currently managed organically.
Most certified production is exported to the EU. The range of certified organic products currently being produced in Madagascar includes vanilla, spices (culinary), medicinal/therapeutic herbs and spices, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, essential oils, bananas and litchis.
For more information, contact Rajaonarison Andrianjaka (njakar@gmail.com).
| | | | | 4. Launch of a National Organic Agriculture Movement in Ethiopia
| | | Since the Organic Chain Development, Participative Networking Workshop was held from May 24-25 2007, the organic movement in Ethiopia has shown considerably change and progress.
Following the workshop, two consecutive meetings were respectively held in Addis Ababa on June 30th and July 6th, with the aim to launch the Ethiopian organic agriculture movement.
During the second meeting, the participants agreed to establish a National Organic Agriculture Movement named the Ethiopian Association of Organic Agriculture (EAOA).
For more information, contact Addisu Alemayehu (alfrd05@yahoo.com).
| | | | | 5. PELUM Association engages School Children in the indigenous foods campaign | | | The PELUM Association, in collaboration with the Zambian Ministry of Education, is currently conducting the Inter-Schools Debate Competition.
The children have been given an opportunity to participate in a competition to reflect on the importance of Zambian food in essays, poetry and drawings.
The competition is part of the broader PELUM campaign to promote the use of under-utilized and indigenous foods as alternatives to genetically modified foods and complementary to the predominance of maize in Zambia’s diet and agriculture.
The whole campaign was launched last June, and will culminate into the World Food
Day celebrations on October 16th 2007. Financial support has been given by Dan Church Aid in Zambia and the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD).
PELUM will also run radio and television programs on the Zambian national broadcasting stations. It is also carrying out a study of underutilized food crops in the country. The study report will be used as an advocacy tool to lobby government on the importance of indigenous foods in ensuring food security.
For more information, contact Marjorie Chola Chonya (inforunit@pelum.org.zm).
| | | | | 6. New book: Unmasking the new green revolution in Africa, Motives, Players and Dynamics | | | This book was recently published by the Third World Network (TWN), Church Development Service (EED) and African Centre for Biosafety and authored by Elenita Dano, an independent researcher based in Davao City, Philippines.
Efforts are currently underway to spark a ‘New Green Revolution’ in African agriculture. Modeled on the original Green Revolution, which began in Asia some five decades ago, this ambitious project entails the large-scale application of a technological package comprising new seed varieties, often including genetically modified crops, industrial farm inputs and massive agricultural infrastructure.
This paper looks at the major players behind this push for an African Green Revolution – a high-powered mix of Western Philanthropic organizations, agribusiness corporations, intergovernmental institutions and other groups - and traces the links and interconnected relationships between them. The paper also asks whether this grand scheme, which purports to be chiefly concerned with agricultural development in Africa, might not end up providing a cover for narrow corporate interests. The real solution to the problems facing African agriculture, the author argues, lies not with such externally imposed initiatives but in the hands of African farmers and smallholders themselves, who must be at the forefront of efforts to meet the continent’s food-security and rural-development needs.
The book costs US$6.00 for Third World countries. The price includes postage costs by airmail.
For more information, visit http://www.twnside.org.sg or contact Third World Network at twnet@po.jaring.my.
| | | | | 7. Call for contributions Africa Organic News Vol.2, No.8
| | | We would like to receive your contribution for the next issue of the Africa Organic News e-newsletter (August 2007).
Deadline for contributions: August 7th 2007.
| | | | | 8. Upcoming organic agriculture-related events
| | | Events in Africa
Organic Work Camp
July 21-August 11 2007
Kpalimé, Togo
For more information, contact: Simon Anoumou Todzro (cfape_eco@yahoo.fr) and Kossi Dackey (cgpaorg@yahoo.fr) in Togo or Rosi Lehmann (kiamaya@web.de) in Germany.
Fiermada (Rural Economy International Fair)
August 1-5 2007
Antananarivo, Madagascar
For more information, contact Rajaonarison Andrianjaka (njakar@gmail.com).
Other events
1st IFOAM Conference on Marketing of Organic and Regional Values
August 26-28 2007
Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
For further information, visit
http://www.ifoam.org/events/ifoam_conferences/regional_values_2007.html.
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Email: h.bouagnimbeck@ifoam.org
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Tel: +49-228-92650-10
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Email: headoffice@ifoam.org
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© 2007 IFOAM - All rights reserved. |
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