| |  | | May 2008 |
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- The Organic World meets in Modena, Italy, from June 18-20, 2008
- IFOAM General Assembly: Don’t forget to vote by proxy if your organization can not send a representative
- IFOAM General Assembly: 4 African candidates for the World Board
- News from Nigeria
- The National Federation of organic producers has been set up in Senegal
- Ugandan organic exporters in DDT scare
- Report on the Risk Based Quality Management System Training in Malawi
- Upcoming Organic Agriculture related events
- IFOAM Vacancy
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| | 1. The Organic World meets in Modena, Italy, from June 18-20, 2008
| | | Cultivating the future is the fundamental motivation common to farmers, consumers, producers, researchers, scientists, activists and all those who believe that Organic Agriculture guarantees future generations with a healthy and fair environment, where they can live in harmony, respecting both the individual and our Earth.
The Congress will be based on the IFOAM Principles of Organic Agriculture: Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care. Starting from these values, the relevant themes will pertain to:
- Regional values and indigenous knowledge, or to be more precise the roots from which we should draw experience and inspiration in our everyday actions;
- Innovation, in all fields, to better project ourselves into a sustainable future;
- Cooperation between producers and consumers, public and private bodies, scientists and operators, South and North, communities, regions and nations.
The Congress will present and exchange practical experiences between farmers, consumers, producers, activists and others, and the state-of-science academic research will be presented and discussed. Additional conferences will focus on wide-reaching themes, such as Organic Wine and Viticulture, Organic Textiles, Organic Fruits, Organic Agriculture in the Mediterranean, Organic Cosmetics, Aquaculture, Climate Change and more. Renowned scientists and activists will animate the debates and provide inspiration during the numerous discussions.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to participate in the world’s largest organic conference!
All IFOAM sessions and events will be highlighted in the conference program and available soon at: www.ifoam.org/events/ifoam_conferences/owc/Organic_World_Congress.html
Special Announcement on Registrations for the Organic World Congress
Pre-registrations (online or offline) will be possible due to organizational reasons only until June 6th. After this date only onsite registrations will be accepted.
We strongly suggest to pre-register before June 6th to avoid long waiting at registration desks.
Register now for the Organic World Congress in Modena!
| | | | | 2. IFOAM General Assembly: Don’t forget to vote by proxy if your organization can not send a representative
| | | At the upcoming IFOAM General Assembly (GA) which will be held in Vignola, 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 African member organizations to execute their voting power and influence directly the activities of the federation.
If your organization cannot send a representative to the GA, please contact IFOAM member organizations close to you and transfer your voting right per proxy to one of them having your trust and being instructed with your decisions.
Please note that you can only exercise your voting right during the GA if you have paid your membership fee for year 2008.
| | | | | 3. IFOAM General Assembly: 4 African candidates for the World Board
| | | Of the current 27 candidates for the World Board 4 are from Africa, including:
- Lamine Bara Diao, Senegal
- Moses Kiggundu Muwanga, Uganda
- Chido Makunike, Zimbabwe
- Guy Jacques Wamba, Cameroon
The GA will elect ten World Board members who will work voluntarily to lead IFOAM.
For more information, please read the IFOAM In Action Special GA Edition.
| | | | | 4. News from Nigeria | | | National Workshop on Curriculum Development for Organic Agriculture in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria
In March 2008, the Organic Agriculture Project in Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria (OAPTIN)-UNAAB convened in collaboration with Coventry University, UK, the first National Workshop on Curriculum Development for Organic Agriculture in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria at the University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria.
The workshop was funded by the England-Africa Partnerships and aimed to develop a curriculum for teaching Organic Agriculture in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Twenty five stakeholders drawn from all over Nigeria and representing private sector, government agencies and tertiary institutions participated in the workshop. The Executive Director of the National Universities Commission of Nigeria was adequately represented at the event.
At the end of the meeting, a draft curriculum was articulated, published and circulated to participating institutions. The draft curriculum will be given public reading in the various institutions represented at the workshop. Complimentary copies would also be sent to interested agencies. All suggested revisions will be addressed to OAPTIN and incorporated to update the curriculum. The updated version will be circulated for a final review by stakeholders and then forwarded to the National Universities Commission of Nigeria for its comments and endorsement. Follow up action is slated for the first quarter of 2009.
Local market initiative
Eurobridge Farm (the first certified organic farm in Nigeria) has started producing organic lemon tea and turmeric (Curcuma longa) for local market.
OOCORD
The Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Organic Research and Development (OOCORD), a recent institution committed to Organic Agriculture development in Nigeria is already in collaboration with some states governments in Nigeria for the production of organic cocoa, cashew, plantain, banana, and oil palm in suitable ecologies. Additionally, many farmers have already registered with OOCORD to start / convert to Organic Agriculture and over 7,000 Neem seedlings have been raised by OOCORD for its Neem based organic fertilizers.
For more information, please contact Prof. Isaac Aiyelaagbe at: organicagriculture_unaab@yahoo.com or Dr. Olugbenga O. AdeOluwa at: adeoluwaoo@yahoo.com.
| | | | | 5. The National Federation of organic producers has been set up in Senegal | | | The constitutive General Assembly of the Fédération nationale des agriculteurs biologiques du Sénégal (FENAB) was held in Thies, Senegal, from March 27-28, 2008. During the meeting the FENAB adopted its statute and internal rules of procedure, and elected its Board and Executive Board. FENAB’s office is located at the headquarters of AGRECOL-Afrique in Thies. Its mission is:
- To develop Organic Agriculture while defending the interests of small-scale farmers
- To restore soil fertility and the balance in ecosystems
- To fight against loss of biodiversity and climate change
- To maintain and improve human, animal and plant health
- To promote the potential of Organic Agriculture to meet food security challenges of the country
- To contribute to the creation of employment opportunities in Organic Agriculture, particularly for young people
For more information, contact Ibrahima Seck at: iseck@yahoo.fr.
| | | | | 6. Ugandan organic exporters in DDT scare | | | Barely three weeks since spraying of the controversial insecticide DDT to control malaria started in Uganda, a country with an important Organic Agriculture sector, the dispute between the government and exporters of organic products is re-emerging, this time over “irregularities” in executing the exercise.
A consortium of exporters of organic products is preparing to file a lawsuit against the government, accusing it of non-adherence to World Health Organization guidelines on indoor residual spraying in the endemic districts of Oyam and Moyo in the north of Uganda.
The exporters contend that the manner in which the spraying is being done could contaminate the food chain, reviving fears that Uganda’s organic exports will be rejected in American and European markets in their entirety if traces of DDT are found in any consignment.
Uganda is the only country in East Africa using DDT in the fight against malaria. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, the chemical is 50 per cent cheaper than the alternative - Icon, a pyrethroid insecticide with much lower toxicity to humans - that exporters were pushing for.
For more information, please visit: allafrica.com.
| | | | | 7. Report on the Risk Based Quality Management System Training in Malawi
| | | In March, the Zimbabwe Organic Producers' and Processors' Association (ZOPPA) attended the first part of an intensive two part course on Risk Based Quality Management System (RBQMS) which was held in Blantyre, Malawi. The training was funded by Hivos and attended by four participants from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. RBQMS is a quality management system for developing quality standards for organizations and improvement of market access. The system is based on ISO 22000 (including ISO 9000) and includes principles such as customer focus, leadership, process approach, etc.
At the end of the course, all participants felt that the course will help them in training farmer groups on several issues such as improving quality and setting Internal Control System for organic certification.
The second part of the course will be held in September after participants have successfully finished their assignments that they are undertaking in projects in their respective countries. The assignment will bring about a whole document on RBQMS for a single crop. After the course, similar documents will be developed for various crops.
For more information, please contact Fortunate Hofisi at: rufor@zol.co.zw.
| | | | | 8. Upcoming Organic Agriculture related events
| | | The 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress: Cultivate the Future
June 18-20 2008
Modena, Italy
Food Sovereignty Indaba
June 20-21 2008
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
For more information, contact Monique Salomon at: salomon@ukzn.ac.za.
IFOAM General Assembly
June 22-24 2008
Modena, Italy
Organic Work Camp
July 7-28 and August 4-25 2008
Kpalimé, Togo
For more information, please contact Simon Anoumou Todzro at cfape_eco@yahoo.fr.
International Seminar on Organic Farming - Principles & Practices For East African Countries
September 9-24 2008
CINADCO’s International Training Centre at Kibbutz Hotel Shefayim, Israel
For more information, contact the nearest Israeli Embassy or visit the Israel’s Foreign Ministry web site at http://mashav.mfa.gov.il (in Contact Us - Information and Registration).
Natural and Organic Products Exhibition
October 17-19 2008
Cap Town, South Africa
| | | | | 9. IFOAM Vacancy
| | | Organic Guarantee System Coordinator
(Deadline: May 30th 2008)
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Email: h.bouagnimbeck@ifoam.org
Head Office Contact Information
Charles-de-Gaulle-Str. 5
53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel: +49-228-92650-10
Fax: +49-228-92650-99
Email: headoffice@ifoam.org
http://www.ifoam.org
© 2008 IFOAM - All rights reserved. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) e.V.
Trial Court Bonn, Association Register no. 8726
Executive Board: Gerald A. Herrmann, Alberto Lernoud, Mette Meldgaard |
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