| |  | | November 2007, Vol.2, no.11 |
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- Contribute to IFOAM’s 2008 donation campaign
- Vote by proxy at the IFOAM General Assembly
- A list of organic certification bodies operating in Africa is available at the IFOAM Africa Office homepage
- Join the Africa Pavilion initiative at BioFach 2008
- IFOAM Internet Training Platform: One Organic World - One United Resource
- Report on the 3rd National Conference on Organic Agriculture in Nigeria
- Report on the World Food Day’s celebrations in Kenya
- Report on the World Food Day’s celebrations in Zambia
- Upcoming Organic Agriculture-related events
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| | 1. Contribute to IFOAM’s 2008 donation campaign
| | | A strong, united movement for global Organic Agriculture has never been more important. This is a critical time for innovative solutions to global challenges of environmental protection, food security, social justice, and health. Organic Agriculture is a vital part of these solutions. Representing stakeholders involved in every facet of organic production worldwide, IFOAM has a major role to play in a more sustainable future, and we need your help.
We are writing to ask you to donate today to help us meet the challenges and seize the opportunities for Organic Agriculture in the year ahead. Your support is essential to our success.
Donate now and support the important work of IFOAM!
| | | | | 2. Vote by proxy at the IFOAM General Assembly
| | | At the upcoming IFOAM General Assembly (GA) 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 African member organizations to execute your voting power and influence directly the activities of the federation.
Proxy voting allows you to appoint another qualified member in your region to vote on your behalf. You can vote by proxy if, for any reason, you are unable to attend the GA.
This means, 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. According to IFOAM statutes a person may not act as proxy for more than four other members.
Please note that you can only exercise your voting right during the GA if you have paid your membership fee in 2008.
| | | | | 3. A list of organic certification bodies operating in Africa is available at the IFOAM Africa Office homepage
| | | The list has been developed to enable African organic stakeholders and others interested in Organic Agriculture to have an overview on organizations providing organic certification services in Africa.
The data used for this list are from the Organic Certification Directory 2006 and the respectively organizations’ websites.
The organizations are listed by country in alphabetical order. It is therefore easy to find out which certification body is providing services in which African country.
To read the list, visit the IFOAM website at: www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/aosc_pages/Organic_CBs_
operating_in_Africa.html
For more information about worldwide standards and certification issues in the organic sector, visit: www.organicstandard.com.
| | | | | 4. Join the Africa Pavilion initiative at BioFach 2008
| | | In total 83 companies have applied to be present at Biofach African Pavilion: Ethiopia 9, Benin 3, Burkina 5, Cameroon 3, Togo 1, Mali 1, Burundi 1, Ghana 7, Kenya 16, Rwanda 6, South Africa 1, Tanzania 10, Uganda 15, Zambia 4, Madagascar 1, Zimbabwe 2. Also 1 Certifier has hired a stand in the Africa Pavilion.
More certifiers and exporters in Africa are encouraged to sign up and to take the advantage of this opportunity to expand their business and boost their image.
The organizers are still seeking funding for the event. If you want to become a partner, please contact the Organic Africa 2008 Secretariat at: africa2008@grolink.se. There are also other ways to sponsor this initiative. Your company logo can be put on big sponsor posters at the pavilion, you can sponsor the drinks and snacks served or you can sponsor an African participant or a VIP to come to the symposium. Your logo/name will be made clearly visible of course.
For more information, visit: www.organicafrica2008.com.
| | | | | 5. IFOAM Internet Training Platform: One Organic World - One United Resource | | | New free downloads of Training Materials are available on the Internet Training Platform.
Some examples include:
• Field Guide to Non- chemical Pest Management in Sesame Production - OISAT 2007
• Market of organic Coffee, Cocoa and Tea - SIPPO 2002
• Cultivation Guidelines, Organic Farming in the Tropics and Subtropics - Naturland 2000
• IFOAM Training Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Tropics - IFOAM
The publication is free for IFOAM members via the IFOAM Intranet:
www.ifoam.org/intranet/index.php
In addition, a continuously growing number of Organic Agriculture courses, links and addresses are available on the IFOAM Training Platform.
For more information, visit the Platform at: www.ifoam.org/training or contact the Platform Coordinator at: t.platfom@ifoam.org.
| | | | | 6. Report on the 3rd National Conference on Organic Agriculture in Nigeria | | | The 3rd National Conference on Organic Agriculture in Nigeria was held from November 11-15 2007 in Sokoto, Nigeria. The conference was organized by the Organic Agriculture Project in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria (OAPTIN). The theme of the conference was ‘Organic Agriculture for better livelihoods’. Some 90 registered stakeholders attended, including representatives from Sokoto and Zamfara governments, research institute, NGOs, private sector, and other organizations working in the organic sector in the country.
The presence of Ms Patricia Wangong'u, official representative of IFOAM, and that of Prof. Phil Haris of Coventry University, UK, gave the conference an international outlook and afforded cross cultural exchange of ideas on the way forward for Organic Agriculture in Nigeria.
Plenary sessions focused on the need for a nation wide survey on the status of Organic Agriculture in Nigeria and the need to address curriculum development for teaching Organic Agriculture in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The meeting agreed on the following conclusions:
1. OAPTIN should step up advocacy work on Organic Agriculture in Nigeria.
2. OAPTIN should advocate the formulation of a strong government policy to enable Organic Agriculture at all levels development in Nigeria.
3. Appropriate local translation for Organic Agriculture in Nigeria should be found.
4. Organic Agriculture should be included in the curriculum of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
5. OAPTIN should strengthen Researcher – Farmer linkages.
6. Organized markets for organic products should be developed in Nigeria.
For more information, please contact Dr. A.l. Yakubu at: aiyakubu2003@yahoo.co.uk.
| | | | | 7. Report on the World Food Day’s celebrations in Kenya | | | The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) participated in the national World Food Day’s event at Yatta district. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the FAO.
KOAN used the opportunity to share information about Organic Agriculture and to market organic products from its members. In addition, KOAN awarded prizes to 2 farmers for their best use of organic farming techniques.
The highlight of the day was the visit of KOAN’s Stand by the following Guests of Honor: Mr. Kaindi, the Assistant Minister for Agriculture; Dr Songa, the Agriculture Under Secretary; and Mr. Kilonzo, the Local Member of the National Parliament. KOAN used the opportunity to promote Organic Agriculture as a sustainable alternative to GMOs to increase food security.
Prior to participating on this day, KOAN as a member of a Coalition that is spearheading the campaign against a weak Bio-safety bill was able to release the results of GMO tests on food products.
The GMO test results reveal that genetically engineered items are already on food tables without the public's knowledge and consent. Given the fact that scientists still do not know the medium and long-term effects of releasing GMOs into the environment and food chain, this situation is identical to gambling with the people's welfare and health.
For more information, contact Wanjiru Kamau at: wanjiruk@elci.org.
| | | | | 8. Report on the World Food Day’s celebrations in Zambia | | | The World Food Day (WFD) celebrations took place at Bumi Farm in Kanakantapa, Chongwe district in Zambia. The celebration was graced by honorable Ben Kapita the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Zambia, Dr. Noureddin Mona the Zambia FAO County representative and PELUM Association Regional Board members from Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
PELUM together with OPPAZ facilitated the participation of small scale farmers to the WFD celebrations. Farmers displayed and talked about indigenous seeds and organically grown produce.
PELUM also showcased their various publications like the PELUM Ground Up magazines, the Monthly Bulletin and the IFOAM newsletters.
A television documentary was screened on the national media-ZNBC (Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation) on WFD to showcase PELUM work in promoting indigenous and underutilized species.
Two radio programs were aired on the 15th and 16th October where panelists from PELUM and OPPAZ, Organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia, discussed the importance and value of indigenous and organically grown foods and their huge potential in ensuring food security in Zambia and the rest of Africa.
For more information, contact Anne Maina at: annemaina@pelum.org.zm.
| | | | | 9. Upcoming Organic Agriculture-related events | | | African Pavillon at the BioFach 2008
February 21-24 2008
Nuremberg, Germany
The 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress: Cultivate the Future
June 18-20 2008
Modena, Italy
IFOAM General Assembly
June 22-24 2008
Modena, Italy
Organic Agriculture Development Training Program
July 25-August 10 2008, Sweden
January 22-February 4 2009, Uganda
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Email: h.bouagnimbeck@ifoam.org
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