6th European Organic Congress -
Copenhagen, Denmark, 17-18 April 2012
The 6th European Organic Congress is held in Denmark, Copenhagen 17-18 April. The congress involves high level panel discussions with policy makers and experts from across the organic and agricultural sectors, workshops, coffee and lunch breaks as well as a gala dinner on April 17th. There will also be an opportunity to take part in an organic excursion on the 16th of April, which includes visits to organic farms, an organic bakery, a producer of public procurement and retail store.

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Article: Organic for the future
Europe faces major challenges to conserve biodiversity, secure soil, and promote animal welfare and there is an urgent need to ensure global food security. Organic food and farming paves the way to meet these challenges; but to succeed a further development of organic food and farming is key. On occasion of the Danish EU Presidency, ICROFS has written an article to promote the awareness of organic research and development.
Read the article in the Parliament Magazine ...

Christmas Greetings from the ICROFS Secretariat
2011 has been an exciting year with many interesting events, challenges and results relevant for the development of the organic sector. It has also been a year where agro-ecological approaches and ecological and eco-functional intensification has become mainstream terminologies.

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ICROFS joins Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative

A consensus is emerging that many of our production systems for food, forest and wetland products are unsustainable for people, for long-term food and fiber supply and for nature. However, farmers, policymakers, food companies, conservation agencies and grassroots organizations in all parts of the world are generating innovations to meet the challenge. Since, over two-thirds of the world’s land area is shaped by cropland, planted pastures, or other agricultural practices, it is critical to scale up such integrated systems to combat both hunger and environmental degradation.

In an effort to strengthen such approaches, ICROFS is a proud partner of the international Landscapes for People, Food and Nature, an International Initiative for dialogue, learning and action. Read more ...

The second CORE Organic II call has been launched

The second CORE Organic II call has been launched with sixteen countries participating. The two thematic research areas for this call are: 1) Plant-breeding - Improvement of production efficiency and agricultural biodiversity, and 2) Supporting the development of organic markets. The deadline for submission of pre-proposals is 16 January 2012.
Link to the call announcement ..
Link to the guideline for applicants ..

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been officially signed by ICROFS and the National Academy of Agricultural Science, under the Rural Development Administration, on September 26 in Suwon, Korea. The MoU was an official way of agreeing on future collaboration on research in organic food systems by the respective parties.

Video Series - Local Wheat in Denmark

In the fall of 2010, organic bread wheat farmers, millers, and researchers from Maine and Vermont travelled to Denmark to visit with their Danish counterparts.They learned about production issues, milling techniques, marketing strategies, and heritage varieties. These four series of videos share the tour with you. See videos...