Dear Reader ,

You may recall that we took a delegation of organic farmers to the COP21 climate negotiations. This month we released a short video message from them talking about how climate change affects farmers and sharing the messages they send to decision-makers.  We hope you enjoy watching it and share it amongst your networks.
 Happy reading!

 


1. Video Release  - Message from Organic Farmers
2. Call for Papers for Organic World Congress
3. Everard Nicholas Byer Passed Away
4. International Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
5. The Organic Movement at World Forum on Access to Land

6. Everard Nicholas Byer Passed Away

 

 

 

1. Video Release  - Message from Organic Farmers
We took a delegation of farmers to speak out for organic agriculture at the COP21 climate negotiations, December 2015, in Paris. The talks culminated in 195 countries committing to limit the global temperature increase to well below 2°C and the pursuit of efforts to keep it under 1.5°C. The Signature Ceremony took place at UN Headquarters in New York on April 22, International Mother Earth Day. Hear what Julie from Uganda, Goodson from Zambia and Francisco from Chile have to say about how climate change is affecting farmers and the messages they send to decision-makers. Happy Watching! You can also like and share it on Facebook.

2. Call for Papers for Organic World Congress
The 19th edition of the  Organic World Congress (OWC) taking place from 09 -11 November 2017 in New Delhi, India now opens its Call for Papers. Every three years sector stakeholders come together at the OWC, the world’s largest and most significant organic gathering, to discuss and deliberate the issues of the day. The 19th OWC is structured in four conference tracks: Main Track, Farmers' Track, Scientific Track, and Marketing Track. Learn more here.

3. Everard Nicholas Byer Passed Away
We were very sad to hear Everard Nicholas Byer, founder and long-term President of Trinidad and Tobago Organic Agricultural Movement Limited, and former IFOAM World Board member, passed away on March 31, 2016. He was an important actor in the development of the organic movement throughout the Caribbean Community, working together with local farmers, businesses and governments to improve the status of organic agriculture. He will be greatly missed.

4. International Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
Livia Ortolani, IFOAM EU Group Council member, represented IFOAM - Organics International at the Working Group on the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM), at FAO headquarters Rome, 11 -13 April. This is one of the steps in the process of preparing a draft VGSSM that will be discussed by governments in May 2016 in the framework of the Global Soil Partnership. Livia underlined the need to have a specific focus on preserving and enhancing organic matter in soil.  She also talked about including organic farming as a recommended practice for Sustainable Soil Management. Read more here.
 
5. The Organic Movement at the World Forum on Access to Land
The World Forum on Access to Land (WFAL) took place in Spain, 31 March to 2 April with the aim of addressing the major issues linked to unequal access to land and natural resources. Roberto Ugas, IFOAM - Organics International World Board member, was a panelist in the workshop on “Environment, Agro-ecology, Soil, Water, Climate Change”. He spoke about access to land and natural resources as a major constraint to the scaling up of agroecological and organic alternatives for agriculture and the management of natural resources. Read more here.

6. Change of Directors at IFOAM EU
Long-term IFOAM EU Director Marco Schlüter officially stepped down in April 2014 and Eduardo Cuoco was appointed the new director. IFOAM EU President Christopher Stopes said: “I have had the honor of working with Marco Schlüter for the last 7 years. In his time as director, Marco has truly built the organization: from being the only staff member in 2003 to a powerful advocacy organization and the voice for the organic movement in the EU. Read more here

 

 

 

 

1. Projects for the Climate
2. Zimbabwean Smallholder Support at the Crossroads
3
. EU Parliament Re-approves Glyphosate
4. ‘Greening the Revolution’ Premieres Free on 29 April

 

 

1. Projects for the Climate
Are you, or an organization you’re involved with, working on an innovative solution for climate change? Do you want to spread the word about your project or just connect with others who are working on their own climate solutions projects? Then you should participate in the initiative ‘100 projects for the Climate” launched by the French Environment Minister, Ségolène Royal on Earth Day. Learn more here.

2. Zimbabwean Smallholder Support at the Crossroads
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in conjunction with the Zimbabwe smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF) have published findings of scoping research conducted in Zimbabwe entitled “Zimbabwean smallholder support at the crossroads: Diminishing returns from Green Revolution seed and fertilizer subsidies and the agro-ecological alternative”. The research is part of a three-year multi-country programme looking at the impacts of the Green Revolution on small-scale farmers in southern Africa, with a particular focus on seed and soil fertility. You can read it here.
 
3. EU Parliament Re-approves Glyphosate
The European Parliament agreed to glyphosate re-approval for 7 years as opposed to the usual 15 years and asked for significant restrictions on glyphosate use. These include strict limits on ‘pre-harvest’ applications of glyphosate on crops which is a clear route for human exposure to glyphosate The EU member states will take the final vote in May. Read more here
 
4. ‘Greening the Revolution’ Premieres Free on 29 April
An 80-minute documentary about food justice -- filmed in Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Kenya, Zambia, India, Brazil and across the United States. ‘Greening the Revolution’ features interviews with small farmers and revolutionaries, political intellectuals such as Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and Vandana Shiva, as well as government/corporate officials such as the director of the FDA and the government relations executive for Monsanto. Focusing on issues such as GMOs, farmer suicides, diabetes, migrant farm workers and hunger, the film also turns to look at the resistance to harmful economic policies, amazing sustainable alternatives and organic agriculture practiced by small farmers, and the overall courage and hope found in the hearts of people refusing to accept a food system based on profits over human dignity. Watch it free from 29 April!


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