IFOAM Holds 15th World Conference, Finalizes New Principles of OrganicAgriculture

IFOAM Holds 15th World Conference, Finalizes New Principles of OrganicAgriculture

ADELAIDE, Australia & BONN, GermanyTheGeneral Assembly of the International Federation of Organic AgricultureMovements (IFOAM) held its 15th Organic World Congress, titled ShapingSustainable Systems, in Adelaide, Australia, in September. The conference,which included more than 1,000 delegates from 72 countries, called for increasedworldwide investment in organic agriculture. The complete text of theorganizations request, officially known as the Adelaide Declaration, isavailable athttp://www.ifoam.org/press/press/Organic_World_Congress_Results.html.

Australia is the world leader when it comes to totalcertified organic acreage, said then-IFOAM president Gunnar Rundgren, in hisopening speech. My own home country, Sweden, has a target that 20 percentof the land should be organically farmed by year 2005, and I can happilyannounce that it is almost accomplishedthe latest figures state 19 percent.Research shows organic is a more productive system if all relevant aspects aretaken into account, such as the external costs and the maintenance andproduction of ecosystem services.

The organization recently finalized its newly revampedPrinciples of Organic Agriculture, following an intense two-year review process.According to the organization, the new principles will serve to both inspire theorganic movement in its full diversity, and to articulate the meaning of OrganicAgriculture to the world at large.

The four new principles include:

IFOAMs newly elected president, Gerald A. Herrmann, said,The formulation of the Principles of Organic Agriculture at the global levelis a major achievement. The Principles of Organic Agriculture have been approvedat a time when governments are revising their regulations of organicagriculture.The public demands a value-oriented and credible system based on aclearly identifiable framework, and IFOAM is just the organization to providethis. The Principles should also be recognized as a foundation for publicregulations. IFOAM will make significant efforts to ensure that thePrinciples are recognized by the Codex Alimentarius, other United Nationsagencies and governments worldwide.