Ecological Farming 2 13

Sustainable Cocoa production and market

Growth in the American

organic sector

SOSSave Our Seeds

ecology AND

No 2 // June 2013

BCS - the Number 1 - for worldwide certification of organic products according to different standards.

BCS certifies more than 500.000 farmers and over 1.400 processors, importers and exporters worldwide. Our services cover all vital agricultural crops, as well as aquaculture and ornamental plants. We serve all levels of processing and handling industries.

Many wellknown names from the market place have given their trust to BCS.

1-Stop-Shopping at BCS, the # 1 certifier means: Certifications according to EU, NOP, JAS, GlobalGAP, GOTS, UTZ, FairTSA ...: We extend permanently to serve you best!

Please contact us with your requirements and wishes: [email protected] visit our website at: www.bcs-oeko.com

Yours sincerely, Peter Grosch, General Manager and Feben Dufera Grosch, Coordination Africa

BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH - the organic certifier Number 1

BCS - the Number 1 - for worldwide certification of organic products according to different standards.

BCS certifies more than 500.000 farmers and over 1.400 processors, importers and exporters worldwide. Our services cover all vital agricultural crops, as well as aquaculture and ornamental plants. We serve all levels of processing and handling industries.

Many wellknown names from the market place have given their trust to BCS.

1-Stop-Shopping at BCS, the # 1 certifier means: Certifications according to EU, NOP, JAS, GlobalGAP, GOTS, UTZ, FairTSA ...: We extend permanently to serve you best!

Please contact us with your requirements and wishes: [email protected] visit our website at: www.bcs-oeko.com

Yours sincerely, Peter Grosch, General Manager and Feben Dufera Grosch, Coordination Africa

BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH - the organic certifier Number 1

Tableof Con

tents

JUNE 2013 // No 2

ANd morE....Editorial 7Calendar 51

MARKET

36 The global market for organic food and non- food productionCalculating the value of organic chains.

GMO

39 Gmo Safety Issues based on Science

sTAndARds46 The organic Standard

EduCATiOn

48 A birthplace for social innovationThe social innovation Centre at Heliopolis university for sustainable development.

sAfETy issuEs

MARKET

10 Growth in The american organic sectorstrong growth and new challenges in the usA.

COunTRy pROfiLE

14 Springbockvley Farm, Namibia The efficiency of low input livestock

farming

MARKET

20 Cocoa Where does your chocolate come

from?

AGRO biOdivERsiTy

24 SoS save our seedsThe Global seed Alliance.

pHOTO iMpREssiOn

28 doug Tompkin’s Laguna Blanca

COunTRy pROfiLE

30 The UK’s organic marketsigns of revival.

OpiniOn

33 developing a Communication Strategy for the organic Sector

Certification body

FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTInspection and certification of products, systems and services

Drafting of standards

Training

A WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF EXPERTSName and seal recognized by authorities and consumers

Expert in organic farming and inputs, food quality and safety, fair trade, organic cosmetics, organic textiles, carbon balance, social responsibility

Ecocert SA - BP 47 - 32600 L’Isle-Jourdain - France - T +33 (0) 5 62 07 34 24 - www.ecocert.com

7ECoLoGY & FArmING | 2-2013

dEnisE GOdinHO pETER bRuL

INTrodUCTIoN

Best practices, beautiful farms

How can organic farming help to feed a growing world

population and remain a sustainable form of agricul-

ture? This was one of the interesting discussions that

emerged from the ifOAM working group on ‘best prac-

tices in organic agriculture’. The publication on best

practices will soon be available and you will be able to

read more about it in the coming editions. There are

very different solutions for solving the big challenges

facing agriculture. Monsanto, for example, has a quite

different approach for tackling problems and develop-

ing agriculture. Their strategy is aggressive since it

threatens other more sustainable ways of developing

agriculture. More than two million people around the

world have just shown that they are angry and worried

by marching against Monsanto. Elsewhere in this issue

André Leu, the president of ifOAM, summarises the

scientific findings about the potential health effects of

consuming GMOs.

This issue covers other activist topics. Jozef fincke, an

organic farmer in ireland, invites us to develop a more

successful communication strategy for organic agricul-

ture. i agree with him that we can and should do much

more in this field. in our opinion one of the best strate-

gies for this is to show the results of best practices in

organic farming world wide. Another activist article, a

call to save our seeds, comes from bernward Geier.

While citizens may protest and demand food label-

ling, so they can choose the food they want (or don’t

want) and a food production system they want. but the

organic sector can work – together with others – on

good agricultural practices with a wide range of (local)

resilient varieties. Exchanging and developing seeds is

one way to do this.

best practice not only involves good yields, quality

food and a diverse and clean environment. it is also

about beauty. That is the message of doug Tomkins,

who was interviewed in the previous edition. now we

show you some more pictures of this beautiful farm.

We hope they inspire you!

people working in the organic movement are often

inspired by good and beautiful farms. but another

source of inspiration is the continuous development of

the organic sector and the market for organic produce.

in these difficult economic times in the main markets

for organic products, the usA and Europe, the mar-

kets continue to grow. new ways are continually found

to make links between producers and consumers. in

this issue you will find reports about the world mar-

ket, (worth 70 billion us dollars last year), and market

developments in the usA, the uK and for cocoa. All

hopeful stories!

peter brul

Our organic seeds grow your success

Rijk Zwaan is a world-leading specialist in

creating high-quality vegetable varieties; also for the organic

market. We do this through innovative research & development,

led by the needs of our customers. It is our aim to be a

knowledgeable, collaborative partner, with infinite respect for

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Let’s join forces on our way to sustainability!

We set up emission reduction projects in developing countries and generate sustainable carbon credits through organic composting.

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tively allows Monsanto and other corporations that use GMOs to plant and sell genetically altered products even if legal action is being taken against them. Effectively this means that the U.S. Congress has given Monsanto (and others) a carte blanche to largely ignore the country´s judiciary.According to Food & Water Watch, the rela-tionship between Monsanto and the U.S. government extends even beyond Congress and the Supreme Court. They claim that Wiki-Leaks has uncovered communications from the U.S State Department that actively lobbies foreign governments to adopt pro-agricultural biotechnology legislation, seeks to improve the image of biotechnology and challenges commonsense biotechnology safeguards and rules. This lobbying also extended to food labelling laws in Europe and other coun-tries. Monsanto is quite tough, but so it seems are its opponents. A German newspaper (Süddeutsche Zeitung) recently reported that a spokesman of Monsanto has declared that they will stop lobbying in Europe, due to lack of support for GMOs among farmers, citizens and politicians.

More information can be found on March Against

Monsanto’s website: www.march-against-monsanto.comLink: http://tile.openstreetmap.org/2/1/1.pngAs

As readers of Ecology & Farming might know, Monsanto is accused of aggressively pushing the introduction of genetically modified crops, manipulating research and political decisi-ons about consumer rights and denying the rights of farmers to reproduce seeds. They are accused of routinely denying any health and environmental risks. ‘March Against Monsanto’, a small group in the USA, took the initiative to raise awareness about the lack of action from the US and other national governments. The initiative developed into a global campaign and demonstration with over two million people protesting.March Against Monsanto Director Nick Berna-be: “What we’re trying to do is raise awareness about GMOs and the health effects that they’re causing and bring about some solutions as to what people can do to take back control over their food supply,”

In March 2013 the U.S. Congress passed a biotechnology rider which was dubbed the ’Monsanto Protection Act’. The legislation effec-

// 2 mILLIoN proTESTErS mArChEd AGAINST ThE BIoTECh mULITINATIoNAL moNSANTo.

News

The ‘March Against Monsanto’ was organised on May 25 in

436 cities, in 52 countries. Around 200,000 people were expec-

ted to rally against Monsanto, but more than two million took

part in the day of action campaign.

Advertisement

9x5cm_Final.pdf 1 5/28/13 2:22 PM

10 2-2013 | ECoLoGY & FArmING

BarBara Fitch haumann

in October 2012, the u.s. department of Agriculture’s (usdA’s) national Agricultural statistics service (nAss) published the results of its first survey focused exclusively on certified organic production throughout the nation.

Strong growth and new challenges in the USA

Growth in the American organic sector

nAss conducted the survey for

usdA’s Risk Management Agency to

help refine federal crop insurance offer-

ings for organic producers. The findings

showed that u.s. certified organic grow-

ers sold more than $3.5 billion worth of

organically grown agricultural commodi-

ties in 2011.

This total of farm-gate sales means that

the organic sector would rank as the fifth

largest commodity class in the united

states, and is larger than peanuts and

cotton combined. Thus, as pointed out

by the Organic Trade Association (OTA),

this means that there is a very good case

for the organic sector having a seat at the

table when agricultural policy is decided

by policy makers in Washington, d.C.

According to the survey, certified organic

farmers and ranchers sold more than

$2.2 billion in organically grown agri-

cultural commodities and more than $1

billion in livestock products in 2011. The

9,140 u.s. certified organic farms gener-

ated $1.1 billion in farm-gate sales of

vegetables and $494.8 million in sales of

fruits, including $122.2 million for certi-

fied organic apples and $160.6 million for

certified organic grapes. Organic berries

accounted for $125.3 million in farm sales.

The states with the most certified organic

farms were California (1,898), Wiscon-

sin (870), new york (597), Washington

(493) and iowa (467). Wisconsin led the

nation in organic field crop acreage, with

110,000 acres harvested in 2011, followed

by new york, with more than 97,000 acres

and California, with more than 91,000

acres.

The average sales per organic farm

worked out to be $414,726, compared

with the $134,807 average for all farms

taking part in the 2007 u.s. Census of

Agriculture. sales of certified organic live-

stock products included $765 million for

organic milk, $276 million for eggs, and

$115 million for chicken.

The survey also asked certified farms

where their products were marketed.

Eighty-one per cent of sales were through

the wholesale market, 13 per cent of sales

were made directly to retailers and the

remaining 6 per cent concerned direct

sales to consumers.

With added staff in the past few years,

usdA’s national Organic program (nOp)

announced in september 2012 that it had

suspended the organic certifications of

200 operations and revoked six so far that

year. it also issued seven penalties, worth

a total of $80,000, for wilful violations of

national organic regulations.

nOp has explained that a suspended

operation may not sell or represent its

products as usdA Organic until it is

reinstated in writing by nOp. A revoked

operation or a person responsible for a

revoked operation may not obtain certifi-

cation for a period of five years.

driven by consumer demand, the u.s.

organic industry grew by 9.5 per cent

overall in 2011 (or $2.5 billion) to reach

$31.5 billion in sales. Of this, the organic

Stronger enForcement in

the noP

CoUNTrY proFILE

Organic is an important part of the diverse U.S. agricultural landscape. The Organic Trade Association represents over 6,500 farmers, ranchers, handlers, processors, distributors, and retailers across the organic supply chain. Learn more at OTA.COM

GENERATED BY CERTIFIED ORGANIC GROWERS IN FARM-GATE SALES IN 2011

81% OF U.S. FAMILIES ARE

ORGANIC FOOD AND FARMING GENERATES

FIBER PRODUCTS, SUCH AS CLOTHING, LINENS, AND MATTRESSES, ACCOUNT FOR THE

LARGEST SHARE OF THE $2.5 BILLION ORGANIC NON-FOOD MARKET

OF PARENTS REPORT THEIR TRUST IN THE USDA ORGANIC SEAL HAS INCREASED

OF ALL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES SOLD TO U.S. CONSUMERS ARE ORGANIC

TWO U.S. ORGANIC EQUIVALENCY ARRANGEMENTS

ORGANIC APPLE EXPORTS MORE THAN TRIPLED IN 2012

FOURTH IN U.S. FOOD/FEED CROP PRODUCTION AT FARM-GATE VALUES

$ $$

OF THE ORGANIC MARKET IS DAIRY

IN 2012, THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY GREW BY

OF PARENTS BUY ORGANIC TO AVOID TOXIC PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS

$3.5 BILLION

BUYING ORGANIC

ORG

AN

IC

RAN

KS

OV

ER

16

MORE THAN A HALF MILLION AMERICAN JOBS

17,750 CERTIFIED

ORGANIC FARMS, RANCHES, AND BUSINESSES IN THE UNITED STATES

42% O V E R 10%

WITH CANADA AND THE EU EXPAND GLOBAL MARKETS

TEN

OV

ER 30%

$35 BILLION

IN 2012 U.S. CONSUMER SALES OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS

REACHED

%

PERCENT



The White House report notes rapid

growth in the u.s. organic industry, echo-

ing a report released by OTA in April,

which showed that the organic food

industry generated more than 500,000

American jobs in 2010. Organic dairy and

fresh produce, which are the two largest

organic product categories, were specifi-

cally highlighted for their central roles in

creating opportunities for farmers and

ranchers, and helping rural businesses

become more competitive.

in addition, a report by the union of

Concerned scientists, released in mid-

november 2012 once more confirmed

that the organic dairy sector provides

more economic opportunities and gener-

ates more jobs in rural communities than

conventional dairies. The first-of-its-kind

study, Cream of the Crop: The Economic

benefits of Organic dairy farms, calcu-

lated the economic value of organic milk

production based on 2008-2011 financial

data from vermont and Minnesota, two

major milk-producing states.

“Over the past 30 years, dairy farmers

have had a choice: either get big or get

out. dairy farmers either had to expand

dramatically and become large industrial

operations or they went out of busi-

ness,” said Jeffrey O’Hara, agricultural

economist for the food and Environment

program at uCs and author of the report.

“However, organic dairy production

offers farmers another option – one that

is better for the environment, produces

a healthier product, and leads to greater

levels of economic activity.”

The report also compared the economic

value that would be generated by conven-

tional and organic farms in the two states

if both experienced the same hypotheti-

cal level of increased sales. under this

scenario, organic dairy farms in vermont

could be expected to contribute 33 per

cent more to the state’s economy than

conventional farms, and employ 83 per

cent more workers. similarly, in Minne-

sota, organic dairies would increase the

state’s economy by 11 per cent more and

employment by 14 per cent more than

conventional dairy farms.

Consumer demand for organic dairy

products has jumped dramatically over

the past decade, with emerging research

showing that well-managed organic dairy

farms are less harmful to the environment

than conventional dairies, and that the

milk produced may be better for human

health. Organically raised cows graze on

pasture during the growing season, eat

organically grown feed, and are not treat-

ed with synthetic hormones or antibiotics.

Meanwhile, the Organic farming

Research foundation released a science-

based, peer-reviewed report extolling the

multiple societal benefits of organic farm-

ing in north America. The report, entitled

Organic farming for Health and prosper-

ity, also outlines policy recommendations

to support the expansion of organic farm-

ing in the united states.

One of the biggest challenges for the

organic industry during the year was the

unresolved outlook for a new farm bill.

Although the u.s. senate approved its

version of a new farm bill last summer,

the House of Representatives never voted

on it. As a result, provisions in the 2008

farm bill expired in september 30, 2012.

in the waning hours of 2012, u.s. sen-

ate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of

Kentucky and vice president Joe biden

negotiated a nine-month extension of the

2012 farm bill which was attached to the

complex ‘fiscal cliff’ legislation, known

as the American Taxpayer Relief Act.

This legislation passed the senate early

food and beverage sector was valued at

$29.22 billion, while the organic non-food

sector reached $2.2 billion, according to

findings from the Organic Trade Asso-

ciation’s (OTA’s) 2012 Organic industry

survey.

Overall growth outpaced that among

comparable conventionally produced food

and non-food items, which experienced

4.7 per cent growth in the same year.

Organic food sales experienced 9.4 per

cent growth in 2011. The easing of the

recession, consumer price inflation due to

increases in input prices and consumers’

increasing desire for convenience prod-

ucts were all contributory factors. The

fruit and vegetable category contributed

close to 50 per cent of those new dol-

lars, although the fastest-growing sector

was the meat, fish & poultry category,

which posted 13 per cent growth, but still

remains the smallest of the eight organic

food categories.

Organic food sales now represent 4.2 per

cent of all u.s. food sales, up from 4 per

cent in 2010. Meanwhile, organic non-

food sales experienced a strong 11 per

cent growth, compared to 5 per cent for

comparable non-organic items. prospects

for 2012 and 2013, as indicated through

the 2012 survey results, indicate that

organic food and non-food sales will con-

tinue to sustain growth levels of nine per

cent or more.

in June 2012, the Obama Administration

released a report on rural communities

and businesses highlighting the tremen-

dous value of the organic sector in the

nation’s diverse agricultural economy. The

report, prepared by the Council of Eco-

nomic Advisers, the White House Rural

Council and usdA, pointed to numerous

examples of how organic agriculture and

trade are expanding opportunities for agri-

cultural production.

market growth continueS at

almoSt 10% P.a.


as primary natural disaster areas and

approximately 390 other counties as

contiguous disaster areas. usdA grant-

ed temporary derogations for organic

ruminant livestock producers in counties

declared as primary or contiguous natu-

ral disaster areas and with non-irrigated

pastures. These derogations allowed

organic farmers in these designated dis-

aster counties to supply just 15 per cent

of their dry matter intake (on average)

from certified organic pasture for the

remainder of 2012.

The u.s. organic industry continues to

discuss a possible sector-wide organic

research and promotion programme

(ORpp). The OTA has been facilitating

the process, hosting numerous in-per-

son and online meetings with the goal of

reaching an industry-wide decision on

whether this is a viable option.

The goal of such a programme would

be to offer a collective industry solu-

tion to distinguish organic products in

the marketplace, increase demand, and

educate consumers about the wide

range of benefits of purchasing organic

products. There are currently numerous

commodity ORpps in the usA, most

notably those promoting milk, beef and

eggs. These are industry funded but are

administered by the government.

several technical legislative fixes are

required in order for the organic industry

to even have the option of pursuing an

ORpp. The organic sector is not recog-

nised as a distinct commodity class, as it

covers a wide range of commodities. This

means that the organic sector would not

qualify for a promotional programme such

as the existing ones. The legislation would

require amending the current ORpps so

that organic products are recognised as a

commodity class. The OTA has begun to

pursue solutions to these issues, but it is

up to the entire organic sector whether to

pursue such a programme.

it is evident that there is a need for addi-

tional research into organic agriculture

and more consumer education about the

benefits of organic food and farming. dur-

ing 2012, several research reports added

to consumer confusion as the media

and the framework offered by research-

ers claimed that organic products were

no more nutritious than conventional

counterparts, even though the studies

cited actually revealed numerous benefits

associated with organic agriculture and

products.

for example, a review article published

in september in the Annals of internal

Medicine by stanford university research-

ers confirmed that consuming organic

foods reduces consumers’ exposure

to pesticide residues and to bacteria

resistant to antibiotics. in addition, a clini-

cal report published online in October

by the American Academy of pediatrics

highlighted the many attributes of organic

foods and provided guidance to par-

ents confused by conflicting marketing

messages about making healthy food

choices for their children. The OTA hailed

the report as a major milestone for the

organic sector and confirmation of the

significance of the benefits of organic

food. OTA noted that the science cited

in this report points firmly towards the

positive aspects of organic farming, and

provides many reasons for purchasing

organic foods.

Barbara Fitch Haumann is Senior Editor/Writer with the Organic Trade Association e [email protected]

on January 1st, with the House of Rep-

resentatives approving it less than 20

hours later. While this passage brought

general taxpayer relief, the organic sec-

tor was not so fortunate.

The farm bill Extension Measure (going

through to the end of september 2013)

slashed essential organic programmes

including organic data collection,

organic research and extension, and

partial reimbursement to farmers for

certification costs. it also eliminated any

investments in the future of rural com-

munities, family farming and organic

farming. smaller, targeted programmes

that invest in proven strategies to create

rural jobs, revitalise rural communities

and initiatives to foster a new genera-

tion of family farmers and ranchers were

completely absent from the final farm bill

extension. The eleventh hour deal also

prevented farmers and ranchers from

being able to improve soil and water

conservation through enrolling in the

Conservation stewardship program in

2013.

Thus, in 2013, work must begin anew on

a full five-year farm bill. such legislation

will need to work its way back through

committee stages and onto the floors of

both House and senate prior to being

enacted into law.

Meanwhile, for u.s. farmers, whether

organic or not, 2012 will be remembered

as the year of severe drought. A tell-

ing indication of the drought’s impact

on organic farmers was reflected in

the temporary derogations issued by

usdA’s national Organic program to

address the problems that organic pro-

ducers’ had in meeting requirements for

at least 30 per cent of dry matter intake

for ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats)

to come from organic pastures.

The severe drought led usdA to desig-

nate approximately 2.200 u.s. counties

CoUNTrY proFILE

usdA’s strategic plan aims to have

2,719 additional u.s. farms and

businesses certified to its organic

regulations by 2015, reaching a goal of

20,000 u.s. organic operations. deputy

secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merri-

gan said in a video address given at the

autumn 2012 meeting of the us nation-

al Organic standards board that this

is “an audacious goal, but if everyone

does their part to help organic farm-

ers and ranchers and processors, we

believe we will cross that finish line.”).

“An audacious goal…”


Ekkehard Külbs took over the farming business from

his parents in 1989, with his wife Judith isele joining the

running of the farm in 2004. in January 2013 Ekkehard sadly

passed away after an accident. since then Judith has been

running the farm on her own, with four permanent employ-

ees, each of whom is responsible for managing one of the

four ‘flerds’, a combined flock of sheep and herd of cattle.

This article describes the operation until 2012. in the past

few months Judith has introduced several changes to herd

compositions and water supply, but all these changes are

based upon the planning, monitoring and management pro-

cesses described below.

Animals and infrastructure – imitating nature

A year after taking over the farm Ekkehard started to imple-

ment the principles of Holistic Management, focussing on

Springbockvley Farm, Namibia

ekkehard külBS, Judith iSele & wieBke Volkmann

The efficiency of low input livestock farming


CoUNTrY proFILE

commnent

the grazing and watering haBitS

oF the SheeP and cowS are

comPlementary, allowing a higher liVeStock denSity

springbockvley farm is located 180 km southeast of the namibian capital Windhoek. situated on the wes-tern edge of the Kalahari dune landscape, but in almost completely flat countryside, it covers 9,500 hectares of predominantly red sand and partially limestone soils, mainly covered with open grassland, with some shrubs and trees. The long-term average annual rainfall at springbockvley is 260 mm, although this has varied between 70 mm and 680 mm in the last seven years.


This is partly because of the very low species diversity of the

grasses: only two relatively narrow leaved species (the peren-

nial stipagrostis uniplumis and the annual

schmidtia kalahariensis) make up 90% of the

grasses. despite much emphasis on grazing

management over many years, there has still

been no evident increase in grass diversity.

The diversity and nutritional value of the graz-

ing on springbockvley are closely inter-related

with the condition and production capability

of its animals. The animals and grazing have

developed together, so grazing can only be

improved together with and through the ani-

mals that live on it – and vice versa. Hence,

the main strategy to improve the farm’s profit-

ability is to select cattle and sheep that thrive

under the prevailing circumstances (rather than giving in to the

ever-present temptation to ‘buy better genes’).

The average grazing period in the growing season is between

four and six days per camp, provided there is fast growth. With

the current strategy of rotating through each cell approximately

every 180 days, two rounds must be done between each rainy

season in the non-growing season. so the animals get fresh

grazing every 10 to 12 days for almost six months. during the

second round, there is probably some newly-grown forage in

the camps as well as left-overs from the first one: There will be

pods and leaves that have dropped, and new shoots on peren-

nial grasses or new leaves on the bush after winter. The moves

are designed to optimise the performance of the rumen’s diges-

tive flora and to avoid the animals having to adjust to new con-

ditions every time they move to a new camp. despite this there

is still ample pressure on the animals in the flerds to force them

to utilise less valuable plant material.

Assessment and planning – producing peace of mind

At the beginning of the dry season after the growth has

stopped, the amount and quality of available forage is assessed

by taking two to three samples in each camp using what is

known as the sTAC method. This gives a fair indication of the

amount of grazing available and the condition of the soil.

The results from the samples are calculated into the total for-

age available in each camp, each cell and ultimately on the

entire farm. These calculations can be cross-checked using

the ‘square estimation’, which visualises the area necessary to

provide one cow with sufficient feed for one day. Judith feels

confident enough to build the entire animal production plan for

the rest of the year on this early assessment. This method is

quite time consuming as it takes the best part of two to three

the financial and grazing aspects. He combined herds and

flocks into ‘flerds’ and started to move them around, following a

time plan based around the quantity and

quality of fodder available in each area

or ‘camp’ as well as considering the time

that plants need to recover after having

been grazed. in planning this rotation he

took into account the nutritional needs of

the animals at different times of the year

so as to optimise their condition and pro-

duction. now there are three big cells of

16 to 17 camps each, (containing up to

2000 sheep and 300 cattle). in the fourth

cell, 11 camps close to the farmyard are

grazed by a smaller ‘flerd’ of around 500

sheep and 100 cattle.

The farm has 17 water points (reservoirs and troughs) each of

which serves 4 – 5 camps. There are 7 boreholes (5 – 25 m

deep), all of which are wind-powered (no engines are used on

the farm). The water gravitates along approximately 25 km of

pipeline from the central reservoirs at the boreholes to the other

water points. The 40 mm plastic pipes are buried into the Kala-

hari sand and are almost maintenance free.

Alongside the cattle and sheep, approximately 350 springbuck,

100 oryx and varying numbers of kudu and warthog also graze

on springbockvley. They are used for home consumption of

venison and occasionally their numbers are controlled by pro-

fessional hunters. The numbers of oryx and springbuck have

increased substantially in the last 10 to 12 years. They now

roam freely, and readily pass through the camp gates that are

open whenever the camps are not occupied by the livestock.

Oryx sometimes even allow themselves to be moved between

camps, which is done to rest the camps after grazing by the

livestock.

in addition there are also duiker, steenbok, aardwolf, bat-eared

fox and other small animals, as well as predators such as the

African wild cat, cape foxes, the caracal and black-backed

jackals. The latter are seen as a threat by sheep farmers. Their

movements are closely monitored and whenever they come

within close range of the sheep, they are trapped and killed.

despite such measures the farm accepts losing approximately

5% of its sheep to this predator each year. Although it would be

preferable to co-exist with jackals, the current practice keeps

losses down to an acceptable level.

Livestock and vegetation – combining needs

At the present time the limiting growth factor is the ability of

the animals to perform on the resources available on the farm.

the main Strategy iS to Select cattle

and SheeP that thriVe under

the PreVailing circumStanceS.


humus. This trampling effect critically depends on the amount of

hooves per hectare, not on the type and weight of the animals.

On the soft soils of springbockvley, the sheep do tremendous

work, although animal density alone is still not enough to really

break down the harder perennial grasses. Higher numbers and

tighter densities of cattle change the behaviour of the animals,

instilling a herd effect, where they trample the land indiscrimi-

nately and with greater force, increasing the healthy disturbance

of the soil. Each camp is, on average, 160 hectares large so

the density could be calculated as averaging 15 animals per

hectare: in reality higher densities occur as the animals are not

evenly spread over the whole camp but usually tend to bunch

together.

breeding smaller-framed animals

in 1989 Ekkehard took over the livestock from his parents: 250

simmentaler cattle and 3000 Karakul sheep. by 2010 he had

changed breeds and raised the numbers to about 700 nguni

cattle and 5000 damara sheep. He was not enthusiastic about

the Karakul breed and prices for them were constantly declin-

ing. He soon introduced damara rams to the Karakul flock,

building on the existing adaptation of the flock, and occasion-

ally bought small damara flocks to speed up the replacement

process. Over twenty-five years he converted his flock to

damara. This breed fits well with the prevailing system, being

well-adapted to the climatic circumstances and vegetation

days walking in the veld to collect the samples. However

knowing what to expect early on in the year and seeing the

outcomes of all the decisions and processes of earlier actions

makes it worthwhile. With the amount of forage assessed, a

non-growing season (including a drought reserve of 300 days)

is planned for, based on the experience that the first growth

only occurs at the end of January.

The idea is to build a grazing plan that aims for the livestock

‘to be at the right place for the right reasons at the right time’.

by using this plan, springbockvley has almost continually

increased its carrying capacity, even in years when rainfall

was less than a third of the average (1995, 1996 and 2007)

and some drastic temporary de-stocking had to take place.

in 2010 springbockvley stocked almost 40 kg of live animal

mass per hectare in the Kalahari sandveld, much more than

most farms in the region are able to achieve.

in addition to a detailed, careful and yet ambitious grazing

plan, another tool employed is to manage the animals’ impact.

Combining the livestock into four large flerds and keeping

them in specified camps for periods means that the animals

live at a relatively high density, and are closer to each other

while grazing and walking to the water point. This stimulates

them to eat less selectively and also to be less selective about

where they place their hooves. This means they trample down

more brittle plant matter, which helps build soil cover and

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available in the area. They also have good mothering abilities

and, like the Karakul, they have strong herd instincts and hence

function well in large flerds.

in 1994 Ekkehard introduced nguni bulls to the mixed sim-

mentaler-Afrikaner herd and over the last 15 years the animals

have developed into a compact medium-frame crossbreed (see

picture). This allows for more animals to graze the available land

while maintaining the animal’s reproduction and with this an

increase of the farm’s productivity and profitability.

Even with larger flerds and higher animal densities, cattle and

sheep do not bother each other when in the same camps. in

fact they complement each other very well, not only in their

daily routines but also in their diet and grazing habits. While

the sheep come to the water point in early mornings and late

afternoons and quickly return into the veld, the cattle character-

istically hang around the water point to drink, rest, and ruminate

from late morning until early afternoon. A very important part of

the sustenance of the sheep (being 60% browsers) are leaves

and other parts of bushes, as well as herbs and small leaves

and spikes of grasses, while the cattle (as grazers) mainly eat

more fibrous grass plants and only a small part of the diet that

sheep prefer. This means that a camp that would be considered

as being fully stocked by sheep, still has space and fodder for

cattle and vice versa.

by farming with these two indigenous breeds – ngunis and

damaras – springbockvley achieves remarkable production

rates. since 2000, annual meat production has averaged 11 kg/

ha (with a maximum of 14.8 kg/ha in 2003) – in a country where

10kg/ha is considered good or very good.

selection – breeding well-adapted animals

The changes shown in figure 1 were not just brought about by

changing to smaller indigenous breeds. it was also combined

with a strict selection of animals from within the herd, keeping

the ones that appear the healthiest and best-suited to thriving

under the prevailing conditions.

The first priority in the cattle selection process is high and early

fertility – meaning every cow has to give birth within its first two

and a half years and every year thereafter. The rams are kept

in the flock throughout the year. With the sheep the aim is to

maintain very low input levels. The goal is to produce meat from

the available natural resources with the least possible external

inputs. Minimal supplements are provided and the sheep get no

licks at all (the design of the cattle lick troughs make them inac-

cessible to the sheep). The sheep meet their mineral require-

ments by browsing bush components

Animal handling – reducing frequency and stress

springbockvley keeps working the animals in kraals or in the

chute to a minimum. All the cattle have to go through the chute

once a year for compulsory vaccinations. Apart from that they

only go through the handling facilities for weighing, branding

and ear tagging before being transported (and for branding,

castrating and dehorning as calves). There is almost no han-

dling of the sheep except the regular sorting and tagging three

to four times a year. They are not routinely treated, except in

individual cases, when ticks are causing obvious pain or injury.

The grazing management makes this possible, as the short

stays in each camp (not longer than 5 to 14 days, depending

on temperature and moisture) and a return cycle that is never

less than 60 days, which breaks the breeding cycles of internal

and external parasites, and ensures that the animals are able to

handle the remaining pressure.

Management of the whole – keeping it simple and efficient

A big part of daily life at springbockvley is keeping the feed-

back loop running, not only planning for healthy finances and

grazing etc., but also monitoring and controlling to show where

goals are not being met. Consequently, much of the routine

farming work consists of checking tasks. Much time is spent

checking border fences for intrusion by predators and all herds

are visited and checked for wellbeing, sufficient water and lick

supply at least every second day.

Apart from the high time input in these management tasks, the

setup on the whole farm is deliberately kept as simple, clear,

and efficient as possible. A low level of technical and financial

inputs is involved. The aim is for the farm to be as self sustain-

ing as possible: it relies completely on renewable energies. All

the boreholes are equipped with low-maintenance windmills.

The electrical power is supplied from an efficient solar system.

The garden supplies a variety of vegetables and fruits that are

consumed fresh or preserved for the rest of the year. They bake

their own bread, hunt springbuck and oryx for fresh and smoke

meat or salami. Judith processes milk from their cows into

yoghurt and different cheeses.

Ekkehard and Judith have followed the dictum that ‘maintaining

income while controlling costs produces profit’ in their personal

lives and farming business. before buying a product they con-

sciously ask themselves if it is really necessary, worthwhile and

what its benefits? This approach combined with all the manage-

ment factors discussed above means that springbockvley’s

farming business is highly profitable. The farm has been able to

continually increase its income while keeping expenses almost

stable. since the year 2000 the farm’s expenses have account-

ed for one third or less of turnover.

Judith Isele, Livestock Farmer, Springbockvley Farm, Namibia, HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]” [email protected] Volkmann, Holistic Management Certified Educator – Earthwise Enterprise and Training Coordinator – Community Based Rangeland and Livestock Management, Namibia HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]” [email protected]

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By Peter Brul & Bo Van elzakker

Where does your chocolate come from?

CocoaCocoa is the basis for one of the world’s most popular treats: chocolate. Cocoa is predomi-nantly a smallholders’ crop. it is estimated that some five million farming families around the world grow cocoa on 7.5 million hectares. it provides a means of livelihood for up to 40 mil-lion people. it is mainly grown within 10 degrees of the equator and production is heavily con-centrated in the West African countries of the ivory Coast, Cameroon, Ghana and nigeria. The fruit is harvested twice a year in the form of a main crop and a mid-crop, which provides lower yields.


mArKET

in 2010 global cocoa production was

around 4.3 million tonnes (iCCO).

besides organic, there is also fair Trade,

Rainforest Alliance and utz Certified

cocoa. Altogether certified sustainable

cocoa production was around 275,000

tonnes in 2010 and the certified market

share almost doubled from 3% to nearly

6% between 2009 and 2010. Certified

organic production continued to grow to

more than 45,000 tonnes (circa 1% of the

total) in 2011.

in the year 2000 11,680 tonnes of certi-

fied organic cocoa was produced in 13

countries, but strangely not in the main

cocoa producing area of West Africa. it

was around this time that the first organic

cocoa projects got off the ground in

Africa. by 2011 world production had

increased to around 45,000 tonnes. This

growth rate is far beyond average growth

within the global organic sector, which

runs at more than 10% per year. However,

the volumes of certified cocoa grown do

not equal the volumes sold.

Organic chocolate has increased in popu-

larity during the last ten years and is now

manufactured by several producers and

available in health food shops and super-

markets in the usA and Europe. in 2011,

organic chocolate posted almost 20%

growth in the usA. Overall, the global

market for organic chocolate products

was probably worth a little less than us$

1 billion in 2012. A large part of that is not

only certified organic but also fair Trade

labelled. The organic chocolate market

also shows a trend towards purer choco-

late, with a higher cocoa content (up to

70%). by contrast, milk chocolate may

contain just 25% cocoa with the rest con-

sisting of sugar and milk powder.

Cocoa, like coffee, is best cultivated

under the shade of native canopy trees in

a landscape that mimics the natural for-

est. such agroforestry systems conserve

the habitats of plant and animal species;

protect the natural pollinators of cocoa

and the natural predators of its pests, and

create beneficial microclimates and bio-

logical corridors that maintain biodiversity

and the stability of ecosystems. shade

trees in an agro-forestry system should

include species of economic value, pro-

ducing timber or fruits. However, in many

countries, farmers have been growing

cocoa in a kind of shifting cultivation, cut-

ting down forests to open up new fields

once the old field becomes tired. Modern

cocoa farming does not use shade trees,

as this improves yields in the short-term.

However, this method is only suitable for

hybrid plants that require the applica-

tion of agrochemicals. Growing cocoa

in full sun leads to more weeds that

require pesticides. it also increases ero-

sion and run-off; compaction and water

contamination. in these modern systems

the fields are generally abandoned after

30 years because of soil degradation. in

contrast to this, an organic agro-forestry

system can be productive over a very

long period of time, provided that farm-

ers are trained in improving soil fertility

(composting, recycling, green manure and

other measures), renewing the trees and

increasing the diversity of valuable crops.

sustainable cocoa production has often

been rather neglected: iCCO, the cocoa

boards, cooperatives and small farmers

have not invested enough in nurseries,

replanting, maintaining soil fertility, and

certainly not in the ecosystem in which

cocoa thrives. it appears that the world

has reached ‘peak Cocoa’. production is

stagnant. Consumption is increasing and

there are hardly any rainforests left to cut

down. Current cocoa production needs

to be more productive and to become

sustainable. in the last five years there

has been a change in attitude. Large

chocolate companies such as Mars,

nestlé and Kraft are trying to work with

governments, cocoa boards and farm-

ers’ cooperatives to improve production.

unfortunately this often leads to intro-

ducing short cycle hybrid crops without

shade trees and using more artificial

fertilisers and pesticides, which means a

further loss of biodiversity and a negative

impact on the environment. At the end

of the day it is questionable whether it is

the farmers who profit from the improved

yield, or other stakeholders further up

the chain. The challenge is to start larger

programmes using more sustainable

production systems such as organic and

agroecological ones.

The international Cocoa

Organisation (iCCO), which

is based in the uK, con-

stantly monitors the world cocoa market.

Every month, it reviews recent market

developments, together with longer-term

trends and forecasts. Any findings resulting

from studies and analyses are subsequently

translated into recommendations and action

plans. These include initiatives to work in

co-operation with governments in cocoa

producing countries to improve the provision

of cocoa market information to smallholder

cocoa farmers (www.icco.org).

ICCO

it aPPearS that the world haS reached ‘Peak

cocoa’.


Table 1:

Volumes certified

2010 2011

fair trade 106,400 150,000

Rain forest 56,000 98,000

utz 70,000 214,000

Organic 42,500 45,000

(tonnes)

Cocoa production under the Rainfor-

est Alliance (RA) is increasing in Latin

America and West Africa. interestingly,

some organic buyers insist on the combi-

nation of organic with RA as this is a bet-

ter guarantee of social and environmental

sustainability. RA standards are much

stricter in prescribing fair employment

conditions and nature conservation meas-

ures (including buffer zones and shade

trees) than organic standards.

uTZ certified is a sustainability labelling

organisation based in the netherlands

that mainly works for and with the large

market players. it started off with coffee

and now works in cocoa for key indus-

try members such as Mars, nestlé and

Heinz. its goal is to create a certification

and traceability programme for socially

and environmentally responsible cocoa

production that meets the needs of both

producers and markets.

A cost-benefit analysis by KpMG in

2012 showed that incomes from certified

producers are much higher than in non-

certified production. These certification

programmes are an improvement but do

they guarantee long-term sustainability?

does organic certification provide that

guarantee?

Child labour and cocoa

in 2000, the u.s. state department

reported that as many as 15,000 children

between the ages of nine and twelve had

been sold into forced labour on cotton,

coffee and cocoa plantations in the ivory

Coast. The increased exposure of the

practice and consumer disgust at this has

prompted action. The presence of child

labour forced the conservative cocoa sec-

tor to open up to consumer concerns. A

little later, environmental sustainability was

added as another major issue.

several different sustainability pro-

grammes for cocoa have since been

established, which include social criteria.

There are fLO (fair Trade) certified cocoa

producer associations in 12 countries.

Their production levels are low but

increasing. in January 2013, the interna-

tional Cocoa Organisation (iCCO) report-

ed: “Most fair Trade producer organisa-

tions in Latin America are also certified

as organic. They joined fair Trade first,

worked on their businesses and once they

reached a certain level of organisational

development, they converted to organic

production. in this case, they used the

fair Trade premium funds to invest in the

infrastructure and fees needed for organic

certification. The fair Trade minimum

price is $1600/tonne + $150 premium.

When the new york price is higher than

$1600, the fair Trade price is the new

york price + $150. Other benefits for cer-

tified producer organisations are better

capacity building and market access”.

The market for organic cocoa beans is

dominated by a few companies. The four

leading companies in Europe are pro-

natec and barry Callebaut (both swiss),

Mapryser (spanish) and Tradin Organic, (a

dutch based daughter of sunopta). Tradin

plans to open a new cocoa grinding facil-

ity in the netherlands in mid-2013. This

facility will specialise in processing certi-

fied cocoa beans into derivatives, such

as cocoa powder, butter and liquor. The

investment in a new factory is a clear sign

that there is a bright future for these prod-

ucts. iCAM in italy is the largest organic

chocolate maker, producing chocolate for

major European brands.

These traders deliver cocoa liquor, but-

ter and powder, and other ingredients to

different organic chocolate makers such

as blanxart, Callebaut, dagoba, Green

& black’s, newman’s, Rapunzel, Tcho,

Theo, valrhona and vivani. Often organic

retailers have their own brands of organic

chocolate. in many countries organic

chocolate can also be ordered through

the internet. Go and get it!

A study in 2011 identified 27 different

organic cocoa projects in nine African

countries. in 2013, another four were

added to this list. some of these pro-

jects have been in existence for ten years or more, such as the french company

Koaka which operates in sao Tome and Madagascar, and Callebaut working in

Tanzania, the ivory Coast and sierra Leone. beans from these projects are not sold

on the international market but are sold in processed form. Other projects have

been developed and perhaps exported once or twice but could not maintain them-

selves. such projects may fail for a variety of reasons: donor funding can run out,

it may be difficult to find a suitable buyer or to communicate in the international

market place, or there is insufficient access to trade finance. some projects have

had organic beans available at harvest but did not find an organic buyer, so sold

the produce as conventional, only to be approached by an organic buyer some

months later. synchronising supply and demand is often difficult. Although there

are problems, however, the potential is definitely there.

From: ‘A survey of certified organic cocoa in Africa and an analysis of the problems and opportuni-ties in the export market’, by Niyi Olabiran, 2011, Van Hall Larenstein-Wageningen / AgroEco-LBI.

Farmers finding markets

[email protected]

Cocoa project Philippines

Orange project Mexico

ProjectVietnam

Sesame projectEthiopia

Over the years Tradin has initiated a number of own projects. These projects are the backbone of Tradin’s trade activities:• Sesame and Green Coffee from Ethiopia.• Frozen Fruit from Serbia and Bulgaria.• Original Basmati Rice from Pakistan.• Vietnam’s Cashews, Pineapples and Passion fruit.• The Seeds and Pulses from China.• Iranian Raisins.• Coconut Oil from Indonesia.• Cocoa and Banana Chips from the Philippines.• Orange Juice and Pink Grapefruit Juice from Mexico. These projects do not only supply safer raw materials, but also they are exemplary and have a positive spill-off effect in their regions. Beyond the organic agricultural techniques, sustainability, CO

2 footprint, and Fair Trade concerns are at our top priority, all these characteristics have been embraced into our daily operations to provide the best possible social organic products with the smallest environmental impact.

Organic Raw Materials – The Safer Choice

Fruit project Serbia

Consumers expect a lot from Organic products:health, safety, well-being and environmental friendliness. Food producers therefore need appropriate organic raw materials and Tradin Organic Agriculture BV provides these: certifi ed, controlled, analysed organic raw materials. A wide range of products is being imported from over 36 countries all over the world, coming from well established packers and processors: Dried Fruits and Nuts / Seeds, Pulses and Grains / Cocoa products / Juices, Purees and Concentrates / Sweeteners / Fats and Oils / Frozen Fruit and more. From the cultivation, to the harvesting and further processing or refi ning Tradin is present. We can organize, control and manage all part of our supply chain, allowing us to meet the expectations of our customers. Therefore, we can provide a full traceability report to each of our customers for each products.

bringing well-being to life

More projects in China, Iran, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Pakistan...

Tradin BV – Your source for organic raw materials

Bernward geier

The Global Seed Alliance

SOS


This is a dangerous threat to our food

security. Most people are still unaware

of this development towards a seed dicta-

torship and do not realise what disastrous

consequences it could have. fortunately

the threat has mobilised resistance. Here

the resistance not only involves political

action and lobbying but also, and perhaps

most importantly, actions by seed grow-

ers and multipliers and in peoples’ fields

and gardens.

sEEd in nEEd

for thousands of years, farmers have

practised seed production and we owe

them a debt of gratitude for the enormous

crop diversity they have generated. farm-

ers’ reproduction of their own seed mate-

rial is crucial to preserving biodiversity,

enables them to maintain their independ-

ence and guarantees the voluntary (and

often free) exchange of seeds. but now

seed freedom is under extreme threat

from new technologies, such as genetic

manipulation and in particular, from pat-

ents that transform seed from a public

good to a commodity that is controlled by

multinational corporations. The develop-

ment of hybrids, sterile seeds and genetic

engineering in particular prevents farm-

ers from reproducing seed and threatens

future food security.

This could erode fundamental freedoms.

The companies that have so success-

fully brought seeds under their control are

mainly those who originally benefited from

the war industry. After the second World

War they evolved into the agricultural

chemical industry, and are now becoming

‘bio-pirates’, hijacking the world’s seed

supply. The main victims are peasants

and farmers who are increasingly losing

the diversity of their seeds and becoming

enslaved by these multinational corpora-

tions and moneylenders. india has been

one of the hardest hit countries. since the

introduction of GM cotton into india, there

have been an estimated 250,000 suicides

by cotton-producing farmers who fell

hopelessly into debt as a result of buying

patented genetically engineered seeds

from Monsanto.

The freedom to save and sow seeds

Worldwide, there are hundreds of organi-

sations and institutions, and millions of

seed multipliers and defenders who are

committed to defending seed freedom.

These people think within a global context

but act locally. until now, however, there

has been no global alliance to develop

synergy between these activists. To fill

this gap the Global seed Alliance was

formed last year under the leadership of

the indian activist and eco-feminist van-

dana shiva, winner of the Right Livelihood

Award (the ‘alternative’ nobel prize). With

the help of navdanya and many friends

around the world she has published a

global citizens’ report entitled ‘seed

freedom’. This is a unique work of over

Crops and seeds are not only a source of life. They are also a fundamental precondition for our being. in the last 20 years, there has been a tremendous con-centration of the control of seeds by a handful of mul-tinational corporations. This has been accompanied by a rapid erosion of both seed diversity and seed independence.

‘Since the introduction oF gm cotton into india, there haVe

Been an eStimated 250,000 SuicideS By cotton-Producing FarmerS who Fell hoPeleSSly into

deBt’

AGro BIodIvErSITY


tions of the multinational seed corpora-

tions. Companies such as Monsanto

have multi-million dollar budgets: it is

therefore better to coordinate resistance

in a way that empowers the millions of

people who are already active. priority

must be given to informing people, but

above all the political leaders, about the

‘state of emergency’ concerning seeds.

The ultimate objective is the ambitious

target of abolishing unlawful instruments

that patent seeds and laws that criminal-

ise the reproduction of seed.

The publication of the seed Report was

timed to coincide with the launch of the

Global seed Alliance and its first globally

coordinated action. in the two weeks

between Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday

(2nd October) and World food day (the

16th October) 2012, 160 actions and

activities to liberate seed were held all

over the world. They ranged from the

exchange of seed at free markets to

actions of civil disobedience that fol-

lowed in the spirit of Gandhi. With the

rapid increase in the seed Alliance’s

organisational capacity and ongoing

networking, there are plans for a much

larger signal of resistance in the same

two weeks this year.

Organic agriculture is a central pillar in

the struggle for seed freedom. ifOAM

contributed to the seed report and many

of the initiatives discussed are from the

organic movement. Humberto Rios from

Cuba, a finalist in the 2012 One World

Award, drew up a fascinating report of

best practice. Organic agriculture has a

very specific interest and need for free

seeds and has also developed a lot of

solutions. The organic movement should

play an active role in this new alliance,

fully support its political struggle and

share the solutions we have developed.

GET pERsOnALLy ACTivE

The seed Alliance needs the commitment

of many individuals. seed is the first link

in the food chain. Consumers are the

last, crucial link. What we don’t buy will

not be seeded and grown. in addition to

our consumer behaviour there is also the

need to change the political framework

and to abolish exploitative seed laws.

The first step that any individual can take

here is to sign the Global seed Alliance’s

‘declaration on seed freedom’. The tar-

get is to get one million signatures for the

declaration. if all members and support-

ers of ifOAM members and associates

were to sign this and encourage organic

consumers to do so, this would have a

huge impact.

You can sign the declaration on www.navdanya.org.Bernward Geier [email protected]

320 pages, which highlights the alarm-

ing threat to seed freedom. it provides

a necessary wake-up call by drawing

together a wealth of existing information,

including a large report on the subject of

genetic engineering ‘The genetic engi-

neering emperor wears no clothes’. The

study was supported by more than 100

organisations, institutions and networks

who were involved in creating it. There

are inspiring reports compiled by seed

savers and growers from each continent.

These reports look at past initiatives,

but focus on what is happening now,

showing how diverse resistance is and

how people from all around the world

are engaged in fighting to liberate the

planet’s seed stock.

The report is illustrated with beautiful

photos and paintings that show how

diverse the existing alternatives already

are, and how it is possible to cre-

ate a future full of diversity, controlled

by human communities instead of a

future dominated by monocultures and

monopolies. This book is a feast for the

eyes with beautiful drawings and paint-

ings, as well as wonderful poems. The

complete report can be downloaded

from navdanya’s website: www.navdan-

ya.org.

THE nEW sEEd ALLiAnCE

Activists of the seed movement have

been well connected, but mainly at

national level. Although the ‘Let’s liber-

ate diversity’ movement has existed in

Europe since 2005 until now there has

been no global network to unite seed

growers and multipliers and political

activists and defenders of seed freedom.

such international cooperation, which

has the potential to generate synergies,

is urgently needed to resist the machina-

‘in octoBer 2012 160 actionS and

actiVitieS to liBerate Seed were held all oVer the

world’.

AGro BIodIvErSITY

PrIOrITy muST Be GIveN TO INFOrmING PeOPle, BuT ABOve All The POlITICAl leADerS, ABOuT The ‘STATe OF emerGeNCy’ CONCerNING SeeDS.



Doug Tompkin’s laguna Blanca in Argentina:

“A good farm is a beautiful farm”

phoTo ImprESSIoN


photo description

Signs of revival

roB Sexton


The uK’s organic market has been in sharp decline since the start of the global financial crisis. in 2008, the uK market was valued at £2.1 billion and had been growing at over 10% per year for the past decade. since 2008, the market has fallen every single year – bucking the trend in organic markets almost everywhere else in the world. While uK organic sales have fallen by 22% since 2008, global sales have risen by 25.1%.

Why is the uK market so unusual? What

lessons can be learnt? And what does

the future hold? The soil Association’s

Organic Market Report 2013 provides

a robust assessment of this disturbing

trend, and there is much to discuss. it

shows that current sales patterns are

improving and the decline in the uK

market is rapidly slowing. sales in 2012

experienced a slight dip of 1.5%, that in

a year that the uK re-entered recession.

The uK organic market now stands at

£1.64 billion – still the third largest organic market in Europe,

behind Germany and france. Globally the market is dominated

by the usA, which accounts for 44% of global sales. The 2013

Organic Market Report highlights some significant new trends

and predicts that the uK organic market should soon bounce

back.

young shoppers are leading the way. in 2012 ethically aware

consumers under 35 significantly increased their average

spend on organic products. The youngest category of shop-

pers (under 28 years of age) spent more on organic food in

2012 than in previous years. This is a new trend that we have

noticed in the last two years and its scale is growing: specific

examples include the 15% growth in sales to students at

planet Organic stores.

Online and independent. The uK’s organic shoppers are

increasingly choosing the convenience and variety offered by

online shopping and specialist stores

over the inconvenience and frustration

of finding more limited ranges and stock

at many supermarkets. Online and box

scheme sales grew by 4.4% and inde-

pendent store sales grew by nearly 1%.

dedicated organic grocery stores saw a

growth of up to 10%.

The catering sector is also opening up.

belatedly, compared with the rest of

Europe, and uniquely without any gov-

ernment support at all, the organic catering market is begin-

ning to develop in the uK. Organic catering and restaurant

sales rose by 1.6% in 2012, despite a general tendency to eat

out less often in tough economic times. The soil Association’s

food for Life Catering Mark is filling the gap left by the uK

government’s procurement policies. Over 140 million meals

are now part of this award scheme, which certifies caterers

who use healthy, fresh, seasonal and, at silver and gold levels,

organic food. This labelling scheme covers schools, hospi-

tals, universities, nurseries, care homes and workplaces. it is

putting healthy, sustainable eating at the top of the catering

agenda, despite inaction from the uK government (although an

honourable exception should be made for the scottish parlia-

ment).

These patterns show a positive future for the uK organic mar-

ket. yet the uK organic market faces very different challenges

than most other similarly placed countries.

CoUNTrY proFILE

the uk market iS dominated By multiPle retailerS


The uK grocery market is unique in the

extent to which it is dominated by a

small number of large retailers – the

‘big four’ account for over 80% of all

grocery sales. They claim that they only

stock products that people want to buy,

but when the first recession hit in 2008, they made sweep-

ing reductions in organic ranges, and increased their range of

economy products. not surprisingly with less available choice,

organic sales declined, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Waitrose has been a notable exception and has continued to

invest in organic products. Organic sales now account for 5%

of their total sales and continue to grow year on year.

The lack of investment in organic ranges is most marked when

looking at own label organic sales at the major retailers. sales

of organic own label products fell by 11.2% in 2012, although

organic brands grew by 2.2%. This is the biggest difference

we have seen and it is fair to say that the decline in retailer

own label organic products is single-handedly responsible for

keeping the uK organic market in a state of decline.

sales of organic products in the Eu have increased by more

than 25% since the start of the global economic downturn in

2008. Our government has much to learn from its European

counterparts, who have been backing the organic sector

strongly through a combination of environmentally-based

producer support, firm targets for public sector procurement

of organic food and investment in the promotion of organic

products.

in the last 10 years, the uK has fallen from

2nd in the league table of government

support for organic food and farming, to

2nd from bottom. This is a pretty damning

statistic. Elsewhere in Europe the situa-

tion is markedly different; for example, the

danish organic action plan target is 60%

organic food in all public canteens.

several supermarkets turned their predictions of falling demand

for organic food into a self-fulfilling prophecy by dramatically

cutting back on organic ranges and shelf space, reducing

the availability for shoppers who wanted to carry on buying

organic. This has triggered disproportionate cuts in the pro-

duction of some commodities, such as eggs, causing supply

challenges. it is important for retailers to work more closely

than ever with their organic suppliers to ensure higher farm-

gate prices, forward planning and decent forward contracts,

all of which are needed to restore producer confidence and

safeguard future supplies.

despite relative neglect from policy makers and some super-

markets, there is much cause for optimism, due to the success

of specialist retailers, the enthusiasm of young shoppers and

the long-overdue questions being asked about our reliance on

cheap, low-quality, untraceable food (especially in the wake

of the horsemeat scandal). it is difficult to anticipate precisely

when the uK organic market will return to growth, but we are

increasingly confident that it will do so in the near future.

Rob Sexton is Chief Executive of the Soil Association Certification Ltd. E-mail [email protected]

The Soil Association’s Organic Market Report 2013 report can be found at http://www.soilassociation.org/marketreport

our goVernment iS out oF SteP

The UK market is dominated by multiple retailers

Our government is out of step

Supply shortages threaten growth


mArKETS

vested interests from the agri-chemical and global food indu-stries have identified organic food and farming as the major obstacle to achieving their goals of more control over the food sector.

opINIoN

Developing a Communication Strategy for the Organic Sector

in the past the organic sector has had only limit-

ed success in getting its message across to the

consumer. firstly, the issue of food quality and

environmental impact only concerns a section of

our society (estimated at around 25%). secondly,

the message itself is rather complicated as it

touches so many aspects it can be difficult for

the consumer to follow the debate and make up

his or her mind. food produced without synthetic

fertilisers and pesticides are the main criteria

that consumers recall when asked about organic

food.

it also needs to be remembered that the organic

message is not static; it evolves, is shaped by

events, and influenced by food scandals, opinion

leaders or new scientific research results.

JoSeF Finke

- - - >


On the basis of this scenario industries, representing vest-

ed interests, have developed the following strategy, which

has been confirmed by the Cornucopia institute in the us

and follows the same patterns as the campaign to discredit

those who warn about climate change, orchestrated by

vested interests in the us. The latter strategy has been so

‘successful’ that no statement is published in the us media

without being followed by a contrasting statement from the

climate change deniers.

1 science is the chosen route providing the basis for their

message. in today’s world we are used to believing in and

following scientifically based information and knowledge.

2 High profile people with an unquestioned level of compe-

tence, credibility and authority are chosen as messengers.

When the message exceeds the understanding of the con-

sumer, the messenger becomes a decisive part of the mes-

sage. On this basis they have selected scientists, profes-

sors, academics, ‘reputable’ journalists and other ‘experts’.

no consumer of course knows that these messengers are

being paid to deliver the message.

3 They shape the message by starting with research results

from recognised universities, taking fragments of this

research out of context and presenting them in isolation

so as to show organic food and farming in a negative light.

The message can also be shaped by designing research in

a way that guarantees the desired outcome, using flawed

research methods. The aim is to confuse consumers and

make them doubt the benefits of organic farming and food.

4 This strategy is complimented by attempts from a biased

sector of the ‘scientific community’, which, using the same

flawed methods, plays down the harmful role and effects of

pesticides, synthetic fertilisers and food additives in con-

ventional agriculture and food.

5 At the same time the organic sector is discredited by

portraying its representatives as dreamers, romantics,

yesterday’s men, not for today’s world, hopeless idealists,

heads-in the-clouds, incompetent scientists, elitist or too

affluent.

now consumers find themselves increasingly exposed to a

situation where any positive claims about organic food are

immediately contradicted by ‘credible’ scientists and they

This is their strategy

do not see the Machiavellian strategy behind it. The result

is that consumers, now confused by these statements take

a step back and their belief in organic food and farming

has been replaced by uncertainty.

Where does this leave the organic community? Entering the

academic debate trying to counteract this cannot be the

solution. The past shows that every argument will be fol-

lowed by a counter argument. Whereas serious scientists

work thoroughly, with peer-reviews to back up their state-

ments, these ‘bought’ scientists, working for vested inter-

ests, throw out statements that are biased and not backed

by proper science. They know, once their position is out

in the public realm, that their job has been done: the mes-

sage has been delivered and made consumers insecure. it

will take more time again for the serious scientists to prove

that their claims were wrong. This will then be replaced by

another ‘scientific’ statement and the whole game starts

again. Eventually the consumer switches off and stops lis-

tening to the debate.

A better communication strategy with the consumer is to

leave the academic debate to academics and to focus

consumer communication around a ‘common sense’ posi-

tion. unfortunately the organic debate has become quite

removed from its origins. Reliance on academic mes-

sengers has taken the issue of organic farming away from

farmers and citizens. it seems that today only scientists are

qualified to have an opinion about organic farming. This is

wrong. Organic food and farming is, and always has been

an issue for concerned farmers and citizens. This common

sense element must be brought back into the debate.

Common sense is simple, understandable by everyone,

down to earth and leaves no room for arguing. it puts the

ball firmly back into the court of the consumer, allowing

him or her to make a judgement and form an opinion. We

must remember that this is about forming a perception

among the general public. but at the same time it forms a

back drop and reassures organic producers who can use

this for their own communications.

The mantras of the industry opposed to organic farm-

ing (e.g. organic farming cannot feed the world) must be

matched by our own mantras; and the mantras must be

simple.

The following (next page) is an

example of what this could look like. - - - >


1 Avoiding food sprayed with pesti-

cides can eliminate several health risks.

(scientific studies have linked pes-

ticides to autism, Attention deficit

Hyperactivity disorder, parkinson’s and,

Alzheimer’s diseases and cancer. now

researchers at the Albert Einstein Col-

lege of Medicine of yeshiva university

have found an association with food

allergies).

2 A farming system which produces healthy animals is bet-

ter than mass animal production systems which depend on

high levels of medication.

(Multi Resistant strains of Antibiotics (MRsA) are the result

of irresponsible overuse of antibiotics, especially in ani-

mal feed in conventional farming. 80% of all antibiotics

produced are now destined for animal feed. What are we

going to do when these antibiotics won’t work anymore?

And what are the possible consequences for the effective-

ness of antibiotics among humans?)

3 A tasty, naturally-grown tomato is better than a watered-

up, fertiliser-pushed tomato.

(Chemical fertilisers increase the water content in vegeta-

bles by an average of 20%, which means that, even at an

organic premium of 20%, you are paying the same price as

conventional food on a dry matter basis).

4 A farming system which protects bio-diversity is better

than one that leads to its continuous decline.

(Large scale industrial farming practices have led to an

irreversible decline in bio-diversity. The latest victims are

bees who are dying from exposure to nicotine based seed

dressings. One third of our food depends on pollination

through bees).

5 A vibrant, diverse food culture is better than an industrial

food sector where power is concentrated in ever-fewer

hands.

(food diversity is under threat from GM tech-

nology which gives patent protection and

thereby ultimate control over our food to a

small number of profit-driven global compa-

nies).

6 A sustainable form of food production is

better than industrial farming methods which

exploit the soil for short term gains.

(The world is fed by a few inches of top soil.

This top soil, which needs to be protected and cared for, is

being lost in industrial farming at an alarming rate. if we want

to feed the world of tomorrow the only answer is to sustain

the soil – through organic farming).

7 i don’t have to be concerned about E numbers if these are

not in my food

(The human body is not equipped to protect itself from most

synthetic chemicals and our immune system is not capa-

ble of processing or removing these. Tests of thousands

of volunteers have discovered an average of 700 different

synthetic chemicals in their bodies, absorbed through food,

water and the air. Children today particularly show a lack

of concentration, aggression, hyper activity, mood swings

and a range of allergies never before witnessed, and there

is evidence to link all of these changes (at least partially) to

synthetic chemicals in food. Organic food is the most strictly

regulated food sector in Europe and covers not only farm-

ing but also processing.), with artificial additives not being

allowed.

We must remain aware that the companies and lobby groups

seeking to discredit the organic sector are very well organ-

ised internationally and have harmonised strategies. As such

they will always be ahead of the organic sector as long as it

organised at national level. it is vital that European organic

organisations see and accept the need for a common com-

munication strategy. This process should start as soon as

possible. i encourage European organic organisations to

team up and get working on this common strategy.

Josef Finke runs an organic farm in Co. Tipperary, Ireland [email protected]

Putting common sense into food

Consumers are getting increasingly confused. Just when one scientist states a new finding

another scientist comes along and claims the opposite. for consumers it is not always easy to

know when and where vested interests are involved. perhaps common sense is a good advisor in

this situation. Here is some common sense advice for confused consumers.

opINIoN


The global market for organic food and non-food production

Peter Brul

ING BANk (NOT kNOwN AS The

‘GreeNeST’ OF BANkS) rePOrTS ThAT

The DuTCh OrGANIC mArkeT IS GrOwING FASTer ThAN The ChINeSe eCONOmy

Calculating the value of organic chains

despite a recession and difficult eco-

nomic conditions in the two main

markets for organic products, Europe and

the united states, the market share and

volume of organic products has continued

to grow in recent years. The worldwide

acreage of organic land is also growing.

However the relationship between the two

is not always straightforward.

The world’s organic market is made up of

a number of segments. by far the most

important market is that for food and bev-

erages. Western Europe and north Amer-

ica account for more than 95% of the

world market for certified organic foods.

The consumption of organic products per

head is more or less the same in the usA

and north-western Europe, around €57

per person in 2011. in Europe as a whole

the average was €24 per person, but in

denmark and switzerland it was more

than €130. Other markets, such as brazil,

China, Russia, Turkey and the Middle East

are growing strongly, but only make up a

small part of the entire market. Almost all

countries apart from the us, Canada and

north-western Europe are net exporters of

organic products.

Organic farming is regulated by law in the

us and Europe, so the statistical data on

acreage and turnover in organic foods

are pretty reliable. This is much less the

case for the markets for organic textiles

(mainly cotton) and cosmetics and well-

ness products. These markets are also

quite large and have grown fast over the

last ten years.

mArKETS

Organic cotton is mainly certified through

the Global Organic Textile standard (GOTs).

The number of facilities certified by GOTs

increased by 11% in 2012, growing from

2,714 facilities in 2011 to 3,016 facilities

in 2012. The countries with the most pro-

cessing facilities are india (with 1062 certi-

fied), Turkey (400) and China (252). Market

demand in Europe grew by more than 20%

for the second year in a row.

india is by far the largest producer of organ-

ic cotton, producing just over 100,000 tons

of cotton fibre in 2010-11 on nearly 250,000

hectares of certified land. The top ten cus-

tomers of organic cotton through the Textile

Exchange are mainly large textile retail

chains: H & M (sweden), C & A (belgium),

nike, inc. (usA), inditex (Zara) (spain), Adi-

das (Germany), Green source (usA), Anvil

(usA), Target (usA), disney Consumer prod-

ucts (usA) and the Otto Group (Germany).

Table 1 (based mainly on figures from the

Textile Exchange) shows the growth in the

global organic textile market over the last

five years.

Wellness

The third significant market segment is for

cosmetics, skin care and widely used natu-

ral medicines such as arnica, neem and

echinacea. This segment is also not covered

by the regulations and there no clear dis-

tinction between ‘natural‘ and organic prod-

ucts. some large producers consistently use

organic ingredients, and this is an integral

part of their corporate identity and their

brands, but there is no organic label on the

packaging. According to market researcher

Textiles

Less than 30 years ago, the first certified

organic cotton was grown, spun and then

woven into t-shirts and other products.

now there are more than two hundred

thousand organic cotton growers around

the world and the market is worth approx-

imately €5.65 billion. Organic cotton is

grown in 22 countries: the leading ten (in

rank order) are india, Turkey, syria, Tanza-

nia, China, united states, uganda, peru,

Egypt and burkina faso. Textiles are not

regulated under European organic legisla-

tion and this almost inevitably means that

the data are far less reliable than for food-

stuffs. in addition to organic cotton there

is a range of environmental and sustain-

ability labels for cotton. Large textile com-

panies often mix organic and conventional

cotton. They bring the products to the

market without organic certification to ful-

fil their own overall sustainability criteria.

The textiles industry is also under con-

siderable pressure to significantly reduce

pollution. Conventional cotton cultivation

involves intensive pesticide use, cot-

ton is a large consumer of scarce water

resources and the processing of cotton

(including bleaching and dyeing) involves

extremely polluting processes that dye

rivers in developing countries red, blue

or purple, depending on the fashions of

the day. Only a few of the environmental

improvements in the textile industry are

associated with certified organic produc-

tion; far more improvements come in

small steps or are made by the industry’s

own environmental labels.

ECoLoGY & FArmING | 2-2013 37


Calculating the value of the organic chain

fibL produce pretty reliable global organ-

ic statistical data every year. According

to their latest report there were 37 million

hectares of certified organic land in 2011

in 162 countries. One hectare of organic

land thus represents a retail value of

almost $1900. However there is a huge

difference between intensive production

in countries where the organic markets

are strong and low input production in

exporting countries. for example, the

dutch organic market is worth around

€750 million, the sector exports around

€550 million worth of produce a year

and imports account for €300 million. so

dutch production has a retail value of

about €1 billion, grown on 47,400 ha. This

gives a retail value per ha of a little over

€ 20,000. One hectare of organic wheat

provides around €1875 for the farmer and

around € 27,000 retail value (9000 x 800

gram loaves of bread). in north-western

Europe and the usA, which make up more

than 95% of the world market there is a

strong link between production and market

value. virtually all organic produce is sold

as certified organic products, unless the

quality is poor or there is temporary over-

production of certain products.

some segments are still hidden

in many other regions, the link between

organic production and organic market-

ing is weak or almost non-existent. Only a

part (sometimes a small part) of the total

production goes into organic export chains.

for example, a family farm in Ethiopia pro-

duces all the food for a large family, and

will use less than 20% of the land for their

cash crop, coffee. The domestic market

for organic produce is almost non-existent.

but in neighbouring Kenya, there is a

small organic market, with shops, farmers

markets and consumer groups. Organic

produce sold on these local markets is gen-

erally not certified by third party certifiers,

as this would increase the prices too much

without adding much value. so both these

forms of organic production and market-

ing are totally under the statisticians’ radar,

suggesting that the organic market is larger

than we generally believe.

in 2011, the gloBal market

For organic ProductS

waS 70 Billion dollarS

Kline & Company, the total market for nat-

ural cosmetics and natural care products,

(including organic ones) was 26.3 billion

in 2012, twice the size it was in 2005.

This is about 12% of the total market

of €210 billion, i.e. €160 billion. Organic

cosmetics account for around 3% of the

total global market in 2012. The German

natural cosmetics market alone is worth

€815 million. sales grew rapidly until 2010

(by 11% in 2010 but only 2.5% in 2011

and stagnated last year). However with a

market share of 6.5%, it is still a signifi-

cant market.

70 billion dollars

Taking these three segments into account

we can calculate that the global organic

market was worth some us$70 billion or

€54 billion, 84% of which is accounted

for by food and drink. The organic food

market is still growing, the textile one

probably not, because of lower yields in

india and the cosmetics segment is grow-

ing slowly, probably because of the reces-

sion in Europe. According to the Organic

Trade Association’s 2012 Organic industry

survey the u.s. organic industry grew by

9.5 per cent overall in 2011 to reach $31.5

billion in sales. Of this, the organic food

and beverage sector was valued at $27.4

billion, while the organic non-food sector

reached $2.2 billion.

Table 1:

The global organic textile market in us$

year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Market $3.2 billion $4.3 billion $5 billion $6.2 billion $7.4 billion


These pictures (right) are examples of the types of mammary gland tumours (breast cancer) that the scientists found in the rats. source: (seralini et al 2012)

basedon Science

andre leu

GMOs were prohibited by the organic sector primarily due to the use of the precau-tionary principle. The precautionary principle is embodied in ifOAM’s principle of Care. ‘This principle states that precaution and responsibility are the key concerns in management, development and technology choices in organic agriculture. science is necessary to ensure that organic agriculture is healthy, safe and ecologically sound. Organic agriculture should prevent significant risks by adopting appropriate techno-logies and rejecting unpredictable ones, such as genetic engineering.’ This concern about artificially transferring genes between kingdoms and species in a way that has never occurred naturally is now being validated by a large body of science.

Gmo


GMO’s are currently being pushed as the solution to feed

the world’s ever growing population. This logic has to be

seriously questioned in the light of the scientific studies that

show numerous serious health issues that are connected to the

consumption of GMO food. A long term feeding study found

that rats fed a diet that contains a proportion of GM maize or

minute residues of Roundup has resulted in significantly higher

increases of cancers, kidney disease, liver damage and other

negative health effects. The study led by professor Gilles-Eric

seralini and published in food and Chemical Toxicology has

found that both the GM maize and Roundup acted as endo-

crine disrupters and resulted in the females dying 2 - 3 times

more than the control animals. (seralini et al 2012). The females

that were fed either GM maize or non GM maize with minute

roundup residues, developed large mammary tumours almost

always more often than and before controls. All the non-control

females, except for one that had ovarian cancer, had mammary

hypertrophies (enlarged mammary glands) and in some cases

hyperplasia with atypia (nodules in the mammary glands).

The pituitary gland was the second most disabled organ and

the sex hormonal balance was modified in females fed with the

GMO and Roundup treatments.

The treated males presented 4 times more large palpable

tumours than controls and these occurred up to 600 days ear-

lier. The treated males had liver congestions and necrosis that

were 2.5 - 5.5 times higher than the controls as well as marked

and severe kidney nephropathies (kidney damage) that were

also generally 1.3 - 2.3 greater than the controls.

This study was the first 2 year feeding trial conducted on rats

designed to see the effects of GM over an animal’s lifetime.

Currently, no regulatory authority requests mandatory chronic

animal feeding studies to be performed for edible GMOs. How-

ever, several studies consisting of 90 day rat feeding trials have

been conducted by the biotech industry even though there is no

requirement to do this.

Regulatory authorities use a basic chemical analysis of a GM

variety and compare this with it closest non GM variety. if this

chemical composition is much the same, the GM variety is

declared as substantially equivalent and suitable for uncon-

tained commercial release.

The comparison of the chemical composition of the GM maize

used in this study (nK603) revealed no particular difference

and consequently it was classified as substantially equivalent.

similarly a 90 day feeding trial showed no significant differences

between the controls and the rats fed the GM maize variety.

The results of the 2 year feeding study show that the current

regulatory system for approving GM crops for consumption are

inadequate for assessing the effects of eating these foods over

a normal lifetime.

Multiple Health problems

professor Gilles-Eric séralini and colleagues published a study

that reviewed 19 studies of animals fed with GMO soy and corn

in the peer reviewed scientific journal Environmental sciences

Europe. The studies covered more that 80% of the GMO varie-

ties that are widely cultivated around the world.

Their review found significant levels of negative effects to

kidneys and livers in the animals that were fed GMOs. The

scientists stated: ‘...the kidneys were particularly affected, con-

centrating 43.5% of all disrupted parameters in males, whereas

the liver was more specifically disrupted in females (30.8% of all

disrupted parameters).’

One of the key conclusions is that the current testing method-

ologies, length of feed trials and the parameters measured are

insufficient to evaluate the health problems that are caused by

diets of GMOs. The scientists clearly stated that this lack of

proper testing protocols is socially unacceptable in terms of

consumer health protection. (seralini et al 2011)

GM soy has Adverse Effect on the Offspring

One of the most concerning issues is the negative effects that

occur in the offspring of rats and mice that are fed GM diets.

These effects include increased infant mortality, reduced litter

sizes and reduced body weights of the offspring. in experi-

mental trials male and female mice were fed GM soy and then

mated. The early stage embryos (4-8 cells) showed a temporary

decrease in gene expression. This was not found in embryos

whose parents ate natural non-GM soy. (Oliveri 2006).There is

strong body of science that shows that subtle changes to gene

expression in embryos can cause permanent negative effects

in the development of offspring. A Russian rat study conducted

by dr irina Ermakova and colleagues found that offspring of rats

fed on GM soy had higher levels of mortality than rats fed with

non GMO soy. (Ermakova 2006)

Control Control

The scientists noted that babies of the

rats that were fed GMO diets developed at

slower rate, had lower weights and looked

markedly different than the babies of rates

that were fed non GMO diets.


difficulties with Conception

dr Ermakova and her colleagues found that the mated offspring

of the GM group did not conceive. This is a serious concern

that needs to be fully investigated with more scientific research.

One of the possible causes for the developmental differences

and the lack of fertility in the offspring of mice that are fed

GMOs is that several studies have found that GMO diets cause

structural changes to the testicles. A study published in the

European Journal of Histochemistry found that testicles of mice

fed GM soy had altered structures and function which influ-

enced sperm development. (vecchio 2004)

Effect on Mothers and Children

The greatest concern for humans is that the toxin from pesti-

cide producing GMOs can be found in bloodstream of women

and their unborn children. A Canadian study published in the

scientific journal, Reproductive Toxicology, found the pesti-

cide toxin from GMO crops in the blood samples of women

and their unborn babies. The GMO toxin was found in 93%of

maternal blood samples and of greater concern in 80%vof fetal

blood samples. (Aris and Leblanc 2011) Given the evidence of

the changes to the offspring of animals fed a GMO diet, this

Canadian study should be the cause of great concern amongst

health professionals and regulators to ensure that the GMO

foods that are currently being consumed are not doing damage

to our future generations.

studies published in the highly respected medical journal The

Lancet and in the peer reviewed Journal nutrition and Health by

dr Arpad pusztai showed multiple serious problems with rats

that were fed GM potatoes. The scientific studies found that the

rats that were fed on the GMO developed smaller brains, livers

and testicles, had partial atrophy of the liver and damage to their

immune system. The studies showed that the rats developed

potentially precancerous cell growth in the linings of their stom-

ach and intestinal walls. (pusztai 2002, Ewen and pusztai 1999)

Gmo

figure 1

non-GM soy group GM-soy group

Control group GM-soy group

non GMO-fed inestinal wall

GMO-fed inestinal wall

stomach wall non-GMO stomach wall GMO

Control group GM-soy group

The photo on the left is the offspring from

mothers fed natural soy. in the lower right

is the GM group.

The GMO group has a significant reduc-

tion in average weight.

The picture on the left is the intestinal wall of

a rat that was fed on non-GMO potato. pic-

ture on right is from a rat that was fed on GM

potato. These types of inflammatory growths

are potentially precancerous and can lead to

bowel cancer, which has become one of the

forms of cancer that is increasing in humans.

The picture on the left is the stomach wall of

a rat that was fed non-GMO potato. On the

right is the stomach wall of a rat that was

fed GM potato. These inflammatory growths

are potentially precancerous.


GMO soybean products

There are several animal studies that show a range of adverse

effects from consuming GM soybean products. Mice fed GM

soy for 8 months had a profound drop in the amount of diges-

tive enzymes produced by their pancreas. (Malatesta 2002 a,

Malatesta 2003). Researchers also found that the liver cells

were damaged or misshapen and there was altered gene

expression. They found that there was a higher rated metabolic

activity that suggested that the liver was reacting to a toxic

insult. (Malatesta 2002 b)

Control group GM fed

Control group GM fed

Control group GM soy group

Mice livers

Mice livers

Rat livers

The above photos show how the membrane

surrounding the nuclei of liver cells was

more irregular in the GM-fed mice.

The above photos show that within the

nuclei of the liver cells, the structure called

the nucleoli was also misshapen in the GM-

fed mice.

Rats fed GM soy also showed changes in

their livers

bT Corn

in a study by Monsanto made public because of a lawsuit,

rats fed bt corn developed signs of liver and kidney toxicity.

These included kidney inflammation and kidney lesions, and

decreased kidney weight. The latter symptom is typically related

to blood pressure problems. They also developed increased

basophiles which are related to allergies. The study showed that

they had increased lymphocytes or white blood cells which are

part of the immune system indicating a reaction to infection or

possibly disease. There was also a 10% increase in blood sugar

and a 50% decrease in immature red blood cells. (burns 2002,

seralini 2007)

GM Corn

When Liberty Link corn was fed to chickens, twice the number

of chickens died. but the test conducted by the industry was

designed so poorly, even a doubling of the death rate was not

statistically significant. (Leeson 1996)

flaversavr Tomato

The first GM crop that was looked at by the us fdA was the

flavrsavr tomato, engineered to have a longer shelf-life. Cal-

gene, its producers, were the only company to give the united

states fdA raw feeding study data. They did a study with rats

but the rats refused to eat the tomato.

They force fed rats the flavrsavr tomato for 28 days. 7 of 20

rats developed stomach lesions. Another 7 of 40 died within 2

weeks. in the documents made public, scientists said that the

study doesn’t show “a reasonable certainty of no harm.” The

fdA did not block the introduction of the tomato.

The company had created two lines of the GM tomato, both

with the same gene inserted. One was associated with these

high rates of lesions and deaths, the other was not. The com-

pany voluntarily decided to market the one that was not associ-

ated with the rat problems.

This also provides an example of how the same crop inserted

with identical genes, may have very different results. And it pro-

vides a good example of what can go wrong with GMOs. (fdA

1993, pusztai 2002)

GM pea

in Australia, CsiRO researchers took a gene from a kidney bean

which produced proteins that acted as a pesticide, and inserted

it into peas to kill the pea weevil. The researchers did an aller-

gic-type test on mice that no other GMO food crop developer

had done before.

When they exposed mice to the pesticide proteins from the

kidney beans, it caused no reaction. They expected the same

to happen when mice were exposed to the “same” protein pro-

duced by the transgene inside the peas. in fact, the amino acid

sequence was identical in both proteins as the one produced


by both the bean and the pea. but the mice developed an

inflammatory response to the protein produced in the GM peas.

it was an immune type response that was very dangerous, sug-

gesting that the peas might create a deadly anaphylactic shock

or other types of immune or inflammatory reactions in humans.

To understand why the GMO pea caused the severe allergy

problems, the researchers looked very carefully at the protein

structure and found that the sugars that had attached to it had

a slightly changed pattern. They said it was the slightly changed

pattern of the sugars that made the peas harmful.

The problem is that the potentially deadly GM peas had already

passed all the allergy tests that are normally used to get GM

foods on the market. The only reason they were stopped was

because the crop developer had chosen to use a mice study

that had never been used on any other GM food crop. This

shows that the regulatory system, as practiced, is a failure, and

may be letting deadly allergens on the market. To the credit of

the CsiRO they discontinued bringing the GMO pea to point

where it would be grown commercially. (prescott 2005)

LTrytophan

in the late 1980s an epidemic that killed about 100 Americans

and caused another 5-10,000 to fall sick or become perma-

nently disabled was traced to an amino acid health supplement

called L-tryptophan. Ltryptophan is a common amino acid that

is found in milk products. for many years it was extracted from

milk and sold as health supplement to help people sleep.

A Japanese company showa denko started to produce L-tryp-

tophan from genetically engineering the bacteria. The epidemic

was traced back to the L-tryptophan that was produced from

the genetically engineered bacteria.

it took years to discover that the epidemic was underway. it

required a series of coincidences, plus the fact that the disease

had three concurrent characteristics. The disease:

• Was new with unique symptoms that stood out

• It was acute so people went to doctors or hospitals

• It came on quickly, so they went to doctors right after taking it

According to the Los Angeles Times, July 10, 1991: ‘A Japanese

chemical manufacturer was ordered to pay more than $2 million

to four people who used L-tryptophan, a food supplement linked

to a rare blood disorder that killed at least 27 people. The state

arbitration panel’s order late Monday was the nation’s first dam-

age award against manufacturer showa denko Co., said Turner

branch of Albuquerque, n.M., vice chairman of a steering com-

mittee for attorneys representing L-tryptophan victims.’

The Misconceptions

The GMO protagonists promote the image that they are only

speeding up the natural crossbreeding processes used by farm-

ers and breeders for millennia by inserting the new gene with

the desired trait directly into the new organisms.

This distortion of the facts needs to be corrected.

The natural breeding Misconception

One critical issue is that multiple genes are being transferred

across kingdoms and species such as bacteria, viruses, plants

and animals in ways that do not occur by natural breeding

methods.

All living things are classified according to a ranking system

that starts with species. Closely related species are grouped

together under a rank that is called a Genus. Closely related

Genera (the plural of genus) are grouped together under the

rank of family. Closely related families are grouped together

under the rank of Order. There are seven ranks. starting with

the highest they are: kingdom, phylum or division, class, order,

family, genus, species.

plants, Animals, fungi, viruses and bacteria belong to separate

Kingdoms. natural breeding can take place between some

species that belong to the same genus and very occasionally

between species of different genera. However species that

belong to different families do not breed and definitely spe-

cies that belong to different Kingdoms such as plants, animals,

fungi, bacteria and viruses do not breed in nature. plants for

example do not breed with animals, bacteria or viruses.

Genetic engineering allows for the transfer of genes between

Kingdoms in a way that can never occur naturally. This is

something that has never occurred before and it creates a new

frontier with many uncertainties due to science’s limited under-

standing about genetics.

The single Gene Misconception

The other great misconception is that researchers are only

inserting one new gene.

At this stage science is not sophisticated enough to insert a

single gene and get it to work. To overcome this problem, sci-

entists have to combine the gene with the desired trait (such as

herbicide tolerance or pesticide production) with other genes

that will make it work. Researchers also insert genes that help

them to identify if the new gene is working within the chromo-

some.

This becomes a complex construction of transgenes that can

come from bacterial, viral, fish, plant and other sources.

inserting the Gene sequence

Another misconception is that the gene is neatly inserted into

the cell chromosome. Genes are grouped together inside the

cell in long strands call chromosomes. Researchers use what

can be best described as a shotgun approach when they push

new genes into a chromosome. They either shoot the genetic

material into the target cells, insert it after weakening the cell

Gmo

membrane with an electric shock/chemical, or use a modified

microorganism such as a virus to infect the target cell with the

new genes.

The problem with these approaches is that the researchers do

not know if genes have been inserted into a chromosome and if

they have been inserted they do not know where the new genes

have landed in any of the chromosomes and if they will work.

Antibiotic Resistance Marker Genes

The most common method of discovering if the new gene will

work involves using Antibiotic Resistance Marker Genes. These

genes come from bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The

marker genes are attached to the gene with the desired trait

(herbicide resistance as an example) and they are shot into the

target cells. These cells are then cultured and an antibiotic is

added. The cells that live have adopted the new genes as they

are resistant to the antibiotic.

These are then grown out as plants. The big problem with these

plants is that every part of the plant has genes for antibiotic

resistance. Many scientists and medical professionals have

expressed concerns about these genes being horizontally trans-

ferred into the gut and mouth bacteria of humans and animals

eating genetically modified food. They are worried that this

could create bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotics needed

to cure infections.

Horizontal gene transfer is where microorganisms take up genes

directly through their cell walls rather than by the normal meth-

od of reproduction. it has been shown to occur with the antibi-

otic resistant super bugs that are now found in many hospitals.

When the potential danger of this was pointed out to the

genetic scientists they dismissed it as impossible. several stud-

ies have since shown that these antibiotic resistance genes can

be transferred to bacteria in as little as two hours after eating

genetically modified food.

new scientist in July 2002 reported on a scientific experiment

that showed that this can happen to bacteria in the human

digestive system: for the first time, it has been proved that bac-

teria in the human gut can take up dnA from genetically modi-

fied food. Currently every commercially released GMO plant has

antibiotic resistance genes in every cell. They should be banned

for this reason alone. Queensland researchers have developed

a fluorescent marker gene that comes from a jellyfish. This gene

can be used to select the cell with the desired trait as they fluo-

resce under an ultraviolet light. This will be a major improvement

in the safety of GMOs over the current technology, however it

does not address the multiplicity of more serious problems.

The Cauliflower Mosaic virus promoter (CaMv)

When foreign dnA is inserted into organisms, three things usu-

ally happen. The most common one is that the foreign dnA is

digested to provide energy and building blocks for the cell. it

can also be rejected. The other response is to close over the

foreign dnA and deactivate it.

All of these responses are defence mechanisms to overcome

attacks by pathogens (disease). The host organism defends

itself by getting rid of the foreign material. This is the reason

why transplant recipients have to take anti-rejection drugs.

When organisms detect foreign dnA a whole range of respons-

es, collectively known as the immune system, can be activated

to repel or destroy the invaders.

When foreign genes are shot/infected into a cell, they tend to be

digested, rejected or closed over. Either way this means that the

target organism will not have the desired trait from the new gene.

To overcome this, genetic scientists build a construction with a

section of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMv). The CaMv gives

the signal that activates or promotes the new gene. it ensures

that the gene is active so that its desired trait, like herbicide

resistance, works in the new plant.

problems with the CaMv

There are several problems with the CaMv. Every current GMO

plant is part virus. Every cell of their bodies contains the active

section of a virus. With billions of these plants now released

into the environment, many scientists believe that there is a

great risk of horizontal transfer of the viral genetic code from

GMO plants into invading viruses, creating new virulent trans-

genic viruses.

The union of Concerned scientists states: ‘Recombination

can occur between the plant-produced viral genes and closely

related genes of incoming viruses. such recombination may

produce viruses that can infect a wider range of hosts or that

may be more virulent than the parent viruses.’

According to dr Mae-Wan Ho of the institute of science in

society, London: ‘GM constructs are designed to cross species

barriers and to invade genomes. in other words, GM constructs

are more likely to transfer horizontally. Genetic engineering will

accelerate the generation of new viruses and bacteria.’



When GMO scientists and researchers are questioned on this

the standard reply is that the cauliflower mosaic virus is harm-

less and doesn’t affect humans. Many harmless viruses change

into forms that can be serious. The various forms of the flu are

the classic example. seventy years ago Aids was restricted to

monkeys and didn’t affect humans. sARs is a slightly modified

common cold virus and is now a seriously fatal disease with the

potential for massive epidemics.

According to Helen pearson writing in the journal nature, April

2003: ‘in a simple overnight experiment, researchers trans-

formed a coronavirus that is lethal to cats into one that infects

mouse cells by replacing a single gene. The result strengthens

the idea that the sARs coronavirus might have arisen when

an animal and human virus met and swapped genes, says the

study’s lead scientist’

The fact is no scientist can predict what would happen if trans-

genic viruses and bacteria emerged from GMO plants. it was

only a short time ago these same scientists were saying pollen

drift from GMOs would not affect nearby crops and that the

horizontal transference of antibiotic resistant genes from GMOs

into gut microorganisms was not possible. dr. Mae-Wan Ho

further states: ‘This CaMv promoter is also known to work for

genes all across the living world: in plants, bacteria, fungi, and,

as we discovered recently in the literature more than 10 years

old, also in frog eggs and human cells. it is able to substitute,

in part or in whole, for the promoter of many other viruses.

viruses are not only everywhere in the environment, they also

lie dormant in the genomes of all organisms, bacteria, plants

and animals without exception. And there is evidence that

such dormant viruses can be reactivated as a result of genetic

recombination.’

unstable GM Constructs

A serious problem with the CaMv is that it has been proven to

be unstable within the chromosomes of GMO plants. Research-

ers from the John innes Center, uK one of the world’s major

biotechnology research centres, have found that during field

trails of GM plants, later generations became unstable and

variable. The CaMv moves from one part of a chromosome to

another and activates the new gene next it. This means it ran-

domly causes genes within the plant to work in ways that would

not occur normally. it could lead to all sorts of future problems

like making plants that have small amounts of beneficial phyto

nutrients, express them in toxic amounts cause hormones and

other regulatory functions to be pushed out of balance and

cause future chaos in the genetic makeup of plants and animals

that we do not understand. it is the equivalent of Russian Rou-

lette with dnA.

dr. Mae-Wan Ho sums up the potential dangers of this technol-

ogy: ‘GM constructs are designed to cross species barriers

and to invade genomes. in other words, GM constructs are

more likely to transfer horizontally. Horizontal gene transfer will

increase the opportunity for genetic recombination. The GM

constructs are already of mixed origins, with base sequences

similar to the genetic material of many pathogenic bacteria and

viruses. That, again, as every geneticist should know, will great-

ly increase the probability for genetic recombination, and with a

wide assortment of bacteria and viruses.’

What is most concerning with this is that this viral promoter

gene and other GM constructs have escaped into the wild rela-

tives of GMO plants and also contaminated a sizeable propor-

tion of non GMO crops like corn, canola and soybeans.

The potential danger is being completely ignored by regulatory

authorities, with no ongoing research looking at these poten-

tial pathogenic transgenic viruses and bacteria. dr. Mae-Wan

Ho warns: ‘The scientists set up guidelines, based largely on

assumptions, all of which have fallen by the wayside as the

result of new scientific findings. instead of tightening the guide-

lines, our regulators have relaxed them as commercial pres-

sures built up. it does not take a great feat of imagination to see

why genetic engineering will accelerate the generation of new

viruses and bacteria.’

Lack of Research

Many scientists have expressed concern that the current regu-

latory systems are inadequate in ensuring the safety of GMOs,

professor seralini and his colleague have expressed great

concern over the lack of scientific testing for the adverse health

effects associated with GMOs. They stated: ‘...that it is unac-

ceptable to submit 500 million Europeans and several billions of

consumers worldwide to the new pesticide GM-derived foods

or feed, this being done without more controls (if any) than the

only 3-month-long toxicological tests and using only one mam-

malian species, especially since there is growing evidence of

concern...’ (seralini et al 2011)

Conclusion

We a looking at a large scale uncontrolled experiment and we

do not know the outcomes. Logic and common sense would

state that we need a moratorium on the release of all GMOs

anda until there is good quality, long term peer reviewed sci-

ence that ensures that there are no risks. To do otherwise is to

leave a massive problem for future generations.

never forget that the scientist who invented ddT received a

noble prize because of the immense benefits this discovery

was supposed to bring to the world. We are still paying the

hidden price of a lack of understanding of the long term conse-

quences of this discovery.

Many of the pictures and some of the text comes from a comprehensive GMO presentation by Jeffrey M. Smith, Executive Director, Institute for Responsible Technology. www.responsibletechnology.org

Gmo


QuOTe QuOTe

nuria alonSo, eVa mattSSon, kolBJörn örJaVik, gunnar rundgren & StePhanie wellS

Table 1:

Number of certification bodies per region

Grolink, The Organic Certification directory 2013

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Africa 9 7 8 8 10 10 12 19 19

Asia 91 117 93 147 157 164 165 179 222

Europe 142 157 160 172 177 180 214 213 213

Latin America & Caribbean

33 43 43 47 48 47 51 51 38

north America 97 85 80 83 78 76 78 74 72

Oceania 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 13 12

Total 383 420 395 468 481 489 532 549 576

The Organic Standard


Canada and switzerland recognise each

other’s organic programmes

One more bilateral equivalency agree-

ment has been added to the list of those

achieved recently, this time between

Canada and switzerland. The equivalence

arrangement has some limits as it requires

all products, as well as all ingredients in

processed products, to be grown in or

originate from Canada, switzerland or the

European union. products outside the

scope of the arrangement can continue to

be traded as usual (being certified to the

standards of the importing country).

public Consultation on the Eu Regulation

The Eu is currently immersed in a revision

of its organic legislation. One of the steps

in this process was a public consultation

(which recently closed but can still be

found at http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/

consultations/organic/2013_en.htm).

This was open to all citizens interested

in organic production in Europe. The Eu

Commission will use the responses from

this questionnaire together with other

studies and evaluations as the basis for a

renewed political and legal framework for

organic agriculture in Europe. it is antici-

pated that a first draft will be available

from the Commission around the end of

2013.

The tenth edition of The Organic Certifica-

tion directory was published in february

2013. The directory lists all the organic

certification bodies in the world and can

be found at www.organicstandard.com/

directory

in 2012 there were 576 certification bod-

ies operating in the world, up by 27 from

549 in 2011. The majority are located in

the European union, followed by south

Korea, Japan, the united states, China,

india and Canada. According to the direc-

tory, there are only 39 countries in the

world that do not have organic certifica-

tion bodies, most being tiny micro-states

such as Andorra, Liechtenstein and

ToS

stork-friendly rice in Japan

A scheme for stork-friendly farming has

allowed the oriental white stork – which

became extinct in Toyooka City, Japan

at the beginning of the 1970s due to the

introduction of intensive rice farming

methods – to return to its old home.

since 2003, farmers have been encour-

aged to apply the ‘white stork-friendly

farming method’. participating farmers are

required to reduce pesticide use by 75%,

to use no fertilisers, to sterilise seeds by

soaking them in hot water (rather than

buying treated seeds), to flood their pad-

dies deeper and to retain the water in the

paddies for longer. pure organic farming is

also being promoted among farmers, and

while the uptake is still small it is growing.

Toyooka City farmers are paid by the gov-

ernment to follow the rules of this scheme

and receive a 60% premium for rice sold

under the stork-friendly label.

imports to south Korea

from 1 January 2013, all fresh organic

products exported to south Korea must

be certified to the Korean standard. How-

ever this requirement will not apply to pro-

cessed organic products until 1 January

2014. This means that processed organic

products certified to other standards

can still be imported into south Korea

throughout 2013.

Equivalency system dominates imports

into the Eu

The new equivalency system introduced

in 2012 for accepting imported organic

products into the Eu now accounts for

around 90% of all product acceptances

carried out in the importer approval sys-

tem. The previous imports derogation sys-

tem (whereby the competent authority in

an Eu country applies for approval of an

import to the Eu) will run in parallel until

the end of June 2014 when this route will

be closed down.

Nuria Alonso: [email protected] Wells: Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA)

Monaco in Europe, pacific archipelagos

such as Micronesia or countries with

unstable political situations such as

Afghanistan. (see

fewer standards and more countries with

legislation for organic production

Around one hundred countries have either

finalised or are working on legislation for

organic production. This has changed the

role and space for private standards for

organic production. The Organic Certifica-

tion directory asked certification bodies

whether they have their own standard.

121 of the 267 that responded said yes.

This number has declined since 2011,

when 127 answered that they had their

own standards (The term ‘own standards’

includes both private standards with a

wide scope (such as the standards used

by organisations like the soil Associa-

tion) and standards made by public or

private organisations to cover specific

areas (such as aquaculture). The term also

includes products outside the food/feed

sector, such as cosmetics.

uAE will introduce organic regulation

The united Arab Emirates (uAE) has initi-

ated a process to regulate

organic production and certification.

These regulations are currently being

drawn up, before the Government dis-

cusses them. More information: www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-moves-toregulate-organic-food-production


w

Education is the base for

human and societal develop-

ment. it is a challenge that

all countries face in today’s

world. Teaching knowledge,

raising awareness and buil-

ding skills are the foundation

for improving the living con-

ditions of humans and com-

munities in the long run and

for transforming the current

state of our society.

maximilian aBouleiSh-BoeS & maryam el maSry

A birthplace for social innovation

The Heliopolis uni-versity campus

The Social Innovation Centre at Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development


w

Egypt has suffered from weak educa-

tional systems for decades and this

has created many structural issues and

problems. it is not just technological solu-

tions that are required: social innovations

are much more important for successfully

resolving burning social issues.

in 1977, dr. ibrahim Abouleish founded

the sekem initiative on an untouched

part of the Egyptian desert (70 hectares)

in an area 60 kilometres northwest of

Cairo. He was awarded the Right Liveli-

hood Award in 2003, became a schwab

social Entrepreneur in 2004 and won the

business for peace Award in 2012. The

sekem initiative is now seen as a model

for sustainable development. Alongside

the sekem Holding and the sekem devel-

opment foundation (sdf) there is now

the newly established Heliopolis univer-

sity for sustainable development. The

sdf runs a community medical centre,

a kindergarten, several schools, a centre

for children with special needs, differ-

ent vocational training centres, an adult

arts training centre and various research

labs. The companies within sekem are

involved in farming, post-harvest process-

ing, phytopharmaca, textiles and foods.

The integration of these different roles

creates strong synergies and is backed up

with strong international partnerships in

EdUCATIoN

of over 95% desert which leaves less than

0.02 feddan (= 84 m2) of arable land per

person for over 85 million people. The fact

that the population is growing annually

by an average of

2% raises serious

questions about

future food security

in Egypt. desert

land reclamation is

a necessary stra-

tegic approach to

increase Egypt’s

arable land

resources. sekem’s

farms in sinai,

bahareya and

Minya contribute

to ensuring future security which creates

jobs to sustain the farms. it can thus be

seen as a form of social innovation. but

how to encourage more innovations of a

similar nature?

Heliopolis university will play a crucial role

in this. it was officially established in sep-

tember 2012 to continue the work of the

educational system in the sekem initiative

and to extend the cycle for life-long learn-

ing. it aims to further enhance the sustain-

able development of individuals, commu-

nities and nature in Egypt. This approach

to sustainable development includes a

holistic worldview which involves seeing

the world as an integrated whole, rather

than a dissociated collection of parts.

it involves striving for a future where all

human beings can unfold their potential,

where people live together in social forms

the organic movement and beyond. All of

the 600 farmers who supply biodynamic

and organic raw materials to sekem are

members of the Egyptian biodynamic

Association (EbdA) that provides capacity

building and is supported by sekem. in

2008, sekem started further expanding its

own farmlands on a number of locations

in the Egyptian desert.

sekem’s approach to agriculture is based

on regeneration. by turning desert into

living soils through the application of

compost and biodynamic concepts and

methods, sekem has shown that desert

land can be reclaimed and regenerated.

for over 30 years, sekem has been build-

ing up living soils in desert land, imple-

menting a closed nutrients cycle, and

integrating livestock with a diverse range

of crops, plants and trees. Egypt consists

our miSSion iS to emPower

our StudentS to Become

chamPionS oF SuStainaBle

deVeloPment and agentS oF change

within Society

students in a fine arts session in the core programme



that respect and foster human dignity, and

where all economic activity is conducted

in accordance with ecological and ethical

principles.

Our mission is to empower our students

to become champions of sustainable

development and agents of change within

society. Heliopolis university provides a

place where new ideas can find fertile

ground for further research and teach-

ing. Our education combines teaching,

research and practice with a unique

humanistic core programme to develop

curious and creative personalities. This

will prepare a new generation of future

leaders able to tackle the challenges that

Egypt and the world face, such as climate

change, water and food scarcity and the

depletion of energy resources.

Currently in its first phase, Heliopolis

university presently has three faculties:

the faculty of Engineering, with depart-

ments of renewable energy, water, and

mechatronics; the faculty of business

and Economics for sustainable manage-

ment and economics, and the faculty of

pharmacy and drug Technology. Our way

of teaching includes an advanced dynam-

ic curriculum, which has been developed

together with international partners.

prominent faculty members, small stu-

dent numbers, modern teaching methods

and student exchange programmes all

enhance the learning environment and

ensure a high standard of education. All

degree programmes are accredited by

the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Educa-

tion and based on the credit hour system.

This system is easily transferable into the

European Credit Transfer system (ECTs),

facilitating international mobility.

humans and the earth. This implies a

broader understanding of the term and

the practices involved in agriculture, one

that emphasises that agri-culture is an

essential foundation for societal develop-

ment that holds the key for many burning

contemporary issues (such as the deple-

tion of soils, scarcities of water, energy,

food and mineral resources and the loss

of biodiversity). The leverage effect of the

agricultural sector is particularly signifi-

cant in developing countries situated in

arid climate zones. in Egypt around 40%

of the population is directly employed in

agriculture and over 85% of all available

water is used in irrigation. The problem

is that no one wants to become a farmer

anymore. but looked at from the holistic

development perspective, being a farmer

can have a totally different meaning

and ‘sustainable desert reclaimer’ could

become one of the most exciting jobs of

the century. Our next faculty will therefore

be the faculty of sustainable Agri-Culture

and we welcome everybody who wants to

contribute to this endeavour!

Maximilian Abouleish-Boes is Sustainable Development Manager at Sekem and is setting up the Social Innovation Center at Heliopolis University. Contact [email protected] El Masry works in Sekem’s fundraising departmentHelioplis’ University’s website can be found at http://www.hu.edu.eg/

Heliopolis university has strong links

with the sekem initiative. This is a unique

characteristic that differentiates it from

other private or public universities. The

institutional setting or ecosystem can

be considered as a birthplace for many

social innovations, as it combines all

dimensions of life: economy, ecology,

society and culture. The aim is to further

upscale and transfer the sekem model

and we have explicitly created a social

innovation Centre for that purpose. This

focuses on trans-disciplinary research,

building staff capacity and developing

curricula for sustainable development.

One of the centre’s main priorities is the

challenge of water scarcity. “The first dif-

ficult step is to understand ‘water’ from

a different perspective and to define the

problem adequately before we try to find

solutions or implement them within our

specific context. We are therefore happy

to engage with any serious actors in the

field that know more about water apart

from the fact that it is H2O.” (Maximilian

Abouleish-boes)

Another focus of Heliopolis university

and its partners is the development of

an inclusive concept for ‘agri-culture’.

by highlighting the word ‘culture’ we

seek to emphasise that agri-culture is

not only about cultivating farming land,

but equally about the development of

our next Faculty will Be the Faculty

oF SuStainaBle ‘agri-culture’

students exploring farm life at sekem’s farm close to bilbeis


Agroecology for sustainable food systems in Europe: A Transformative Agenda. June 26-27brussels, belgiumhttp://www.ensser.org/

Organic Marketing forumJune 17 -19 2013Warsaw, polenfair and conferencehttp://www.organic-marketing-forum.org/

The East African Organic ConferenceJuly 2-4 2013 dar es salaam, Tanzaniawww.ifoam.org/partners/projects/osea.html

ifOAM-EuJuly 2-4 2013vilnius, Lithuaniahttp://icoas2013.org/registration/

natural products Expo AsiaAugust 29-31 2013Hong Kong, Chinawww.naturalproductsasia.com

natural products Expo EastSeptember 25-28 2013baltimore, usAwww.expoeast.com

biofach JapanOctober 31 – November 02 2013 Tokyo, Japanwww.biofach-japan.com

Textile sustainability ConferenceNovember 11-13 2013istanbul, Turkey http://textileexchange.org/event/2013-textile-sustainability-conference-istanbul-turkey

Middle East natural & Organic product ExpoDecember 3-5 2013dubaiwww.naturalproductme.com

Calendar

Items

Publisher Jaap van westering

Editorial staff Peter Brul (editor in chief)Denise Godinho, Nick Parrott

Contributors to this issue Authors & photos: André leu, Barbara Fitch haumann, Bernward Geier, Bo van elzakker, eva mattsson, Gunnar rundgren, Josef Finke, kolbjörn Örjavik, maximilian Abouleish-Boes, Nuria Alonso, Peter Brul, rob Sexton, Stephanie wells, wiebke volkmann

Editorial office P.O.Box 696, 3740 AP Baarn, The NetherlandsT +31 (0) 35 88 735 31F +31 (0) 35 54 241 19e [email protected] www.ecologyandfarming.com

CoNTACT

Ecology & farming is a magazine for all elements of the organic movement - from organic farmers’ associations to organisations from the organic food industry and Fair Trade; from research institutions to certifiers; from organic consumers to organic advocates. ecology & Farming provides information on key issues in the organic sector and offers the space for discussions on the topics of the day. The articles published in ecology & Farming reflect the opinions of their respective authors and should not be interpreted as an official IFOAm position.

IFOAM The International Federation of Organic Agriculture movements is the umbrella organisation for the organic movement. established in 1972, IFOAm has over 800 affiliates in more than 100 countries. and represents the common interests of the organic movement based on the principles of organic agriculture (ecology, health, fairness, care). IFOAm’s mission is to lead, assist and unite the organic movement in its full diversity.

Peter Brul has been working in the organic sector as afarmer, researcher and consultant for more than 35 years. he combines the role of Chief-editor of ecology & Farming with his own consultancy.

The Van Westering Groep B.V. have been publishing magazines since 1988. vwG also maintains a focus on ecology through ekoland, the professional magazine for organic farming in the Netherlands and Belgium and Gezond Bouwen & wonen, a professional magazine about sustainable building and living.

Lay-out vilarrica bv, Baarn, The Netherlandsmaurice Spithoven (design)Annemieke Praamstra

Advert acquisition van westering Groep bv Baarn, The NetherlandsT +31 (0) 35 88 735 31

Subscriber administration P.O.Box 6963740 AP Baarn, The Netherlandse [email protected] www.ecologyandfarming.com

Subscription Annual fee 2013, frequency of 4 x per year: 44 euro

Print erveldhuis media Bv raalte, The Netherlands FSC certified

Ecology and farming published by van Westering Groep bv, The netherlands, under the auspices of ifOAM

JUNE 2013 - dECEmBEr 2013 //

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Documents

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