Congress Topic 1, Theme 1

Research in sustainable systems

The theme will focus on two main issues: Firstly, the future of organic farming is going to be elucidated. Questions on how organic farming can tackle issues like increased professionalisation, conventionalisation and instrumentalisation will be discussed. Secondly, the impact of organic farming on the wider society and rural development will be discussed.

The future of organic farming – professionalisation, conventionalisation and instrumentalisation?

Organic agriculture has witnessed a very dynamic development. Its rapid growth has offered new opportunities but also raised new questions and challenges.

Contributions should tackle the following topics and try to answer the questions raised:

- Organic agriculture has left the niche production in some countries already and developed professional structures in processing and marketing which are competitive to the mainstream conventional production. Has this strong integration into a liberalised food system changed the attitudes of the organic farmers? To which extent has organic farming been able to change the dominant industrial food system in the true sense of an “ecological modernisation”, to which extent has organic farming been changed by market forces?

- Organic agriculture complies to a large extend with the wider societal expectations of a multifunctional environmentally sound production system. Has this led to a shift in the general agricultural policy or policy implementation? If so, has the organic movement been able to make use of it, or is this positive image used by agricultural policy to “greenwash” conventional farming?

- Some countries witness a stagnating share of organic farms; others even the first waves of reversion to conventional farming. To which extend is organic farming still an attractive alternative to the paradigms of modernisation, rationalisation and specialisation in the conventional, industrialised and anonymous food system.

- Globalised food markets force also organic farmers to concentrate on the production of “raw materials” instead of focussing on closed production and consumption cycles. Are there new, viable, alternative food systems emerging that comply with organic principles or is the dominance of globalised market players an irreversible process?

The impact of organic farming on the wider society and rural development

Society demands from farmers not only safe food products but a broad range of services and public goods. Organic agriculture appears to comply with the expectations of a multifunctional environmentally sound production system.

Organic agriculture is also attractive from a policy perspective because premium prices improve farm incomes and employment; a priori, the principles on which it is based also interlock closely with sustainable rural development objectives, such as resource conservation and self-reliance.

Organic producers who feel part of a movement based on shared values have stronger common bonds and often develop collective projects for processing and marketing. These attributes are increasingly recognized as significant for “softer” aspects of rural development, where resilient identity may lead to improved self-confidence and better entrepreneurial performance, particularly if they spill over into the rest of the food chain and involve other regional stakeholders.

We look for theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions addressing the following topics:

• Economic impact of organic farming to rural development (e.g. farm incomes, labour)
  
• Impact of organic farming on producer-consumer relations
  
• Impact of organic farming on urban-rural relations
  
• Contribution of organic farming to the preservation of cultural landscapes and cultural heritage
  
• Contribution to cultural identity of rural territories
  

Congress Topic 1, Theme 2

European policy initiatives

The overall objective of themes is to expose and discuss possibilities for further development of organic farming through policy initiatives. The theme will scrutinize current development of organic farming in Europe, national and European examples on policy initiatives for organic farming, and finally the data needs for decision-making and policy evaluation will be scrutinized.

The theme will consist of three main sessions:

• Development of organic farming in Europe
  
• Policy initiatives for organic farming
  
• Data needs for decision-making and policy evaluation
  
  

Congress Topic 1, Theme 3

What should be the rule

The national and international standards and regulations play a key role for the development of organic agriculture. The aim of Theme 3 is to elucidate and discuss rules and values in relation to the development of organic agriculture. The theme will discuss rules and values at three levels:

• In relation to values and principles as a basis for the regulation
• In relation to the differences between different regulations and standards in Europe
• In relation to specific areas like derogations on feed and seed
  

Within Theme 3 the following three consecutive sessions of 1,5 hours each are planned:

1. Regional differences in organic standards – opportunity or problem
2. How local is local - values and integrity of organic farming
3. Criteria for evaluation of inputs and derogations

Regional differences in organic standards – opportunity or problem

This session concerns the question whether the differences between organic standards in the EU should be seen as an opportunity or a problem for development of organic farming and free trade of organic products within the EU and world wide. Differences in national and private organic standards compared to the EEC2092/91 have often given rise to discussion of “who are most organic?” Besides, they may be used for national protectionism in relation to free trade of organic products within the EEC and between the EEC countries and third countries. Do common rules (the EEC 2092/91) conflict with locally adapted practices?", "Are these conflicts within the organic values or are they due to other societal values (such as free trade)?". In the EEC 2092/91 REVISION project the database Organic Rules (www.organicrules.org) has recently been developed for identification of such differences in order to be able to analyse the reasons for and the consequences of various differences in relation to the basic ethical values of organic farming, e.g. outdoor pig and poultry production in relation to animal welfare, food safety and environment etc.

In this session we will discuss whether such differences should be seen as a problem or an opportunity for the development of organic farming. We therefore invite prospective participants to look at questions such as:

- What are the reasons for the regional differences, e.g. different climate, culture, or protectionism, or do the differences reflect different prioritizing of the ethical values?

- Do common rules (the EEC 2092/91) conflict with the locally adapted practices and if so, are such conflicts a question of different interpretation of the organic values or are they due to “external” societal values (economical reasons, protectionism/free trade etc.)?

- How do we make rules so there is room for development of organic farming at different stages of development and in different climatic and geographic regions?

How local is local - values and integrity of organic farming

This session concerns the values, conflicts and integrity of organic farming. Values and ethics are key concerns of organic agriculture, and both the EEC and IFOAM have highlighted their importance in the new proposal for a revised EEC 2092/91 Regulation ((COM2005) 671 final) and the new IFOAM Principles of Organic Agriculture from September, 2005. However, the ethical values also give rise to conflicts and debates concerning the development of organic farming in a time where intensification, specialisation and globalisation are factors of increasing importance.

In this session we will discuss problematic aspects of modern organic agriculture such as transport distance, dependency on conventional agriculture, intensification and specialisation of the production and similar issues. We invite prospective participants to look at questions such as

- What is local?, How local is local?, Why local?, What are the problems of “non-local”?

- What is intensification?, Are there any ethical differences between different means of efficiency and specialisation – and if so why are some means more acceptable than others? Where are the limits to increased efficiency and specialisation”?

Criteria for evaluation of inputs and derogations

This session concerns the development of criteria for evaluation of inputs and derogations on inputs. Organic farming is based on a system approach, which aims at closing natural cycles within the farm or within a region. “Non-organic” inputs are considered problematic by the consumers, because they carry risks of contamination, but they may be a real need for producers and processors for various reasons. Today there are a range of derogations in the EU regulation, which allow the use of some conventional feed products, feed additives, fertilizers and plant protection products (Annex II of the EU Regulation). Scientific and technical development may make inputs available, which respect better the principles of organic farming and perform better than the inputs listed at present in Annex II of the EEC 2092/91. Therefore there is a need to review common thinking about the use of “non-organic” inputs in organic agriculture and the way this is communicated to the consumers.

In this session we will discuss if the reality of organic farming justifies to think of it as a system, which in principle should be free of non-organic inputs, which many consumers believe. We encourage prospective participants to consider questions as:

- How do we reduce the reliance on non-organic inputs without seriously reducing the growth in organic farming?

- Which inputs are (really) necessary?

- When is an input “non-organic”?

- Which inputs can be accepted for organic agriculture still to be considered organic?

- How do we evaluate, select and assess the inputs that may be acceptable in organic farming?