News archive

(18.02.2013) 

Andre Leu, President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), gave the Opening Speech of Science Day during BioFach 2013, Nuremberg, Germany, February 15, 2013. read more

(18.02.2013) 

A new research agenda for organic agriculture is presented by the Centre for Organic Food and Farming (EPOK) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.  read more

(15.02.2013) 

From May 14 to 16, 2013 the Symposium "Crop Protection Management in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture" will take place in Sousse, Tunisia. It is jointly organised by the International Society of Organic Agricultural Research... read more

(24.01.2013) 

At this event, latest Figures and Trends from the most important markets around the globe: Europe, North America, Australia, Brazil and Japan. read more

(18.01.2013) 

IMPRO is a new project funded by the European Union, which aims to improve current health management strategies on organic dairy farms. The project website is now online.  read more

(11.01.2013) 

The programme of Science Day is now available.  read more

(12.12.2012) 

IFOAM President calls for global research network to empower farmers read more

(07.12.2012) 

Niels Halberg will in the new year take on the position of director in the DCA – Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture, whilst at the same time continuing as centre leader of ICROFS – International Centre for Research in Organic... read more

(05.12.2012) 

On February 13, 2013 the annual session on the European market for organic food will take place at the BioFach Congress. This year it is organized by the European-funded research project OrganicDataNetwork.  read more

(23.10.2012) 

Video of 55 presentations now on-line read more

(19.09.2012) 

Over 180 participants from more than 40 countries gathered to discuss the current state of organic animal husbandry and its future challenges at the 2nd IFOAM Animal Husbandry Conference held in Hamburg, Germany from September 12... read more

(05.09.2012) 

Concludes benefits are limited and insignificant read more

(29.08.2012) 

At the occasion of the 2nd organic conference in Lusaka, Zambia, in May 2012, a number of organisations arranged a side event with the objective "to initiate a process for developing a common research agenda for Africa based on... read more

(17.08.2012) 

New environmentally friendly method available read more

(16.08.2012) 

Organic, biodynamic and conventional wheat compared  read more

(08.08.2012) 

Methodological challenges identified  read more

(24.07.2012) 

Reduced tillage, intercropping beneficial for bread wheat  read more

(23.07.2012) 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition calls measure "misguided"  read more

(16.07.2012) 

Article identifies differences and challenges  read more

(01.07.2012) 

Through the long and on-going global economic crisis, the European Union (EU) is seeking to restructure its economy to be more stable and competitive. The transition from an industrial to a post-industrial sustainable economy... read more

(20.06.2012) 

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) recently released its report on its assessment of organic agricultural research and education programs in the US Land Grant University (LGU) system.  read more

(20.06.2012) 

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the first test version of its Guidelines for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Assessments (SAFA).  read more

(12.06.2012) 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. This Congressionally established committee provides advice to... read more

(12.06.2012) 

CORE Organic II, a European transnational research cooperation project supported by the European Union, has launched a new pilot call for proposals on the sustainable and efficient management of phosphorous and the use of... read more

(11.06.2012) 

Videos of the keynote speeches and panel discussions conducted at the February 2012 Canadian Organic Science Conference in Winnipeg are now available online, including the paper "Organic Research in Canada: Still Small, but... read more

(26.04.2012) 

In 2010 a study on Research in the Mediterranean countries was published by the Mediterraean Agronomic Institute in Bari (IAMB) in collaboration with the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network (MOAN).  read more

(07.04.2012) 

Press release of the European project OrganicDataNetwork read more

(26.03.2012) 

Northeast Organic Farmers Association of New York (NOFA-NY) and the US Department of Agriculture’s Organic Agriculture Research and Education Initiative (OREI) conducted a two-day research symposium on January 19 and 20 in... read more

(18.03.2012) 

Recently the paper "Greenhouse gas emissions in coffee grown with differing input levels under conventional and organic management" was published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.  read more

(13.03.2012) 

The second symposium of the LowInputBreeds project is taking place May 15 to 18, 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia. The second annoucement is now out, with the full programme and registration details.  read more

(26.02.2012) 

Organic Crop Breeding is a new collection of articles published by Professor Edith T. Lammerts van Bueren of Wageningen University and Professor Jim Myers, Plant Breeding at Oregon State University. The editors offer an... read more

(24.02.2012) 

From March 6-13, 2012, the international workshop "Curriculum Development for Postgraduate Studies in Organic Agriculture" is taking place at the Federal University ffo Agriculture in Abeokuta, Nigeria. It is... read more

(04.02.2012) 

The international journal "Biological Agriculture & Horticulture", for thirty years one of the pioneering journals in organic agriculture, has recently been taken over by the major international publishers, Taylor... read more

(03.01.2012) 

Media Release of the TILMAN-ORG Project read more

(30.12.2011) 

On 29 November 2011 the first research seminar of CORE Organic took place in Paris. CORE Organic is a European transnational research cooperation project supported by the European Commission. read more

(30.11.2011) 

The second symposium of the LowInputBreeds project is taking place May 15 to 18, 2012 in Tunis, Tunisia. It is held in the framework of the 14th International Seminar of the FAO-CIHEAM Network on Sheep and Goats Sub-Network on... read more

(25.11.2011) 

With its November 2011 newsletter the LowInputBreeds (www.lowinputbreeds.org)  project is informing its readers about progress made in its subprojects. The thematic article in this issue by Ferry Leenstra and... read more

(21.11.2011) 

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) has recently released the first Organic-Africa.net newsletter of the African Organic Agriculture Training Manual project. Over the last 2 years, the project team of agronomists... read more

(09.11.2011) 

The United States' Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced on October 25, 2011, 23 new grants to research and extension programs working to help organic producers and processors grow and market high quality... read more

(01.11.2011) 

Tackling the Future Challenges of Organic Animal Husbandry - Hamburg, Germany, September 12-14, 2012 read more

(10.10.2011) 

On October 19, a round table discussion between the Round Table on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change (RTOACC), the European Group of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM EU Group) and European... read more

(29.09.2011) 

Swiss institute presents a training manual for Africa  read more

(08.09.2011) 

With the help of local partners, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) began research on long-term farming systems comparisons between 2005 and 2007 in three countries: Kenya, India and Bolivia. The objective of... read more

(05.09.2011) 

The sixth Latin American and Caribbean Meeting of Ecological Agriculture (ELAO) entiled "Benefits and perspectives of organic family agriculture" will be held on 13–17 October 2011, in Cali, Colombia.  read more

(31.08.2011) 

The 3rd Scientific Conference of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (www.ISOFAR.org) takes place in the frame of the 17th IFOAM Organic World Congress (www.kowc2011.org) in Gyeonggi Paldang, Republic... read more

(19.08.2011) 

In May 2011 the First International Conference on Organic Food Quality and Health Research took place. The book of abstracts is now available; furthermore some of the full papers can be downloaded via the Organic Eprints archive.  read more

(04.08.2011) 

On July 11 and 12, 2011, the workshop "Building strategies for Africa: Adding-value through organic agriculture", took place in Brussels. The papers are now available at the website of the European Commission.  read more

(03.08.2011) 

The seminar "Agriculture in times of climate change – organic farming approaches to face the challenge" will take place in Brussels on October 18.  read more

(01.07.2011) 

The full proposals of the first call of the CORE Organic II project (www.coreorganic2.org) have been evaluated by scientific experts. Hereafter, the CORE Organic II consortium selected eleven projects for funding at a meeting... read more

(01.07.2011) 

Organic Eprints, the open access archive for publications on organic research,  is expanding: The number of country editors has increased from 11 to 22. Country editors are responsible for the quality checks of the... read more

(22.06.2011) 

FiBL has now published a revised version of its background information on E. coli.  read more

(19.06.2011) 

On July 19, during the 13th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (18-22 July 2011) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) the side event on... read more

(14.06.2011) 

There has been much speculation about the pathogenic EHEC bacterial strain that has claimed the lives of more than thirty people so far in Germany. In the present document FiBL, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture,... read more

(01.05.2011) 

The fourth newsletter of the LowInputBreeds project reports on the successful first project symposium which took place in March in Wageningen, the Netherlands, focussing on ethical issues in animal breeding. Furthermore the... read more

(16.04.2011) 

The Netherlands-based Agro Eco-Louis Bolk Institute has been contracted to set up a new organic research and development centre in Nigeria. read more

(14.04.2011) 

On March 15 and 16, 2011 the First LowInputBreeds Symposium on Ethical Consideration in Livestock Breeding was organized in cooperation with ECO AB, the European Consortium for Organic Animal Breeding in the Hof van Wageningen,... read more

(11.04.2011) 

The strategic aim of the project "Advancing Organic Agriculture Research in Hungary," launched in 2011, is to foster research of high scientific caliber in the field of organic agriculture and food production in Hungary. The... read more

(25.03.2011) 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sponsored a conference on March 16-18, 2011 in Washington DC to examine findings from research on organic farming systems, including many longstanding projects. The audience... read more

(24.03.2011) 

The magazine Ecology & Farming, published by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (www.ifoam.org) was re-launched  in February 2011 as a print magazine.Thanks to Peter Brul, the... read more

(21.03.2011) 

Recently the European Group of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements has published the dossier "Organic food and farming – a system approach to meet the sustainability challenge". It delivers scientific... read more

(15.03.2011) 

The Canadian Expert Committee on Organic Agriculture (ECOA) and Research and Innovation Working Group of the Organic Value Chain Roundtable (RIWG ) has developed research priorities eight categories: 1) animals, 2) plants, 3)... read more

(15.03.2011) 

Small-scale farmers can double food production within 10 years in critical regions by using ecological methods, a new UN report released on March 8, 2011 shows. Based on an extensive review of the recent scientific literature,... read more

(15.03.2011) 

Dr. Andy Hammermeister has been appointed Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (www.oacc.info). Dr. Hammermeister has worked with OACC since 2002, most recently as manager of the Centre and the Canadian Organic... read more

(03.03.2011) 

The successful 5th Producer Conference of the Organic Research Centre Elm Farm was held on the 17th and 18th January at the Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel and was attended by well over 200 delegates who participated in... read more

(02.03.2011) 

With its Implementation Action Plan, the Technology Platform for Organic Food and Farming Research, TP Organics, completes its trilogy of key documents. In December 2010, TP Organics finalised the Implementation Action Plan. read more

(28.02.2011) 

Papers for the 3rd International Scientific Conference "New findings in organic farming research and their possible use for Central and Eastern Europe” can be submitted until May 30, 2011. read more

(22.02.2011) 

Organic agriculture is practised in 160 countries and 37.2 million hectares of agricultural land are managed organically by 1.8 million farmers. The global sales of organic food and drink reached 54.9 billion US dollars in... read more

(14.02.2011) 

The programme of the first LowiNputBreeds Symposium is now online. The Symposium takes place on March 15 and 16, 2011 in Wageningen, The Netherlands. Further information ProgrammeSymposium homepage read more

(01.02.2011) 

The Executive Council of the African Union (AU), at its Eighteenth Ordinary Session in January 2011, adopted a decision on organic farming. read more

(31.01.2011) 

In three languages, the new activity report is a fascinating look at the most important projects of FiBL Switzerland, Austria and Germany. This comprehensive overview of the latest activities in organic research is available... read more

(07.01.2011) 

The First International Conference on Organic Food Quality and Health Research takes place May 18-20, 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic. Papers can be submitted by January 23, 2011.  read more

(09.12.2010) 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with partners, is developing the “Organic Research Centres Alliance (ORCA)” to strengthen organic farming research. The focus is on developing countries.... read more

(23.11.2010) 

Papers for the International Conference "Organic Agriculture and Agro-Eco tourism in the Mediterranean can be submitted until March 31, 2011.  read more

(16.11.2010) 

CORE Organic project Farmer Consumer Partnerships publishes a handbook on how to successfully communicate the values of organic food on Organic Eprints. read more

(16.11.2010) 

Ilse A. Rasmussen is new coordinator of Organic Eprints at ICROFS, the International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems in Denmark. read more

(15.11.2010) 

From March 23-25, 2010, the Symposium "Soil Fertility and Crop Nutrition Management in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture" took place in Sousse, Tunisia. Fifty participants from eleven countries attended.  read more

(12.11.2010) 

The Rodale Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach, announced on November 10, 2010, the appointment of Mark Smallwood as Executive Director. “On behalf of the... read more

(12.11.2010) 

On November 5, 2010 the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) announced the launch of a sweeping research initiative to investigate the potential benefits of organic agriculture. The non-profit foundation recently hired a... read more

(05.11.2010) 

The third newsletter of the EU-funded project LowInputBreeds informs its readers about recent project activities and results in cattle, sheep, pig and laying hen production systems. read more

(03.11.2010) 

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the United States Department of Agriculture (SDA) awarded 30 grants to enhance the ability of organic producers and processors grow and market high quality organic... read more

(22.10.2010) 

The Organic Research Centre’s 2011 Organic Producer Conference will be held from 17-18th January at the Four Pillars Hotel, Cotswold Water Park, near Cirencester, in the UK.  read more

(13.10.2010) 

The International expert workshop on 'Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - methods, models, and databases with focus on GHG emission and sequestration potential of organic farming systems and organic food was held in Bari, Italy on... read more

(08.10.2010) 

Canada’s organic sector receives 6.5 million Canadian Dollars for research in announcement of Canada’s Organic Science Cluster.  read more

(08.10.2010) 

Canada’s organic sector receives 6.5 million Canadian Dollars for research in announcement of Canada’s Organic Science Cluster.  read more

(08.10.2010) 

The final workshop for the CORE Organic project "ANIPLAN" took place at FiBL in Frick on September 27-30, 2010. read more

(01.10.2010) 

On September 21, 2010 the Network for Practical Research in Organic Farming (VÖP) was founded by four German organizations: the organic producers organisations Bioland and Naturland, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture... read more

(06.09.2010) 

CORE Organic II has published an announcement for a common call with a closing date of October 15, 2010.  read more

(06.09.2010) 

In 2012, Zambia will host the second African Organic Conference. The conference will be organized by Organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia OPPAZ in collaboration with local and international stakeholders. OPPAZ... read more

(01.09.2010) 

On August 24, 2010, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (South Africa) announced that it has appointed at the School of Natural Resource Management, Professor Raymond Auerbach. Professor Auerbach will be sharing his... read more

(27.08.2010) 

An open call has been issued to recruit three additional partners for the LowInputBreeds project. Partners are requested to provide phenotypic data and pedigrees of dairy cattle, together with a description of the breeding... read more

(24.08.2010) 

From August 22 to 27, 2010, the 28th Congress of the International Society of Horticultural Sciences (ISHS) took place in Lisbon, Portugal. Over 3300 participants attended the Congress and more than 4000 abstracts were submitted.... read more

(03.08.2010) 

On July 12, 2010, the Technology Platform TP Organics held its Stakeholder Forum in Brussels, bringing together small and medium enterprises (SMEs), civil society organisations, researchers, representatives of public... read more

(12.07.2010) 

In preparation for the 3rd ISOFAR (International Society of Organic Agriculture Research) Scientific Conference at the first Asian IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) Organic World Congress from... read more

(05.07.2010) 

The transnational partnership CORE Organic published a pre-announcement July 5, 2010, of a common call for CORE Organic II. The call will be launched on September 1, 2010 with a closing date of October 15, 2010. read more

(05.06.2010) 

On May 10th and 11th 2010 the first workshop of the Round Table on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change (RTOACC) took place at FiBL. Thirty-five experts from ten countries took part. read more

(26.05.2010) 

On May 31, 2010, Lawrence Woodward will be stepping down as Director of the Organic Research Centre Elm Farm in the UK. He will be succeeded by Professor Nic Lampkin who has been joint Director with Lawrence Woodward since... read more

(30.04.2010) 

The University of Kassel at Witzenhausen appoints the  specialist for organic farming, Urs Niggli, Honorary Professor. The University of Kassel Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences is located on the Witzenhausen campus,... read more

(20.04.2010) 

The second LowInputBreeds newsletter provides brief state-of-the-arts reports on two themes within the project: the concept of flower breeding in pigs and alternative breeding approaches in laying hens. Organic and low... read more

(17.03.2010) 

The Spanish Society for Organic Farming SEAE will organise its 9th Scientific Congress on organic farming in Lleida, the agricultural capital of Catalonia, October 6 to 9, 2010, to be held at the University of Lleida... read more

(08.02.2010) 

In Italy, a technology platform for organic was founded on January 19, 2010 in Rome, at the premises of the National Research Council CNR. This is reported in the Bollettino Bio.  read more

(07.01.2010) 

The first edition of 'Organic Agriculture' will be published in spring 2010 by Springer. It is the Journal of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR). Contributions can be submitted online.  read more

(18.12.2009) 

The European Commission has published the call for applications regarding the expert group for technical advice on organic production. The deadline for application is February 2, 2010.  read more

(17.12.2009) 

Climate change directly influences food production and food security. To address these new challenges, the Round Table on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change has been established on December 16, 2009, at the United Nations... read more

(26.11.2009) 

According to new research from the Soil Association at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be taken up by the soil each yearm if all UK farmland was converted to organic farming. read more

(20.11.2009) 

The first newsletter of the LowInputBreeds is now available at the LowInputBreeds website.  read more

(14.11.2009) 

Results of the European QLIF project and outlook on the new projects NUE-CROPS and LowInputBreeds will be presented at this session of the BioFach Congress.  read more

(06.11.2009) 

The European Commission will soon publish a call for applications with a view to appointing members of the expert group for technical advice on organic production and establishing the relevant pool list. read more

(06.11.2009) 

The new FAO Glossary on Organic Agriculture contains 401 concepts with synonyms, variants, definitions, remarks and context fields where appropriate. It is is available in English, French and Spanish. The Arabic and Chinese... read more

(23.10.2009) 

The Technology Platform TP Organics has reached major achievements in the first half year 2009 on its way towards a Strategic Research Agenda SRA. The current consultation is running until October 26, 2009. read more

(07.10.2009) 

A large-scale project which aims to improve animal health and product quality in European organic and ‘low input’ livestock production systems has just begun. read more

(06.10.2009) 

The Conference 'Organic Cooperation and Research in the Mediterranean' is held by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari MAIB on October 14 and 15, 2009, in Bari.  read more

(25.09.2009) 

The proposed Organic Research Centres Alliance ORCA intends to internationally network and strengthen existing institutions with scientific credentials and empower them to become centers of excellence in transdisciplinary organic... read more

(25.09.2009) 

The symposium ’Soil Fertility and Crop Nutrition Management in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture’ takes place from March 23 to 25, 2010, in Sousse, Tunisia. Abstracts must be submitted to the organizers of the symposium no later... read more

(24.09.2009) 

In August 2009, the conference "Forstering healthy food systems through organic agriculture - Focus on the North-Baltic Region" took place in Tartu, Estonia.  read more

(22.09.2009) 

On October 23, an international meeting of researchers in organic vegetable production will take place, in Auweiler Germany. Organic vegetable production is booming – since 2005 double digit growth in sales has been achieved.... read more

(09.08.2009) 

The next Ecofruit conference takes place in Hohenheim near Stuttgart in Germany. Conference abstracts can be submitted until November 15, 2009.  read more

(05.08.2009) 

The Symposium will be held at the Lisboa Congress Centre as part of the 28th International Horticulture Congress, a world conference on horticultural sciences. Papers can be sumitted until December 31, 2009. read more

(23.07.2009) 

The final report of the ORWINE project is focussing on recommendations for elaborating rules for organic wine in the EU Regulation on organic production.  read more

(21.07.2009) 

The fourth Organic Meeting and Organic Producers' Fair of Latin America and the Caribbean will be held during October 12 to 16 2009 in Salinitas, El Salvador.  read more

(16.07.2009) 

Chances and challenges for organic farming in times of climate change, biodiversity loss and global food crisis is the focus of the Second European Organic Congress to be held in Brussels on December 1, 2009.  read more

(16.07.2009) 

On July 15, 2009, the research Technology Platform ‘TP Organics’ held its annual Stakeholder Forum in Brussels and presented the first draft of its second major publication – the TP Organics Strategic Research Agenda.  read more

(14.07.2009) 

The 9th European Summer Academy on Organic Farming - Biocademy 2009 - was held on June 24 to 25, 2009, in the premises of the Horticultural Faculty of the Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Lednice na Moravě, Czech... read more

(29.06.2009) 

On 29 June 2009 the Executive Board of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research ISOFAR signed a publishing agreement with Springer Science + Business Media B.V., Dordrecht, Netherlands. read more

(17.06.2009) 

More than 200 participants participated at the African Organic Conference in May 2009, which focused on evaluating the opportunities for organic agriculture in Africa. The book of abstracts is now available.  read more

(30.05.2009) 

At the 21st meeting of the FAO Committee on Agriculture, held April 22-25, 2009 in Rome, a successful side event on "Organic Agriculture, Climate Change and the Environment" took place.  read more

(29.04.2009) 

Recently in Hungary a Technology Platform for organic farming was founded. The inaugural meeting took place in April 2009.  read more

(08.04.2009) 

The Integrated Project 'Improving quality and safety and reduction of costs in the European organic and low input supply chains' QLIF was funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme for Research and... read more

(01.04.2009) 

An inventory of ongoing organic farming research in Canada was published by the Organic Agriculture Centre in Canada OAAC read more

(04.12.2008) 

Recently the Italian Network for Research in Organic Farming was founded as a platform for researchers and stakeholders. Several thematic working groups cover topics like biodiversity, energy, plant protection, quality,... read more

(02.12.2008) 

On December 2, 2008, the Technology Platform TP Organics was launched. TP Organics is a platform for organic food and farming research which joins the efforts of industry and civil society in defining organic research priorities... read more

(29.09.2008) 

On September 1, 2008, the European research project CERTCOST - Economic analysis of certification systems for organic food and farming - started.  read more

(24.07.2008) 

The Organic.Edunet questionnaire on educational needs in the area of organic farming and agro-ecology has been online since the beginning of March 2008. read more

(01.07.2008) 

From 18 to 20 June 2008 the second conference of the International Society of Agriculture Research ISOFAR was held in Modena, Italy, in conjunction with the 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress. The proceedings, which are now... read more

(20.06.2008) 

At the occasion of the 16th Organic World Congress of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network MOAN presented the publication "Organic Farming Policy in... read more

(16.06.2008) 

From June 16 to 20, 2008, the 16th IFOAM Organic World Congress, including pre-conferences, took place in Modena, Italy. The Congress had more than 1'700 participants. read more

(12.06.2008) 

ICROFS, the International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems was established by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries on June 1st 2008. It is a centre without walls - the research is performed in... read more

(19.12.2006) 

Research results showcased in Brussels on December 12, 2006, showed research results, demonstrating that organically produced food has a higher nutritional value than conventional food. read more