The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) is the worldwide umbrella organization for the organic agriculture movement, uniting more than 750 member organizations in 108 countries.[1] It declares its mission to be as follows:
"IFOAM's mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity. Our goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the principles of Organic Agriculture."
Among its wide range of activities, IFOAM maintains an organic farming standard, and an organic accreditation service.
| International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | IFOAM |
| Formation | 1972 |
| Type | NGO |
| Headquarters | Bonn, Germany |
| Region served | Global |
| Membership | 710 members |
| Official languages | English |
| Main organ | General Assembly |
| Website | www.ifoam.org |
Contents |
IFOAM began in Versailles, France, on November 5, 1972, during an international congress on organic agriculture organized by the French farmer organization Nature et Progrès. The late Roland Chevriot, President of Nature et Progrès, took the initiative. There were 5 founding members representing different organizations: Lady Eve Balfour representing the Soil Association of Great Britain, Kjell Arman representing the Swedish Biodynamic Association, Pauline Raphaely representing the Soil Association of South Africa, Jerome Goldstein representing Rodale Press of the United States, and Roland Chevriot representing Nature et Progrès of France.
The aim of the new organization was reflected in the name: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. The founders hoped that the federation would meet what they saw as a major need: a unified, organized voice for organic food, and the diffusion and exchange of information on the principles and practices of organic agriculture across national and linguistic boundaries.
The IFOAM General Assembly serves as the foundation of IFOAM. It elects the IFOAM World Board for a three year term. The IFOAM World Board is a diverse group of individuals working voluntarily to lead IFOAM. The current World Board was elected at the IFOAM General Assembly in Vignola/Italy,[2] which took place from June 22–24, 2008. The World Board appoints members to official committees, working groups and task forces based upon the recommendation of the IFOAM membership, and IFOAM member organizations also establish regional groups and sector specific interest groups.
IFOAM actively participates in international agricultural and environmental negotiations with the United Nations and multilateral institutions to further the interests of the organic agricultural movement worldwide, and has observer status or is otherwise accredited by the following international institutions:
According to the One World Trust's Global Accountability Report 2008[10] which assessed a range of organisations in areas such as transparency, stakeholder participation and evaluation capacity, "IFOAM is the highest scoring international NGO, and at the top of the 30 organisations this year with a score of 71 percent".
For a full list of member organizations, see the IFOAM Directory
On October 19, 1998, participants at IFOAM's 12th Scientific Conference issued the Mar del Plata Declaration[11], where more than 600 delegates from over 60 countries voted unanimously to exclude the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production and agriculture. From that point GMOs have been categorically excluded from organic farming.
Text of the declaration:
Signed by: Dr. Vandana Shiva (India), Hervé La Prairie (Outgoing IFOAM president, France), Linda Bullard (Incoming IFOAM president, USA/Belgium), Gunnar Rundgren (Incoming IFOAM vice-president, Sweden), Gerald Hermann (IFOAM Treasurer, Germany), Pipo Lernoud (Conference Coordinator, Argentina), Guillermo Schnitman (MAPO President, Argentina)
Organic agriculture can contribute to meaningful socio-economic and ecologically sustainable development, especially in poorer countries. On one hand, this is due to the application of organic principles, which means efficient management of local resources (e.g., local seed varieties, manure, etc.) and therefore cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, the market for organic products – at local and international level – has tremendous growth prospects and offers creative producers and exporters in the South excellent opportunities to improve their income and living conditions. IFOAM is therefore active to give special support to the development of the Organic Agriculture Sector in Developing Countries through several means. Organic Agriculture is a very knowledge intensive production system. Therefore capacity building efforts play a central role in this regard. There are many efforts all around the world regarding the development of training material and the organization of training courses related to Organic Agriculture. Existing knowledge is still scattered and not easy accessible. Especially in Developing Countries this situation remains an important constraint for the growth of the organic sector.
For that reason, IFOAM created an Internet training platform[2] whose objective is to become the global reference point for Organic Agriculture training through free access to high quality training materials and training programs on Organic Agriculture.
In November 2007, the Training Platform hosted more than 170 free manuals and 75 training opportunities.
Activities
[edit]IFOAM and GMOs On October 19, 1998, participants at IFOAM's 12th Scientific Conference issued the Mar del Plata Declaration[11], where more than 600 delegates from over 60 countries voted unanimously to exclude the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production and agriculture. From that point GMOs have been categorically excluded from organic farming. Text of the declaration: We, the undersigned participants at the 12th Scientific Conference of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) at Mar del Plata, Argentina, call on governments and regulatory agencies throughout the world to immediately ban the use of genetic engineering in agriculture and food production since it involves: Unacceptable threats to human health Negative and irreversible environmental impacts Release of organisms of an un-recallable nature Removal of the right of choice, both for farmers and consumers Violation of farmers' fundamental property rights and endangerment of their economic independence Practices, which are incompatible with the principles of sustainable agriculture as defined by IFOAM Signed by: Dr. Vandana Shiva (India), Hervé La Prairie (Outgoing IFOAM president, France), Linda Bullard (Incoming IFOAM president, USA/Belgium), Gunnar Rundgren (Incoming IFOAM vice-president, Sweden), Gerald Hermann (IFOAM Treasurer, Germany), Pipo Lernoud (Conference Coordinator, Argentina), Guillermo Schnitman (MAPO President, Argentina) [edit]IFOAM and training