This document summarizes a workshop on organic agriculture research. It provides an overview of key topics in organic agriculture including definitions, institutions conducting research, regulations, research networks, funding sources, priority research areas, and challenges. The workshop was moderated by Dr. Anastasios Koutoumanos from TEI Athens and covered organic agriculture principles and definitions, major research institutions around the world, survey results on the scope of organic agriculture, regulations governing organic standards, existing and proposed research networks, funding sources, priority research areas under discussion, and approaches to organic agriculture research methodology and publication.

1. Who is the
Organic Agriculture
Researcher?
Joint Workshop
8 Dec, 2010 @ AUA
moderator:
Dr Anastasios Koutoumanos,
TEI of Athens

2. Organic ?
● Agriculture, based on:
○ Crop rotation,
○ Green manure,
○ Compost & Biological pest control,
○ Hormones & additives free,
○ No genetically modified organisms
● Other names or other business?
○ vs. Conventional Agriculture
○ vs. Ecological Agriculture (Agroecology)
○ vs. Biodynamic Farming (Rudolf Steiner -1924)
○ vs. Biological Agriculture
○ vs. Sustainable Agriculture

3. Institutions
● Forschungsring (Germany)
● German Institute of Organic Agriculture (IOL)
● FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
(Switzerland, Germany, Austria),
● Organic Research Centre Elm Farm (UK),
● Louis-Bolk-Institute (NL),
● Intl Centre of Organic Food Systems (ICROFS - DK),
● Organic Centre of Canada (OACC)
● Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA)
● Rodale Institute (USA)
● ...
● many more university chairs and institutes

4. Key results from the FiBL and IFOAM survey as
published in The World of Organic Agriculture
2010
Source: IFOAM FiBL/Survey 2010.

6. Regulations
● Private associations certify organic producers since 1970
● Large number of standards and specifications by IFOAM:
○ International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
(est. 1972)
● Regulations of production methods and final output
● OA regulated and legally enforced by many nations
○ EU-Eco (No 2092/1991, supplemented No 1804/1999)
○ US National Organic Program (NOP - 2002)
● IFOAM "Principles of Organic Agriculture" (2005)

7. From Land use and crop (as published in The World of Organic Agriculture 2010)
Source: IFOAM FiBL/Survey 2010.

8. Research Networks
● ISOFAR
○ International Society of Organic Agriculture Research
● NORA
○ Network for Organic Agriculture Research in Africa
● MOAN
○ Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network
● National initiatives
○ COR - Colloquium of Organic Researchers (UK)
○ RIRAB - Italian Network of Organic Researchers

9. ORCA
● Organic Research Centres Alliance (proposed)
○ International network
○ Joint initiative
■ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO - UN)
■ Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL)
■ Danish International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems
(ICROFS)
■ More partners have joined:
■ IFOAM,
■ ISOFAR,
■ and the list is growing!
■ (Sponsor) funding is still awaited...

10. Who pays?
● Government funding
■ e.g. Federal Organic Farming Scheme (BOEL, GE)
○ EU funding
■ CORE Organic
■ Organic.Edunet
○ USA funding
■ US Farm Bill
○ Australian Organic "Hub"
● Organic industry

11. Fields
11 ORCA Centres 22 Topics

12. ORCA Centres
● Five focus on specific agro-ecosystems:
○ Coastal and small islands;
○ Hilly and mountains;
○ Arid and semi-arid;
○ Humid and sub-humid;
○ Temperate and irrigated.
● Six focus on cross-sectoral topics:
○ Climate change;
○ Urban and periurban agro-ecosystems;
○ Nutrition, quality and health;
○ Economics, markets and trade;
○ Post-harvest handling and food safety;
○ Seeds and breeds.

13. Research Agenda
● ISOFAR + the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
○ facilitated a discussion among scientists from European
countries
○ to draw up an organic research agenda
○ for the next 20 years.
○ Published in 2008
○ Technology Platform TP Organics launched Dec'08
■ hosted by the IFOAM EU Group, based in Brussels
○ Organic research priorities

14. Research Methodology
● Emphasis in epistemology
● Science across disciplines
● Focus on diversity & mutual help
● Inherent conflict
○ the reductionistic character of analytical sciences
○ and the holistic character of their object
● Participatory design
○ Engagement of practitioners (farmers)
○ Pragmatic research - aid the developing world
■ Merge traditional and scientific knowledge
■ Investigate alternative approaches

15. Anthroposophical approach
● Biodynamic method of farming, originated from the lectures of
Rudolf Steiner (Steiner, 1924).
○ Farm as a "living organism"
● Everything which is essential for life on a farm should be
produced within the farm.
● Field innovations are pursued:
○ enable voices not yet considered by the dominant research
system
■ including farmers’ knowledge
■ and empirical experience

16. Research publication
1. Journals (rated by impact factor)
2. International Conferences (refereed)
3. National Conferences (refereed)
4. Other events and proceedings
But also, tacit knowledge
● embedded in work-practices,
● farmer's experiences and 'spirit'

17. Data collection systems and data sources for basic data
(land, operators) by geographical region 2008

19. VOA3R
Virtual Open Access Agriculture & Aquaculture
Repository
Sharing Scientific and Scholarly Research
related to Agriculture, Food, and Environment
O.A. for
Open Access & Organic Agriculture
http://voa3r.eu

20. Food for thought
● WHO:
○ Who are the people in your research environment that you want to
tell about this great open access service?
○ List user categories/audiences (colleagues, communities,
institutions) that you feel would love this service
● WHAT:
○ Which research outcomes do you find more appropriate & relevant
to offer through an open access policy/paradigm?
■ type / formats, state, policy / access rights
● HOW:
○ What lifecycles exist and are used in your community? (collect all
lifecycles for each of your communities)
○ What innovations are needed?

21. VOA3R
Virtual Open Access Agriculture & Aquaculture
Repository
Sharing Scientific and Scholarly Research
related to Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Online Survey:
http://goo.gl/x3gVR