News archive - New Technology Platform on organic food and farming research
“Organic Innovations for Sustainable Food Production”
The new technology platform 'Organics', dealing with organic food and farming research, has been publically launched in Brussels on December 2, 2008.
The platform joins the efforts of industry and civil society in defining organic research priorities and defending them vis-à-vis the policy-makers. The Platforms latest document – a Vision for Organic Food and Farming 2025 – reveals the huge potential of the organic food production to mitigate some of the major global problems of the century from climate change, to food security, to the whole range of socio-economic challenges in the rural areas. It also arguments the need for more research in specific priority areas and therefore for more research funding.
The Technology Platform ‘Organics’ brings together the organic sector, research community and civil society to identify research needs and priorities and to enhance the development of organic food production and with this its benefits for the society. It follows the model of so called technology platforms acknowledged by the EU. The strong involvement of civil society makes TP ‘Organics’ unique.
Following the European Organic Action Plan 2004, organic research has been on the political agenda as one of the explicitly mentioned actions. However, more than four years later the current assessment of the situation after the start of the 7th EU Research Framework Programme (2007 to 2013) raises the concern that the potential benefits of organic production will not be used due to the limited research funding.
“EU should lose no time and use the tool of the 7th EU Research Framework programme to boost organic research”, urges Marco Schlüter, director of the IFOAM EU Group, “The EU can’t allow missing this chance to foster innovations and economic development in line with the need of society for sustainable solutions. Sufficient efforts in organic research are of outmost importance to secure future potentials.”
Entry created by Katarina Rohsmann on December 5, 2008
Modified on December 5, 2008
