The 2nd African Organic Conference â Mainstreaming ... - ICROFS

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2 nd AFRICAN ORGANIC CONFERENCE 2012 May 2-4, 2012 in Lusaka, Zambia counteract as well as how market transactions are carried out in view of various forms of transaction costs. An array of marketing channels used by farmers with their different features is presented. More than 50% of the respondents sold their products through the weekly farmers market. The box scheme is a new phenomenon but rapidly gaining popularity due to the convenience of making orders through the mobile phone or internet. Comparison of profitability is also made along the value chains. Greatest potential gains may be observed in the supermarket channel but these are constrained by lack of reliable contractual agreements. The study involved a review of other studies on local marketing in Africa, a structured questionnaire administered to a random sample of organic farmers and semi structured interviews with managers of organic outlets. Secondary information was also obtained from the national organic movement. Key words: Organic, Kenya, value chains, transaction costs, channels. PHILIPPINES&GMO:FREE&ZONES:&SUCCESSFUL&ROOTS&IN&ORGANIC&POLICY&AND&LAW& LEE ARUELO Third World Network Abstract The Philippines has been Party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety since 2006. To date, the Philippines has no biosafety law, only biosafety regulations, i.e., Department of Agriculture Administrative Order No. 8, Series of 2002; and the National Biosafety Framework (NBF). The Philippines imports GMOs mainly from the United States which is a non-Party to the Protocol. Since December 2002, there have been 58 GMO applications approved by the Bureau of Plant Industry-Department of Agriculture for release to the environment. On the other hand, the Philippine Government recognizes the importance of Organic Agriculture by having an Organic Agriculture Act of 2010; Philippine National Standards of Organic Agriculture; and Organic Certification Center of the Philippines, Inc. GMO-Free Zones in the Philippines have been enacted and implemented via GMO Ban Ordinances, which are the legal bases for such zones at the local level. The Philippine experience on GMO-Free Zones shows that the GMO Ban Ordinances are most effective when there are concrete links to organic policy and law. In this regard, NGOs and peoples’ organizations (POs) have advocated first for the passage of an Organic Agriculture Ordinance before advocating for a GMO Ban Ordinance. The experience from the Philippines also shows the importance of direct lobbying work and partnership with local government units. For example, cooperation at the provincial government level resulted in the enactment and implementation of the GMO Ban Ordinance in the Province of Negros Occidental, and the enactment of the Organic Agriculture Ordinance and GMO-Free Province Ordinance in Negros Oriental. Finally, the need for a strong and concerted movement of NGOs and POs with sufficient knowledge and skills on the issue (e.g. organic agriculture vis-à-vis GMOs) is necessary to ensure success in direct lobbying work; as well as to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the Organic Agriculture Ordinance and GMO Ban Ordinance. ORGANIC&CERTIFICATION&MADE&SIMPLE;&PRACTICAL&EXPERIENCES&&&LESSONS& LEARNED&IN&TANZANIA& LEONARD MTAMA, TANCERT A dream of going organic production in Tanzania goes back to 100 years ago by Benedictine missionaries when settled in the southwest part of the country. That followed with first two certified project late in 1992. However, the expansion was limited and too slow due to many factors including that of lack of knowledge on the principles of production and skills to implement compliance criteria to organic related standards; a BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 55
2 nd AFRICAN ORGANIC CONFERENCE 2012 May 2-4, 2012 in Lusaka, Zambia pre requisite of certification. Resources of extending such knowledge to the producers also were limiting. However, to date the situation is changing. There are more than 25 organic certified projects in Tanzania and many others within the region that are producing and exporting organic produces. All of these happened just ten years back. What is the secret behind this leap? Since 2003 Tanzania decided to establish an organic movement; TOAM and a local CB TanCert. Main objects behind this decision include elaborating clearly in a simple and understandable manner various organic standards to producers and exporters within the country. At the same time to provide players of the organic supply chain with requirements of various organic markets worldwide. The two organisations also mobilise resources in terms of funds and human. During the process standards were set in place for organic production which in 2007 with other similar standards within the region formed a cornerstone to the founding of East Africa Organic Standards. In collaboration with interested organisation TOAM continued to implement a training programme for organic stakeholders. The training is done once in every year lasting for two weeks. It is during this training when standards governing the principles of organic production are discussed and elaborated to the local context. Policy makers and academicians are involved in same; similarly traders and exporters. Tanzanian policy is yet to regulate the sector; stakeholders still enjoy implementation with minimum risks of contaminations from unallowed inputs including the genetically modified substances. The formation of the movement and local CB in Tanzania witnessed the increase in number of certified projects from 4 in year 2003 to 28 in 2011. Number of crops certified expanded from cotton and spices lasted from the nineties to more than ten. More produces came in as raw; cashew nuts, fruits, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, tea, oilseeds, and honey. Processed produces comprised of inputs, fish fillets from wild catch of Nile perch and garments form organic cotton. All these developments in organic production in Tanzania yet experienced various challenges including the following: • Translation of the standards; procedures and requirements to the local context; international standards are too complicated and complex • Taking certificate responsibility down to growers; currently only exporter is responsible • Associating rotational and intercrops in the organic market though different destinations; for instance; cotton is sold as organic while legumes and trap crops traded as conventional • Introduce and establish simple but efficient tools and equipment that WILL facilitate handling of compost and farm yard manure at the level of smallholders • Establish local and regional markets of organic produces especially food crops from rotational and intercrops • The emphasised group production and certification facilitate the documentation of farm activities and records of individuals members • PGS is also important to consider where distance is not a limit PRODUCTIVITY&AND&GROWTH&IN&ORGANIC&VALUE&CHAINS&(PROGROV)–&RESEARCH&IN& UGANDA,&KENYA&AND&TANZANIA& LISE ANDREASEN AND NIELS HALBERG International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS) Research Centre Foulum, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark, lise.andreasen@icrofs.org and niels.halberg@icrofs.org Abstract The project ProGrOV is about improving productivity and growth in existing organic value-chains in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania by way of developing agro-ecological -methods, governance and management of chains, and by capacity development regarding research focused on organic and interdisciplinary approaches. Organic value cains and sustainable agricultural intensification. The organic principles of farming based of health, ecology, fairness and care includes multiple functions highlighted in the IAASTD. Furthermore, 56 BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
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