ORGANIC COOPERATIVE APPROACHES TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

WINTER HARVEST:SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENTOF ORGANIC WINTER GROWINGThomas Fertl, BIO AUSTRIA (AT)AUSTRIAHIGHLIGHTSWinter growing according to organic principles being developed in order to meet consumer demand for domesticallyproduced organic produceProduct innovation can perform an important function in strengthening direct marketing, and farming organisations can playa key role in supporting producer cooperation projectsResearch is essential for overcoming practical problems; a farmer-led process ensures that research addresses practicalquestions.BACKGROUNDIn Austria, apart from corn salads, hardly any organic vegetables are available during the winter from domestic production. As aresult, most of the vegetables on sale are imported or grown through high-energy intensive production. To address this problem,a project has been developed called Winter harvest: seasonal, energy-extensive and innovative vegetable production. 1 This aims toraise the profile and strengthen the position of farmers who directly market vegetables, by supporting technical innovation in theproduction of winter vegetables using non-heated systems. As part of the process, the project focused on resource efficiency andclimate protection to further develop winter growing that is in line with the organic principles. Offering winter vegetables usingclimate-friendly organic production methods during the winter months satisfies a growing consumer demand for such produce.The farmers are not only able to use their production facilities during winter, they can also continue their direct marketing fora longer period of the year and thereby increase the economic viability of their farms. The project was led by BIO AUSTRIA, thecountry’s organic farmers’ association, which was tasked with developing cultivation plans, procuring seeds, providing advisoryservices, documenting the process and establishing links between farmers and scientific institutions.1The original title in German: Winterernte: Saisonaler, Energie-extensiver und innovativer Gemüseanbau.10