In 2018, we launched ‘Organic Without Boundaries’, a blog showcasing the work of organically-minded people from all over the world. We thank both our readers and those who contributed to the blog.
If you missed any of our posts or would like to read something again, you can find them all here in our review of 2018. Happy reading!
Empowering Local Communities through Sustainable Forest Products in the Amazon
The Amazon houses at least 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. However, commercial crops, cattle grazing, and timber extraction have resulted in deforestation and degradation. Read more
Organic Successes in 2018 – Let’s make 2019 an even better year!
As 2018 comes to an end, it is a great time to reflect and look back on everything that has happened during the year. We have had some great moments across the organic sector, from India to the USA. Read more
5 Organic Holiday Meals From Around The World!
With the holiday season approaching, millions of families around the world are looking forward to a special meal shared with friends, family and loved ones. Read more
How policies supporting investment can ease the transition to organic farming
The amount and extent of private investment plays a major role in the growth and success of any commercial sector. Organic agriculture is no exception to this economic reality. Read more
World Soil Day: How Organic can Be a Solution to Soil Pollution
December 5 is World Soil Day, when we celebrate the importance of healthy soils. This year’s theme is ‘Be a solution to soil pollution’. Read more
“What You Do Makes A Difference…” Meet Organic Farmers – Jenny & Janet
Meet the two women behind Gorse Farm. Jenny & Janet, driven by a passion for organic, health food took a leap of faith in 2015 and started their own market garden. Read more
How supporting certification can help level the playing field for organic
The ‘Global Policy Toolkit on Public Support to Organic Agriculture’, provides a comprehensive overview of how policies can support the growth of organic agriculture along with tips and tools for advocates and policy-makers. Read more
Copenhagen: Investing Public Money in Public Goods
89% of food served in the City of Copenhagen’s canteens is organic. The municipality achieved this impressive figure without increasing the budget for the canteens. Read more
Going Beyond Zero Hunger with Good Food for All
We’ve launched Good Food for All, a campaign to get us all eating food that is grown in a way that is good for farmers, good for you and good for the planet. Read more
Why are Synthetic Fertilizers Not Allowed in Organic?
Conventional agriculture uses large amounts of synthetic fertilizers to grow crops. Synthetic fertilizers are not allowed in organic agriculture, and the alternative methods organic farmers use to enhance soil fertility. Read more
Policies from Brazil, Denmark & Quito (Ecuador) Take Home Silver Awards 2018!
The winners of Silver Awards 2018 are Brazil, Denmark, and Quito (Ecuador). Each of the winning policies provides an innovative and holistic solution to a societal issue. Read more
Sikkim – The First 100% Organic State in the World!
Sikkim is located in northeast India, on the border with Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal. Only around 10% of the land (75,000 hectares) is farmed. Read more
Facilitate the Growth of Organic by Ending Subsidies for Chemical Inputs
When planning ways to boost organic agriculture, we have to consider measures that promote the growth of the sector such as public procurement policies. Read more
How Organic Agriculture Can Help Achieve Food Security & SDG 2
Many people are aware of the fact that organic food means you can avoid pesticides and GMOs, and is better for the soil. Read more
Looking at Food Quality from a Holistic Point of View
Food quality is often misinterpreted. In the discussion on organic food and health, the short and simple version is that organic is pesticide free. Read more
The Toxic Trail of Glyphosate – and The Organic Methods to Manage Weeds
Pesticide manufacturers often say that their products are necessary to manage weeds. However, these harmful chemicals damage ecosystems and may have impacts on human health. Read more
How Organic Agriculture Helps Mitigate Climate Change
Many people choose organic products to avoid pesticides and GMOs. But did you know that organic can help mitigate climate change – as well as helping farmers to adapt to changing climate conditions? Read more
Organic Public Procurement is a Win-Win Scenario for Farmers, Consumers & Public Goods
We are hearing more and more about the concept of public money for public goods. In other words that public money should be spent in a way that benefits public health and our surroundings, be of benefit to people and the planet. Read more
Estonia Organic Grass-Fed Beef: Working With What Nature Provides
Consumers increasingly want to know where their meat comes from, and that is was reared in a cruelty-free environment. Read more
Meet Lucille Ortiz, Working for Farmer Empowerment in the Philippines
“Hearing farmers talk about the issues they face and being part of their struggles is one of the best ways to truly understand the realities of poverty and food insecurity. I can attest to this for it transformed me.” Read more
How Collecting Data can Promote the Growth of Organic Agriculture
Over a two-year period, we collected data, studied examples of public support provided to organic agriculture in more than 80 countries and launched the results in a one-of-a-kind Global Policy Toolkit. Read more
Interview with Mariama Sonko: Raising the Voice of Women Farmers in West Africa!
Mariama Sonko lives in Niaguiss, a village in southwestern Senegal, Africa. In 1990 she joined the movement and since then she has been supporting local knowledge and farming practices. Read more
How are Agroecological Farmers Challenging the Industrial Way of Farming?
Around the world, innovative agroecological farmers increasingly challenge the dominant industrial way of farming. Read more
How to Turn Empty Urban Land into Thriving Community Gardens in São Paulo!
Cities Without Hunger is an NGO that sets up community gardens on vacant urban land in São Paulo’s deprived East Zone to provide jobs, income, and enhance food sovereignty. Read more
Policies supporting alternatives to third-party certification can increase the uptake of organic & improve livelihoods.
Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify operators, mainly producers, based on the active participation of local stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks, and knowledge exchange. Read more
How to Restore the Broken Food System Through Organic Agriculture!
‘What are we going to eat tonight?’ This simple question connects parents around the globe when their children come back home after a full day of activity. Read more
Learn More About the Damage Caused by Pesticides
Pesticides are released intentionally into our environment to kill living things. Pesticide residues are often found on conventionally grown produce. Read more
Growing Safe, Affordable Organic Rice in the Philippines!
Faced with decreasing soil fertility and quality, a group of farmers in the Philippines launched a regenerative organic agriculture project to grow safe, affordable organic rice. Read more
How to Support the Growth of the Organic Sector by Funding Consumer Awareness Campaigns!
Policy-makers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to invest public money in public goods. In terms of agriculture this can mean allocating funds to encourage more farmers to go organic and more citizens to buy organic. Read more
Farmers Ensure Safe Water for New York City!
New York City’s water is kept safe and clean by an innovative cooperation with farmers who have become guardians of the city’s watershed. Read more
Find Out How Organic Farming Benefits Farmers, Consumers, Buyers and Traders!
We are Mr. Sengsavang Luangphachaleun & Mrs. Sinsanga Keo Vong Kot organic farmers from Laos. We live with our 19-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter on a farm in Savannakhet. Read more
How We Can Beat Plastic Pollution with Natural Branding!
Today, June 5th is World Environment Day! This year the world is setting its sights on beating plastic pollution. Meet Eosta, a member of IFOAM – Organics International, who is doing just that by replacing plastic with Natural Branding on their organic fruit and vegetables. Read more
How Policy-Makers can Promote Organic Sector Growth by Investing in Education!
Organic agriculture is knowledge intensive. However, the past few decades have seen much agricultural education focus on conventional methods, for example, intensive use of agro-chemical inputs, high yielding varieties and new plant breeding techniques. Read more
How Organic Agriculture Supports Biodiversity!
Today, May 22nd, is World Biodiversity Day. Biodiversity is the variety of life found on earth, and forms the foundation of all agriculture. It supports our food supply from the soil to the delivery of vital ecosystem services such as pollination. Read more
“No Tree, No Bee, No Honey, No Money” – Creating a Sustainable Supply Chain of Organic Honey in Ethiopia
The United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution declaring 20 May as World Bee Day. Bees and other pollinators are vital to the global food chain. Read more
Choose Organic – The Best Way to Avoid the Dirty Dozen™
Every year the EWG releases its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ listing the Dirty Dozen™, fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residues, and the Clean Fifteen™, for which few, if any, residues were detected in the USA. Read more
How Funding Research and Extension can Accelerate the Uptake of Organic!
Over a two-year period, we studied examples of public support provided to organic agriculture in more than 80 countries and launched the results in a one-of-a-kind Global Policy Toolkit. Read more
What Will I Tell Njoki?
The United Nations has declared the years 2018 – 2028 the Decade for Water to draw attention to the critical role access to clean water plays in sustaining livelihoods. But what does this really mean? Read more
Innovation in Action: A Sustainable Alternative to Slash and Burn Agriculture!
Slash and burn is a subsistence farming method used by millions of families in the tropics as their only known means of producing food. Families cut down and burn a patch of forest in order to create an area of fertile soil on which they can grow their food. Read more
Breaking the Cycle of Chemicals and Debt: Organic Farming in Cambodia
Mr. Keo Nov is a farmer in the Kandal Province of Cambodia. Together with his wife, they farm approximately 1,200 square meters of land, nearly a third of an acre. Read more
Kanayo F. Nwanze Shares Some Thoughts on Food & Farming
We asked Kanayo F. Nwanze, former president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) from 2009 to 2017 and current FAOSpecial Goodwill Ambassador for Zero Hunger, Africa Region, some questions about food and farming. Read more
Women Farmers – Gatekeepers to Food & Nutrition Security!
Women farmers play a fundamental role in ensuring food security, particularly in rural societies, but lack of access to training and resources often results in yields up to 30% lower than those of male farmers. Read more
How to Convince Your Policy-Maker to Support Organic Agriculture
In 2017, we launched the ‘Global Policy Toolkit on Public Support to Organic Agriculture’, an overview of policies supporting organic agriculture along with tips and tools for advocates and policy-makers. Read more
Water: The Resource That Sustains Life!
Today is the beginning of the UN’s Decade for Water, which will run until World Water Day on 22 March 2028. The Decade is designed to help put a greater focus on water and its importance for people and the planet. Read more
International Women’s Day: How Women Farmers Are Driving Change
Today is International Women’s Day, with the theme “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. Read more
Ms. Sieng: An Organic Entrepreneur in Cambodia!
In Cambodia, food safety is a serious concern for many consumers and many foods are contaminated with pesticides or other pollutants. Read more
Celebrating 5 years of the Organic Academy!
IFOAM – Organic International, Organic Academy celebrated its fifth year with a Masterclass held in South Korea. Read more
Improving Livelihoods of Rural Communities in East Africa with Organic Agriculture
The “Organic Trade and Value Chain Development in East Africa” (OTEA) project focuses on the development of regional trade in the East African Community by establishing an Organic Guarantee System. Read more
Study Calls for a Shift Away from Destructively Intensive Agriculture!
A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at the rate of 24bn tons a year, says the Global Land Outlook launched at the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 13). Read more
Pacific States Lead by Example on Climate Change by Going Organic!
The devastation caused by multiple climate disasters in recent months have shown, once again, that islands in the Pacific are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, exacerbated and made more frequent by climate change. Read more
Winners of the Organic Farming Innovation Award 2017!
The winners of the 2017 Organic Farming Innovation Awards (OFIA) were announced on 10 November 2017, at an awards ceremony during the Organic World Congress (OWC) in New Delhi, India. Read more
Sikkim Chief Minister Celebrated for going 100% Organic
Honorable Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister of the Indian State of Sikkim has been celebrated as the Grand Prix Winner of the One World Award at the Organic World Congress in Delhi. Read more
