Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 19 • 28th October 2005

Organic Movement Promotes its Role in Biodiversity Conservation

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Under the auspices of this year’s World Food Day theme, “Agriculture and intercultural dialogue”, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) took the opportunity to highlight its role in global intercultural dialogue by coming out against unfair trade practices and in support of organic agriculture. At a time when over 800 million people worldwide remain hungry, IFOAM in a press release argued that organic agriculture could make a contribution not only by reducing hunger, but also by ensuring sustainable development through the enhancement of biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. IFOAM also spoke out against the impacts of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and patents on world agriculture, saying that they undermined the protection of indigenous knowledge and agricultural traditions. “Patents on seeds and genetic resources for food and agriculture threaten sustainable farming practices, farmers’ livelihoods and food security,” they argued.

The press release followed IFOAM’s recent Organic World Congress where more than 1000 delegates from 72 countries endorsed organic agriculture, allocated budgetary funds for investment in organic agriculture and agreed to promote the internalisation of social and environmental costs in the prices of agricultural products by remunerating organic farmers for ecosystem services they provide. Organic products are those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications and have been proven to consume less energy and utilise no pesticides while maintaining a high yield.

“World Food Day 2005: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Highlights Its Role In Global Intercultural Dialogue,” IFOAM, 16 October 2005.