General organic beekeeping data and market trends

The presentation "General organic beekeeping data and market trends" was part of the workshop "Organic beekeeping and market trends" at the BioFach Congress 2011. The aim of this workshop was to inform and discuss the current situation of production and market trends of organic beekeeping products

Organic Farming in Latin America and the Caribbean

In Latin America, 220’000 producers managed 6.4 million hectares of agricultural land organically in 2007. This constitutes 20 percent of the world’s organic land. The leading countries are Argentina (2'777'959 hectares), Brazil (1'765'793 hectares) and Uruguay (930'965 hectares). The highest shares of organic agricultural land are in the Dominican Republic and Uruguay with more than six percent and in Mexico and Argentina with more than two percent. Most organic production in Latin America is for export. Important crops are tropical fruits, grains and cereals, coffee and cocoa, sugar and meats. Most organic food sales in the domestic markets of the countries occur in major cities, such as Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Fifteen countries have legislation on organic farming, and four additional countries are currently developing organic regulations. Costa Rica and Argentina have both attained third country status according to the EU regulation on organic farming. In recognition of the growing importance of the organic sector to Latin America’s agricultural economy, governmental institutions have begun to take steps towards increasing involvement; governments are beginning to play a central role in the promotion of organic agriculture. The types of support in Latin American countries range from organic agriculture promotion programs to market access support by export agencies. In a few countries, limited financial support is being given to pay certification cost during the conversion period. An important process underway in many Latin America countries is the establishment of regulations and standards for the organic sector

Market Opportunities and Challenges for Indian Organic Products

Organic agriculture offers trade opportunities for farmers in the developing and developed countries. This market of organic products is expected to grow globally in the coming years and high growth rates over the medium term (from 10-15 to 25-30 %) are expected (Yussefi and Willer, 2002). This organic market expansion makes it possible for farmers to reap the benefits of a trade with relatively high price premiums (Yussefi and Willer, 2002). However, this market is not very well known to most farmers, especially those living in the developing countries. Furthermore, information about it is not readily available to farmers in the developing countries. The absence of sufficient technical and market information and financial support also means that few farmers will risk changing their method of production. In developing countries it is therefore essential for major key players (e.g. NGOs, farmer organizations, traders, exporters etc.) that promote organic farming to have up-to-date information on the available opportunities (market requirements) and trends of the organic market. One example is India, a country with a huge number of small farmers who still use traditional methods and do farming with few agricultural inputs. NGOs that promote organic farming and other organizations support farmers in these aspects. An organic movement is now emerging in India on different levels (producer groups, trainers and advisors, certification bodies and processors and traders). So dissemination of information about the opportunities and challenges for Indian organic products on the domestic and international market is of fundamental concern in order to allow continued development of the organic agriculture movement in this country

IFOAM Training Manual: Training Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Humid Tropics

The first IFOAM Training Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Tropics (the Basic Manual) was published in 2004. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) together with partners of the organic movement in the Tropics were commissioned by IFOAM to complete two new training manuals that build on the Basic Manual. The new IFOAM training manuals address the two basic climatic zones of the Tropics, the Arid and Semi-Arid Tropics, and the Humid Tropics. For both new manuals, already existing material was collected, screened and condensed into comprehensive training manuals. Additionally, a large number of farmers, trainers and scientists were asked for their experience. Partner institutions from the Tropics actively collaborated in the development of the manuals. The partners of the manual for the Arid and Semi-Arid Tropics are from Asia (India), Africa (Senegal and Tunisia) and Latin America (Chile). The training manuals contain case studies of organic farming systems, describe successful organic marketing initiatives and offer guidelines for the main crops of the Tropics. With the informative text, transparencies and didactical recommendations the training manuals offer a resource basis for trainers with the idea of encouraging individual adaptation and further development of the material according to need. The training manuals are available on separate CDs in English, French and Spanish. The training manuals were commissioned by IFOAM and funded through its program IFOAM-GROWING ORGANIC II (I-GO II). The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) provided co-funding

Metal chloride cathode for a battery

A method of fabricating a rechargeable battery is disclosed which includes a positive electrode which contains a chloride of a selected metal when the electrode is in its active state. The improvement comprises fabricating the positive electrode by: providing a porous matrix composed of a metal; providing a solution of the chloride of the selected metal; and impregnating the matrix with the chloride from the solution

Manejo de la Fertilidad del Suelo en la Producción Orgánica

La agricultura intensiva ha permitido aumentar los rendimientos de los cultivos sin embargo ha causado severos problemas ambientales. La agricultura sustentable alcanza buenos rendimientos con un mínimo impacto en los factores ecológicos como en la fertilidad del suelo. Un suelo fértil provee los nutrientes esenciales para el crecimiento de la planta, soporta una comunidad biótica diversa y activa, exhibe una estructura del suelo típica y permite una descomposición no disturbada. Los sistemas de producción orgánicos son una alternativa a la agricultura convencional