11 research outputs found
Food Quality Strategies for enhancing organic food quality
This Research Topic Review aims to summarise the available knowledge on strategies for enhancing organic food quality. The Review will provide organic advisers with a better understanding of the differences between organic and conventional food quality so that they can support the development of organic farming systems and supply chains that deliver better quality organic food. The Review takes a broad definition of food quality and on the appropriate methods for determining food quality. However, the focus is on the factors that are more or less within the control of the farmer and the rest of the supply chain, and that directly impact on the appreciation or the intrinsic quality of the food as presented to, and eaten by the consumer.
The specific issues addressed by the Review include:
âą Consumer perceptions of organic food qualities and the market for organic food
âą Organic supply chains and their impact on quality, in the broadest sense
âą Environmental quality of systems â although not an intrinsic quality (in the same way as, for example, the vitamin content of food), it is an important quality parameter for organic food
âą Food safety
âą Crop products â production systems and quality
âą Livestock products â production systems and quality
Twenty three Defra funded research projects are reviewed and a total of 355 papers selected from the Orgprints archive (www.orgprints.org) using the search term âorganic food qualityâ have been scanned. Thirty one have been selected for review. Several additional sources have also been identified. In total, 75 sources have been reviewed
Overwinter transplant production for extended season organic cropping (OF 0144)
The objectives of this project (Defra project OF0144), lead by EFRC, were to:
âą identify acceptable organic fungicide products to control mildew in transplant production
âą produce integrated organic transplant production systems for brassica, allium and lettuce over the autumn and winter period by identifying optimum cell/block sizes in relation to nutrient requirements and sources, growing media formulation, and supplementary feeding and watering
âą evaluate developed transplant production protocols during the winter period
âą undertake technology transfer and dissemination of the results
Results:
Protocols were tested for a range of crop species and varieties, growing media, cell size and feeding regimes over the three seasons under experimental and commercial conditions. It is possible to produce transplants of a suitable quality over the winter period although propagation time is generally longer than at more favourable times of year.
With respect to identifying acceptable fungicide products
âą a range of fungicidal products was identified including L-Carvone, Mycosin, fennel and clove oils that showed potential in controlling mildew on a range of crop species. However the work also raised the question of the suitability of the use of such materials in organic systems which has not been resolved.
âą work on spectral filters found no benefits to their use in transplant production
âą cell size has minimal effect on disease spread
As far as integrated organic transplant production systems are concerned:
âą production time was longer overwinter than in spring
âą lettuce was relatively easy to produce in a range of media and block sizes with no supplementary feed being necessary
âą similarly cabbage was relatively easy to produce although feeding was required
âą cauliflower was produced using smaller cell size and full nutrient compos
Putting the Criteria into Practice A Description of the Criteria & Evaluation Matrix
Outline
- Purpose
- How Criteria Matrix is used
- Structure - Application, Evaluation, Comparison: Criteria, Recommendation
- Critical cases - values & definitions
- Key question
Strategic Research Agenda for organic food and farming
The TP Organics Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was finalised in December 2009.
The purpose of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) is to enable research, development and knowledge transfer that will deliver relevant outcomes â results that will contribute to the improvement of the organic sector and other low external input systems.
The document has been developed through a dynamic consultative process that ran from 2008 to 2009.
It involved a wide range of stakeholders who enthusiastically joined the effort to define organic research priorities.
From December 2008 to February; the expert groups elaborated the first draft. The consultative process involved the active participation of many different countries. Consultation involved researchers, advisors, members of inspection/certification bodies, as well as different users/beneficiaries of the research such as farmers, processors, market actors and members of civil society organisations throughout Europe and further afield in order to gather the research needs of the whole organic sector
Organic Action Plans. Development, implementation and evaluation. A resource manual for the organic food and farming sector
In 2004, the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming was launched. Many European countries have also developed national Organic Action Plans to promote and support organic agriculture.
As part of the EU funded ORGAP project (âEuropean Action Plan of Organic Food and Farming - Development of criteria and procedures for the evaluation of the EU Action Plan for Organic Agricultureâ) a toolbox to evaluate and monitor the implementation of national and European Action Plans has been developed.
In order to communicate the results of this project as widely as possible, a practical manual for initiating and evaluating Organic Action Plans has been produced.
This manual has been created to inspire the people, organisations and institutions involved, or with an interest, in the organic food and farming sector to engage in the initiation, review, revision and renewal of regional, national and European Organic Action Plans.
The objectives of the manual are to provide:
âą a tool for stakeholder involvement in future Action Plan development and implementation processes at EU, national and regional level
âą a guide to the use of the Organic Action Plan Evaluation Toolbox (ORGAPET) developed through the project
The manual summarises the key lessons learnt from more than 10 years experience of development, implementation and evaluation of Organic Action Plans throughout Europe.
The Organic Action Plan Evaluation Toolbox (ORGAPET), which includes comprehensive
information to support the Organic Action Plan development and evaluation process is included with the manual as a CD-ROM, and is also accessible on-line at www.orgap.org/orgapet.
The ORGAP website www.orgap.org provides a further information on the project
and the European and national organic action plans.
Published by: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland; IFOAM EU Group, Brussels
Table of contents
Foreword 1
1 Introduction 3
1.1 About this manual 3
1.2 Organic farming â origins, definition & principles 6
1.3 Development of organic food & farming in Europe 8
1.3.1 Organic food and farming regulation in Europe 10
1.3.2 Policy support for organic food and farming in Europe 11
2 Organic Action Plans â what are they about? 16
2.1 Why Organic Action Plans? 16
2.2 European Organic Action Plan 21
2.3 Overview of national and regional Organic Action Plans 23
3 Planning and implementing Organic Action Plans 28
3.1 Policy development 28
3.2 Defining organic sector development needs and potential 31
3.3 Defining policy goals and objectives 34
3.4 Involving stakeholders 40
3.4.1 The case for stakeholder involvement 40
3.4.2 Identifying relevant stakeholders 42
3.4.3 Participatory approaches for stakeholders involvement 44
3.5 Decision making: selecting, integrating and prioritising
relevant measures 46
3.5.1 Deciding on policy instruments and action points 47
3.5.2 Priorities for action â allocating resources 50
3.6 Implementing Organic Action Plans 52
3.7 Including monitoring and evaluation of Organic Action Plans
from outset 56
3.8 Managing communication 58
3.9 Development of Action Plans in countries that joined the
EU in 2004 and later 59
4 Evaluating Organic Action Plans 61
4.1 Principles of evaluation 61
4.2 Conducting an evaluation 64
4.3 Evaluating Action Plan design and implementation 70
4.3.1 Evaluating programme design and implementation processes 70
4.3.2 Evaluating programme coherence 72
4.3.3 Evaluating stakeholder involvement 74
4.4 Evaluating Action Plan effects 78
4.4.1 Developing and using indicators for evaluation 78
4.5 Overall evaluation of Organic Action Plans â judging success 85
4.6 Evaluating Action Plans in countries that joined the EU
in 2004 and later 89
5 Organic Action Plans â the Golden Rules 91
5.1 Key elements of Organic Action Plan development 91
5.2 The Golden rules for Organic Action Plan 93
References 96
Annex Detailed synopsis of ORGAPET 10
Plans dâaction pour lâagriculture biologique. DĂ©veloppement, mise en Ćuvre et Ă©valuation. Un manuel de ressources pour le secteur de lâalimentation et de lâagriculture biologiques
Avant-propos
La Commission europĂ©enne a publiĂ© en juin 2004 le Plan dâaction europĂ©en pour lâalimentation et lâagriculture biologiques. Avec ce plan, la Commission visait Ă Ă©valuer la situation de lâagriculture biologique et Ă fonder les bases de dĂ©veloppement de sa politique future. Au niveau national, de nombreux gouvernements ont Ă©galement dĂ©veloppĂ© des plans dâaction pour promouvoir lâagriculture biologique. Il est donc apparu nĂ©cessaire de considĂ©rer comment de tels plans dâaction pouvaient ĂȘtre Ă©valuĂ©s avec succĂšs.
Le plan dâaction europĂ©en a Ă©tĂ© la motivation principale pour la DG Recherche de la Commission europĂ©enne de financer un projet de soutien spĂ©cifique, lâORGAP, Projet No. CT-2005-006591 au sein du 6Ăšme programme-cadre de recherche. Ce projet, intitulĂ© âPlan dâaction europĂ©en pour lâalimentation et lâagriculture biologiques â dĂ©veloppement de critĂšres et de procĂ©dures dâĂ©valuation du Plan dâaction UE pour lâagriculture biologiqueâ, a dĂ©butĂ© en mai 2005 et sâest terminĂ© en avril 2008.
Des outils ont Ă©tĂ© dĂ©veloppĂ©s au sein du projet pour Ă©valuer et surveiller la mise en Ćuvre du Plan dâaction europĂ©en dans les domaines suivants : information, formation et pĂ©dagogie, recherche, production, traitement, dĂ©veloppement du marchĂ©, certification et dĂ©penses publiques. Ces outils ont Ă©tĂ© testĂ©s sur un Ă©chantillon de Plans dâaction nationaux existants, et pour partie aussi sur le Plan dâaction europĂ©en, en plaçant principalement lâaccent sur les processus de mise en Ćuvre. En outre, des recommandations politiques de la Commission europĂ©enne, des autoritĂ©s nationales et autres acteurs ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©mises.
Afin de communiquer les recommandations relatives Ă ce projet aussi largement que possible, ce manuel pratique dâinitiation et dâĂ©valuation des plans dâaction a Ă©tĂ© crĂ©Ă©. La fonction de ce manuel est double :
a) Outil de participation des acteurs dans le dĂ©veloppement de futurs plans et mise en Ćuvre au niveau UE, national et rĂ©gional ;
b) Guide dâutilisation dâORGAPET, des outils dâĂ©valuation du projet ORGAP (fourni sur CD-ROM avec le manuel et disponible en ligne sur le site www.orgap.org).
Le manuel, crĂ©Ă© dans le cadre du projet ORGAP, est largement basĂ© sur les documents inclus dans lâOrganic Action Plan Ăvaluation Toolbox (Outils dâĂ©valuation du plan dâaction biologique) (ORGAPET).
Les institutions suivantes ont contribuĂ© au dĂ©veloppement dâORGAPET et du manuel :
- Université de Hohenheim (UHO), Stuttgart (Prof. Stephan Dabbert, Christian Eichert) ;
- Aberystwyth University (UWA), Pays de Galles, Grande-Bretagne (Dr. Nic Lampkin, Ian Jeffreys) ;
- Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona (UNIVPM), Italie (Prof. Raffaele Zanoli, Dr. Daniela Vairo) ;
- University of Southern Denmark (USD), Danemark (Dr. Johannes Michelsen)
Franchises lost and gained: post-coloniality and the development of womenâs rights in Canada
The Canadian constitution is to some extent characterised by its focus on equality, and in particular gender equality. This development of womenâs rights in Canada and the greater engagement of women as political actors is often presented as a steady linear process, moving forwards from post-enlightenment modernity. This article seeks to disturb this âdiscourse of the continuous,â by using an analysis of the pre-confederation history of suffrage in Canada to both refute a simplistic linear view of womenâs rights development and to argue for recognition of the Indigenous contribution to the history of womenâs rights in Canada.
The gain of franchise and suffrage movements in Canada in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century are, rightly, the focus of considerable study (Pauker 2015), This article takes an alternative perspective. Instead, it examines the exercise of earlier franchises in pre-confederation Canada. In particular it analyses why franchise was exercised more widely in Lower Canada and relates this to the context of the removal of franchises from women prior to confederation
Current Evaluation Procedures for Fertilizers and Soil Conditioners Used in Organic Agriculture. Proceedings of a workshop held April 29â30, 2004 at Emerson College, Great Britain
Table of Contents
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Austria
Alexandra Hozzank and Wilfried Hartl
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in the Czech Republic
Anamarija Slabe
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Denmark
Rasmus Ărnberg Eriksen and Erik Steen Kristensen
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in France
Marie-Christine Monnier
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Germany
Peter von Fragstein
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Italy
Stefano Canali
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in the Netherlands
Chris Koopmans and Jan Bokhorst
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Poland
Anamarija Slabe
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Portugal
Alexandra Maurer da Costa
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Slovenia
Anamarija Slabe
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Spain
Victor GonzĂĄlvez
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in Switzerland
Alfred Berner, Bernhard Speiser and Otto Schmid
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in the United Kingdom
Francis Blake, Robert Haward
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in the USA
Brian Baker
Fertilizers and soil conditioners in organic farming in third countries
Anke WĂŒrt
A Warwickshire Scandal: Sir Thomas Lucy and the Date of "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
Shakespeare's composition of the Anne Page and Fenton subplot of The Merry Wives of Windsor may have been inspired by, or at least influenced by, his undoubted knowledge of the scandalous elopement in 1600 of Elizabeth Aston, the favourite granddaughter of Sir Thomas Lucy, with the Warwickshire man John Sambach. These topical events, their likely fame, their aftermath and their potential impact on Shakespeare are traced. Parallels and anti-parallels with the play are shown. The impact of the acceptance of the theory of influence on the dating and on the interpretation of the play is discussed. (Author abstract