The Development of Agri-tourism on Organic Farms in new EU countries – Poland, Estonia and Slovenia: Report of a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship 2006

My aim of my Fellowship was to establish whether agri tourism in these countries differed from provision in the UK and whether our producers can learn from their examples of good practice. My choice of topic was influenced by a number of factors: I have been involved in the organic agricultural sector in the UK for many years, which has resulted in a keen interest in all things organic and with a personal preference for organically produced food. Currently, I am employed with Organic Centre Wales1, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, where we work with 700+ organic producers and processors throughout Wales. Agri tourism together with sustainable/responsible tourism is the fastest growing sector in the European and global tourism business. In Wales, at least 150 organic producers are involved in some form of agri-tourism offering accommodation and meals with local and/or organic produce and frequently providing employment opportunities for local people. Indeed, farm buildings on my own 8.8ha smallholding, 15 miles outside Aberystwyth, have been converted to self-catering accommodation. Welsh farmers have been extremely fortunate during the past four years, for in parts of Wales where GDP was 75% or less than European average, they have been offered the opportunity to benefit from Objective 1 and other grants. These have included refurbishment of original farm buildings, processing and marketing local produce, utilising local produce in tourism, training in hospitality and quality schemes and quality breeding of indigenous stock. The producers in the new EU countries, however, unlike their Welsh counterparts, had received no significant financial support but many have already enthusiastically adopted agri-tourism, providing meals made from local, authentic produce, frequently relying on traditional recipes handed down from parents and grandparents and encouraging domestic and international visitors to enjoy traditional and local produce. The common factors between these countries is that they all joined the EU in 2004 and were subject to differing Soviet influences. Beyond that, it is invidious to make comparisons between these culturally and economically different countries. Therefore I intend to present each country and what I found in order of my visit, and attempt to summarise some key points, and allow readers to draw their own conclusions. Finally, in the knowledge that I intended to travel alone, I felt that European cultural similarities might provide familiar benchmarks and I hoped that my knowledge of German might compensate somewhat for my lack of Polish, Estonian or Slovene languages

A New Incarnation- The Role of the Organic Growers Association in Changing the Production and Marketing of Organic Produce

Although there is a widespread assumption that organic farming developed in response to the intensification of agriculture in the second half of the twentieth century, a number of scholars have sought to show that the origins of the movement date to the 1920s and 1930s. They argue that that there is continuity in the development of the organic movement and that the ideals and values of the early organicists are the origin of current organic farming discourse. A detailed history of the organic movement indicates however, that a number of social movements converged to contribute to its development. Particular cultural and socio- demographic changes in the last three decades of the twentieth century produced a new ex-urban organic movement with a new organic discourse. The Organic Growers Association (OGA) played a key role in the revitalisation of the Soil Association and organic agriculture generally in the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on the personal experiences of the authors, plus analysis of contemporary records, this paper presents an analysis of the OGA and evaluates its legacy. This includes a consideration of recent moves to introduce fair trade principles to the production and marketing of organic produce

Organic Farming in Wales 2003 - 2004

Organic Centre Wales (OCW) was originally formed to act as an information source for producers enquiring into organic farming; in our second phase, in response to changes in the sector, we have an increased remit on policy issues. It has been a busy time, seeing the production of a second Organic Action Plan, the implementation of the CAP reform and development work on agri-environment reforms. The year also saw the start of organic maintenance payments for farmers. This Annual Report contains accounts of the progress that has been made on many fronts during the last 12 months, particularly in market knowledge due to the research for the recently published report, 'Organic Food: understanding the consumer and increasing sales'. This information, together with continuing product development work, will enable Welsh organic producers to be proactive in building a solid consumer base

The Devil Wears Produce

The Devil Wears Produce was an entry in Myrin Library\u27s 5th Annual Edible Books Festival at Ursinus College.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ebf/1147/thumbnail.jp

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees was an entry in Myrin Library\u27s 4th Annual Edible Books Festival at Ursinus College.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ebf/1168/thumbnail.jp