La ricerca internazionale sulla qualità dei prodotti bio

Contenuto Qualità ambientale - Risultati della prova DOK - Che dice la letteratura? Qualità dei prodotti biologici - Risultati della prova DOK - Confronto tra mele bio e convenzionali - Che dice la letteratura? La ricerca europea sulla qualit

Herausforderungen für den Wissenstransfer in der Schweiz

Wie in den Bereichen der Produktion auf den Betrieben und der Forschung wird an den Biolandbau der Anspruch gestellt, dass der Wissenstransfer nicht nach den topdown Modell (Technologietransfer) wie in der konventionellen Landwirtschaft üblich erfolgen solle, sondern sich über ein Wissenssystem entwickelt, das alle Akteure einbezieht. Weil die Zahl der Akteure innerhalb der Bioszene stark zugenommen hat, wird es immer schwieriger, diesen Anspruch zu erfüllen. Aus unserer Sicht ist in vielen Fällen eine rasche Informationsvermittlung sinnvoll und entspricht dem Bedarf der Biobetriebe (z.B. Adresslisten, verschiedene Betriebsmittellisten, Richtlinienänderungen). Für diese Art der Informationsvermittlung sind die neuen Medien (Internet und CDs) besonders gut geeignet. Eine verstärkte internationale Zusammenarbeit könnte zudem zu einer besseren Nutzung der knappen finanziellen Ressourcen führen. Gleichzeitig ist es für die Weiterentwicklung des Biolandbaus wichtig, umfassende Wissenssysteme unter Einbezug aller Beteiligten zu fördern. Konkret bedeutet dies, dass Praktiker zukünftig sowohl in Forschungsprojekte als auch bei der Erarbeitung von Beratungsunterlagen noch stärker eingebunden werden sollten

The process of minimising medicine use through dialogue based animal health and welfare planning, Workshop report FIBL. In: CORE Organic project no. 1903 - ANIPLAN

The process of minimising medicine use through dialogue based animal health and welfare planning. Livestock are important in many organic farming systems, and it is an explicit goal to ensure high levels of animal health and welfare (AHW) through good management. In two previous EU network projects, NAHWOA & SAFO, it was concluded that this is not guaranteed merely by following organic standards. Both networks recommended implementation of individual animal health plans to stimulate organic farmers to improve AHW. These plans should include a systematic evaluation of AHW and be implemented through dialogue with each farmer in order to identify goals and plan improvements. 11 research institutions in 7 European countries have been involved in the ANIPLAN project with the main objective to minimise medicine use in organic dairy herds through active and well planned AHW promotion and disease prevention. The project consisted of 5 work packages, 4 of which comprised research activities building on current research projects, new applications across borders, exchange of knowledge, results and conclusions between participating countries, and adopting them to widely different contexts. International and national workshops have facilitated this exchange. In the project, animal health and welfare planning principles for organic dairy farms under diverse conditions were developed. Animal health and welfare assessments, based on the WelfareQuality parameters, were conducted in different types of organic dairy herds across Europe. Finally, guidelines for communication about animal health and welfare promotion in different settings were also developed relevant to both existing animal health advisory services or farmer groups such as the Danish Stable School system and the Dutch network program. These proceedings contain the presentations at the final workshop, which also included invited external guests. The proceedings also contain three reports which are deliverables of the project. They are focused on the process of planning for better animal health and welfare, and how farmers and facilitators manage this situation. The focus areas are animal health planning, AHW assessment using animal based parameters and development of advisory systems and farmer groups

Wohin steuert das Bioforum Schweiz?

Das Bioforum Schweiz macht zurzeit nicht nur mit der Möschberg-Erklärung (siehe bioaktuell 3/10), sondern auch mit einer Broschüre über die organisch-biologischen Pioniere von sich reden. bioaktuell hat die Spitze des Bioforums, Geschäftsführerin Wendy Peter, Biobäuerin,und Präsident Markus Lanfranchi auf dem Möschberg zum Gespräch getroffe

Organic Agriculture and the Environment

Conclusion of chapter 2: "Organic Farming and the Environment" 7 Conclusion The findings of this study show that organic farming provides a wide range of environmental services. The main results may be summarised as follows: 1. Organic matter content is usually higher in organically managed soils indicating a higher fertility and stability of organic soils, thus reducing the risk of erosion. 2. Organically farmed soils have significantly higher biological activity and a higher total mass of micro-organisms. As a consequence of the higher activity of micro-organisms, in organically managed soils nutrients are recycled faster and soil structure is improved. 3. Organic farming poses no risk of ground and surface water pollution through synthetic pesticides. Nitrate leaching rates per hectare are significantly lower in organic farming compared to conventional farming systems. 4. With respect to energy consumption organic farming is performing better than conventional farming on a per hectare scale. 5. The diversity of cultivated species and of agricultural genetic resources is higher in organic farming. 6. Floral and faunal biodiversity on organic land is higher than on conventional land. Furthermore a higher number of endangered and rare species are present. 7. Organic farming offers vast food resources for beneficial arthropods and birds, thus contributing to natural pest control. 8. With respect to pollinators we concluded that organic farming contributes to their conservation and survival, as organic farming does not use synthetic chemical pesticides or herbicides and enhances ecosystem diversity. 9. Organic farming systems have positive effects on ecosystem diversity and can thus contribute to positive landscape development. Combining semi-natural habitats with organic farming results in synergistic effects on agricultural land and thus contributes to species richness. 10. Organic farming enables ecosystems to better adjust to the effects of climate change and offers a major potential to reduce the emissions of agricultural greenhouse gases. 11. Organic agricultural strategies comprises recycling of organic matter and tightening internal nutrient cycles, thus contributing to carbon sequestration. 12. Organic farming techniques bear potentials to improve soil fertility, soil structure and moisture retention capacity and thus provide solutions to the problems associated with desertification. As a final assessment we conclude that organic farming leads to more favourable conditions at all environmental levels. Organic farming counteracts resource depletion (water, energy, nutrients), contributes positively to the problems associated with climate change and desertification and can help to maintain and enhance biodiversity at a global scale. Scientific evidence of the environmental benefits of organic farming for the Southern hemisphere is rare, but from many practical experiences may be assumed that the points listed above also apply to the tropics and subtropics. More research on the environmental services and benefits of organic farming in this part of the world is urgently needed. Abstract of Full Publication "Organic agriculture, environment and food security" Organic agriculture is defined as an environmentally and socially sensitive food supply system. This publication examines its many facets, looking at the contribution of organic agriculture to ecological health, international markets and local food security. It builds on empirical experiences throughout the world and analyses the prospects for a wider adoption of organic agriculture. Numerous scenarios depicted in this publication represent the millions of people from all social and economic backgrounds who have adopted this new agrarian ethic on the integrity of food. An introduction to the general concepts of organic agriculture includes an overview of its agronomic, economic, social and institutional performance. Further, the publication presents scientific evidence of the impact of organic agriculture on environmental goods and services and offers an evaluation of its possible contribution to the implementation of international environmental agreements. It also reviews the current status, trends and prospective development of certified organic agriculture production and trade. The important contribution of resource-poor peasants and indigenous farmers to non-certified organic agriculture is highlighted and reviewed. Specific examples of how organic agriculture improves agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods are presented, along with lessons for scaling up positive experiences. The emerging sector of organic aquaculture is described, and its potential is discussed. Finally, case studies from Brazil, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Thailand and Uganda show how traditional knowledge, social mobilization and agro-ecological approaches have been used to restore degraded natural resources while producing food. The small farmers who seek fully integrated food systems are given recognition throughout the publication. They, along with the consumers who are creating market-based incentives for ecological management of agricultural systems, are at the centre of the “organic movement”. The publication discusses the weakness of institutional support for nurturing existing knowledge and exchange in organic agriculture, support that could further enhance organic agriculture’s positive impact on the natural and human environments

Exome sequencing of lymphomas from three dog breeds reveals somatic mutation patterns reflecting genetic background

Lymphoma is the most common hematological malignancy in developed countries. Outcome is strongly determined by molecular subtype, reflecting a need for new and improved treatment options. Dogs spontaneously develop lymphoma, and the predisposition of certain breeds indicates genetic risk factors. Using the dog breed structure, we selected three lymphoma predisposed breeds developing primarily T-cell (boxer), primarily B-cell (cocker spaniel), and with equal distribution of B- and T-cell lymphoma (golden retriever), respectively. We investigated the somatic mutations in B- and T-cell lymphomas from these breeds by exome sequencing of tumor and normal pairs. Strong similarities were evident between B-cell lymphomas from golden retrievers and cocker spaniels, with recurrent mutations in TRAF3-MAP3K14 (28% of all cases), FBXW7 (25%), and POT1 (17%). The FBXW7 mutations recurrently occur in a specific codon; the corresponding codon is recurrently mutated in human cancer. In contrast, T-cell lymphomas from the predisposed breeds, boxers and golden retrievers, show little overlap in their mutation pattern, sharing only one of their 15 most recurrently mutated genes. Boxers, which develop aggressive T-cell lymphomas, are typically mutated in the PTEN-mTOR pathway. T-cell lymphomas in golden retrievers are often less aggressive, and their tumors typically showed mutations in genes involved in cellular metabolism. We identify genes with known involvement in human lymphoma and leukemia, genes implicated in other human cancers, as well as novel genes that could allow new therapeutic options