BIO-DISTRICTS to boost organic production

A bio-district is an area where farmers, citizens, tourist operators, associations and public authorities enter into an agreement for a sustainable management of local resources, based on organic farming. The first bio-district was launched in Italy in 2009. After 4 years, the bio-district now includes 30 municipalities, 400 SMEs, 20 restaurants and 10 tourist establishments and it constitutes a permanent workshop of culturally significant ideas and initiatives

The European Innovation Partnership

Opportunities for innovation in organic farming and agroecology

What is TP Organics?

TP Organics is one of the 38 reconised European Technology Platforms, the only one for organic, agro-ecological and low-input food and farming research. European Technology Platforms (ETPs) are industry-led stakeholder fora that develop short to long-term research and innovation agendas and roadmaps for action at EU and national level to be supported by both private and public funding

Zweite Phase der Technologieplattform für ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft – Ausarbeitung einer Forschungsagenda und eines Aktionsplanes für die biologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft

Die Ziele und Aufgabenstellungen der Forschungsplattform erfüllen die einschlägigen Ziele des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau: Die Forschungsplattform entspricht dem Ziel die Rahmenbedingungen für die ökologische Landwirtschaft und andere nachhaltige Formen der Landwirtschaft deutlich zu verbessern und ein gleichgewichtiges Wachstum von Angebot und Nachfrage zu erzielen‘. Auch das Kriterium ‚alle Stufen der Wertschöpfungskette – von der Erzeugung bis hin zum Verbraucher‘ abzudecken, ist erfüllt. Die zentralen Ziele im Bereich Forschungsmanagement und Wissenstransfer im Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau sind erfüllt. Die Forschungspattform hat sowohl zur Forschungsförderung als auch zum Wissenstransfer beigetragen. Die Forschungsplattform ‘Organics’ kann als Erfolg bezeichnet werden. Es ist gelungen, die Forschungsplattform mit einem riesigen Netzwerk europäischer Dachorganisationen, Wissenschaftlern, Vertretern der Zivilgesellschaft, Firmen und nationalen Plattformen aufzubauen. Aufbauend auf der Forschungsvision konnten die Strategische Forschungsagenda und der Forschungsaktionsplan erarbeitet und veröffentlicht werden. Der Plattform gelang es außerdem, sich einen Namen bei relevanten Vertretern der EU-Administration und politischen Entscheidungsträgern zu machen. Die Forschungsplattform hat eine Kommunikationsstruktur aufgebaut um ihre Aktivitäten und Ergebnisse bekannt zu machen. Besonders die Webseite der Plattform und der Newsletter erfreuen sich großer Beliebtheit. Vertreter der Plattform haben die Struktur und Ergebnisse der TP ‚Organics‘ in 34 Veranstaltungen in ganz Europa vorgestellt. TP ‚Organics‘ wird auch in der Zukunft weiterhin ein Partner in Kongressen und Konferenzen sein. Es gelang der Plattform zudem, dass fünf seiner Forschungsvorschläge von der Generaldirektion Forschung der EU bei den Ausschreibungen für das Arbeitsprogramm 2011 berücksichtigt wurden. Im September 2010 wurden der Generaldirektion erneut 13 neue Themenvorschläge unterbreitet, von denen zu erwarten ist, dass einige Aufnahme in die Forschungsausschreibungen für die Arbeitsprogramme 2012 und 2013 finden werden. Die TP ‚Organics‘ bietet eine effektive Plattform um Informationen zu teilen und somit zur Entwicklung zukünftiger EU Forschungsprojekte beizutragen. Während der Definition der Forschungsprioritäten, hatten sowohl landwirtschaftliche Berater, Landwirte als auch Vertreter biologischer Klein- und Mittelunternehmen die Möglichkeit sich einzubringen und ihre Bedürfnisse zu kommunizieren. Der Wissenstransfer und die Teilhabe von Wirtschaftsbeteiligten in der Forschung entwickelten sich zu wichtigen Themenschwerpunkten. Die Ermittlung der Forschungsbedürnisse hatte und hat weiterhin einen großen Einfluss auf die zukünftigen Ausschreibungen von EU-Forschungsprojekten. Die Arbeit an der TP ‚Organics‘ hat außerdem alle Beteiligten durch die Wertschöpfungskette hindurch in ihrem Informations- und Arbeitsaustausch gestärkt. Partnerschaften wurden gefestigt, die der Weiterentwicklung der Forschungslandschaft für biologische Landwirtschaft zugutekommen werden. Die an der Plattform mitwirkenden Forscher und anderen Akteure hatten zudem die Möglichkeit, über neue Methoden partizipativer Forschung, des Austausches von Wissen, Netzwerken und Methoden zur Entscheidungsfindung zu diskutieren. Die TP ‘Organics’ hat außerdem Konzepte ausgearbeitet, die auch anderen Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft zugutekommen kann, so zum Beispiel einer Landwirtschaft, die sich auf nur geringe externe Betriebsmittel stützt (low external input agriculture)

Technology Platform Organics: Knowledge Generation and Exchange in Organic Food And Farming Research

The paper illustrates the role and activities of Technology Platform Organics (TP Organics) in addressing the requirement that research in organic food and farming systems generates output of relevance to wider end-users. It describes approaches to research and knowledge exchange and suggests that a more participatory approach can improve organic research outcomes. It describes different models of research and knowledge exchange and their pros and cons. The criteria for success of a participatory approach to research also need to be different. These are discussed

Implementation Action Plan for organic food and farming research

The Implementation Action Plan completes TP Organics’ trilogy of key documents of the Research Vision to 2025 (Niggli et al 2008) and the Strategic Research Agenda (Schmid et al 2009). The Implementation Action Plan addresses important areas for a successful implementation of the Strategic Research Agenda. It explores the strength of Europe’s organic sector on the world stage with about one quarter of the world’s organic agricultural land in 2008 and accounting for more than half of the global organic market. The aims and objectives of organic farming reflect a broad range of societal demands on the multiple roles of agriculture and food production of not only producing commodities but also ecosystem services. These are important for Europe’s economic success, the resilience of its farms and prosperity in its rural areas. The organic sector is a leading market for quality and authenticity: values at the heart of European food culture. Innovation is important across the EU economy, and no less so within the organic sector. The Implementation Action Plan devotes its third chapter to considering how innovation can be stimulated through organic food and farming research and, crucially, translated into changes in business and agricultural practice. TP Organics argues for a broad understanding of innovation that includes technology, know-how and social/organisational innovations. Accordingly, innovation can involve different actors throughout the food sector. Many examples illustrate innovations in the organic sector includign and beyond technology. The various restrictions imposed by organic standards have driven change and turned organic farms and food businesses into creative living laboratories for smart and green innovations and the sector will continue to generate new examples. The research topics proposed by TP Organics in the Strategic Research Agenda can drive innovation in areas as wide ranging as production practices for crops, technologies for livestock, food processing, quality management, on-farm renewable energy or insights into the effects of consumption of organic products on disease and wellbeing and life style of citizens. Importantly, many approaches developed within the sector are relevant and useful beyond the specific sector. The fourth chapter addresses knowledge management in organic agriculture, focusing on the further development of participatory research methods. Participatory (or trans-disciplinary) models recognise the worth and importance of different forms of knowledge and reduced boundaries between the generators and the users of knowledge, while respecting and benefitting from transparent division of tasks. The emphasis on joint creation and exchange of knowledge makes them valuable as part of a knowledge management toolkit as they have the capacity to enhance the translation of research outcomes into practical changes and lead to real-world progress. The Implementation Action Plan argues for the wider application of participatory methods in publicly-funded research and also proposes some criteria for evaluating participatory research, such as the involvement and satisfaction of stakeholders as well as real improvements in sustainability and delivery of public goods/services. European agriculture faces specific challenges but at the same time Europe has a unique potential for the development of agro-ecology based solutions that must be supported through well focused research. TP Organics believes that the most effective approaches in agriculture and food research will be systems-based, multi- and trans-disciplinary, and that in the development of research priorities, the interconnections between biodiversity, dietary diversity, functional diversity and health must be taken into account. Chapter five of the action plan identifies six themes which could be used to organise research and innovation activities in agriculture under Europe’s 8th Framework Programme on Research Cooperation: • Eco-functional intensification – A new area of agricultural research which aims to harness beneficial activities of the ecosystem to increase productivity in agriculture. • The economics of high output / low input farming Developing reliable economic and environmental assessments of new recycling, renewable-based and efficiency-boosting technologies for agriculture. • Health care schemes for livestock Shifting from therapeutics to livestock health care schemes based on good husbandry and disease prevention. • Resilience and “sustainagility” Dealing with a more rapidly changing environment by focusing on ‘adaptive capacity’ to help build resilience of farmers, farms and production methods. • From farm diversity to food diversity and health and wellbeing of citizens Building on existing initiatives to reconnect consumers and producers, use a ‘whole food chain’ approach to improve availability of natural and authentic foods. • Creating centres of innovation in farming communities A network of centres in Europe applying and developing trans-disciplinary and participatory scientific approaches to support innovation among farmers and SMEs and improving research capacities across Europe

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 – 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

Genetic polymorphism, medical therapy and sequential cardiac function in patients with heart failure

FUNDAMENTO: Variantes funcionais do gene da enzima conversora da angiotensina (ECA) podem estar associados com a resposta à terapia em portadores de insuficiência cardíaca (IC). OBJETIVO: Testar a hipótese de diferenças na avaliação ecocardiográfica seqüencial da fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo de pacientes com IC em tratamento farmacológico, inclusive com inibidores da ECA, em relação ao polimorfismo de inserção (I) e deleção (D) do gene da ECA. MÉTODOS: Estudamos 168 pacientes (média de idade 43,3±10,1 anos), 128 (76,2%) dos quais homens, com IC e ecocardiogramas seqüenciais. O polimorfismo I/D foi determinado por reação em cadeia da polimerase. A fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) foi analisada comparativamente aos genótipos. Mais de 90% dos pacientes estavam tomando inibidores da ECA. RESULTADOS: Houve um aumento significantemente maior na FEVE média em pacientes com o alelo D, em comparação com pacientes com genótipo II (p = 0,01) após um seguimento médio de 38,9 meses. O alelo D foi associado com aumento de 8,8% na FEVE média no mesmo período. Além disso, observou-se uma tendência para um efeito do "número de cópias" do alelo D sobre o aumento da FEVE média com o tempo: uma diferença de 3,5% na variação da FEVE entre os pacientes com genótipos II e ID (p = 0,03) e de 5% entre os pacientes com genótipos II e DD (p = 0,02). CONCLUSÃO: O polimorfismo de deleção do gene da ECA pode estar associado com a resposta ao tratamento farmacológico com inibidores da ECA em portadores de IC. Outros estudos controlados poderão contribuir para uma melhor compreensão das influências genéticas sobre a resposta à terapia.BACKGROUND: Functional variants of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene may be associated with response to therapy in patients with heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis of differences in sequential echocardiographic evaluations of left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with HF on medical therapy, including ACE inhibitors in relation to insertion (I) / deletion (D) polymorphism of the ACE gene. METHODS: We studied 168 patients (mean age 43.3±10.1 years), 128 (76.2%) men, with HF and sequential echocardiograms. The I/D polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was analyzed comparatively to genotypes. More than 90% of patients were on ACE inhibitors. RESULTS: There was a significantly greater increase in mean LVEF in patients with the D allele compared to patients with the II genotype (p=0.01) after a mean follow-up of 38.9 months. The D allele was associated with an increase of 8.8% in mean LVEF over the same period. Furthermore, there was a tendency toward a D allele "copy number" effect on the increase of mean LVEF over time: a 3.5% difference in LVEF variation between patients with the II and the ID genotypes (p = 0.03) and a 5% difference between patients with the II and DD genotypes (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: ACE gene deletion polymorphism may be operative in response to medical treatment that included ACE inhibitors in patients with HF. Further controlled studies may contribute to better understanding of genetic influences on response to therapy

Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Organic Food and Farming

TP Organics is the European Technology Platform for organic food and farming, and for low-input agriculture. Established in 2008, it brings together small and medium-sized enterprises, larger companies, farmers, researchers, consumers and civil society organisations involved in the organic value chain from production, input and supply, to food processing, marketing and consumption. It identifies research and innovation needs and communicates them to policy-makers. The aim is to leverage the organic sector’s contribution to sustainable farming and food production. Since 2013, TP Organics is officially recognised by the European Commission as one of 40 European Technology Platforms (ETPs). TP Organics published its first Strategic Research Agenda in 2009. This proved very successful, as about a third of the research questions identified gained funding through the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7) of the EU, or through transnational research programmes (ERA-Nets) and national research projects. With the end of the 7th Framework Programme and the start of the new EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, TP Organics decided to revise its research agenda. This new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda is the product of an intensive participatory process, which lasted for a year and a half and benefited from three consultations

A Global Vision and Strategy for Organic Farming Research. First Draft.

Organic agriculture world-wide offers the promise of a future to produce and distribute food and other farm products in a healthy, ecologically sound, truly sustainable and fair way. The full benefits of organic agriculture are just now being realized—from ecosystem services to the provision of healthier food - yet, to reach its full potential organic farming needs to address many challenges. While organic agriculture has grown in strength and is in the most favorable position it has ever been in with respect to market conditions, government policies and international institutional support, it still does not have adequate resources to continue its expansion. The Technology Innovation Platform of IFOAM (TIPI) has developed a vision and an agenda to advance organic agriculture through research, development, innovation and technology transfer. TIPI’s vision recognizes that current technologies based on heavy use of external inputs that are toxic and pollute the environment come with a price. Investments in ecosystem services and the development of technologies that are productive, stable, adaptable, resilient, and fairly shared are much more likely to sustain the world’s population in a rapidly changing environment. Sustainable pathways to innovation will require engagement of all stakeholders in a science driven multi-disciplinary approach. Such an approach seeks to (1) Empower rural areas, (2) Provide eco-functional intensification that produces food and ecosystem services, and (3) Provide food for the health and well-being available to all. Organic agriculture must build the capacity to fulfill the world’s food needs for the entire population if it is to fulfill its mission. The new paradigm proposed by TIPI is founded upon a whole systems approach, the engagement of farmers, researchers and other practitioners in a co-innovative approach; and open access technologies that are readily adapted to local conditions. While there are barriers and bottlenecks that will need to be overcome for this vision to be realized, TIPI calls upon the organic community to support its 14 point action plan to advance organic agriculture in a forward-thinking and innovative way