OrganicAdviceNetwork

As part of the Green Deal, the European Commission has set an ambitious development goal for organic agriculture. By 2030, 25% of the agricultural land in the EU is to be farmed organically. This target equates to tripling the current organic area in the EU and would require the entry of 700,000 new organic farmers. To achieve this, the availability of competent advisory services is crucial to reliably support interested farmers with knowledge transfer and practical assistance. Currently, however, both the availability of advisory services across the EU and their organizational capacities and competencies vary significantly.

The project aims to strengthen and further develop organic advisory services across the EU and to establish new advisory services in areas where sufficient support has been lacking. Under the leadership of IFOAM Europe, advisory services from 13 member states and Switzerland are working together on the project to build an EU-wide advisor network that will extend beyond the four-year project term, ultimately connecting a total of 34 European countries in terms of organic agriculture.

Full Projecttitel: OrganicAdviceNetwork
Duration: April 2024 to March 2028
Funded: European Union and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

Project Coordinator:
IFOAM Europe
Claire Morelle
E-Mail: claire.morelle@organicseurope.bio

In addition to contributing to other work packages within the project, the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, together with the provincial chambers of Styria and Lower Austria, is primarily responsible for organizing and hosting a competition for outstanding organic advisory services. The goal of this competition is to highlight innovative advisory strategies and to showcase effective ways to structure and fund organic advisory services. The competition will take place in the second year of the project, with initial preparations for planning having started in fall 2024. The awards will be presented at the Organic Innovation Days, organized by IFOAM EU, where winners will also have the opportunity to participate with two advisors free of charge in planned cross-visits.

Anna Herzog
E-Mail: herzog@lk-oe.at
Mobile: +43 0676 83441 8546

You can find more information on the project website (see links to the topic below).