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Best Practices for Organic Policy
28
• Nationwide professional promotion.
A common mark (label) that is actively promoted has much more impact than a common standard or a
government regulation (but they can obviously be mutually supportive), as most consumers can easily
recognize a mark, while they normally have little knowledge or even little interest in the standards and
regulations. Such an organic mark can have many forms. It can be a governmental label accessible for
producers certified by an approved body (USDA, JAS or Denmark), it can be a mark of the organic
association available for its members, it can be a mark owned by the trade, or it can be the mark of a
certification body (e.g. BioSuisse or Demeter). In Denmark, 92 per cent of consumers recognize the
governmental label for organic products; in Sweden, 96 per cent of consumers recognize the private
KRAV mark (KRAV 2005). Initially, the ownership or the underlying construction around a mark is
not very important. More important is that it is widely used on all organic products. Therefore, an
accessible “marketing mark” is likely to be most successful
43
. By public ownership or collective
ownership (e.g. by an organic sector business association or organization), the future policies for its
use can be adapted to the various stages of development.
In Europe, some countries have applied a push strategy for the expansion of the organic markets, and
others a pull strategy. A push strategy focuses on measures to enlarge production, assuming that once
there is more supply, market demand will be created. The pull strategy has market demand as the
driving force. The push strategy is based on generous payments to organic farms, something that is
out of reach for most developing countries. Also, the push strategy has the potential to seriously harm
a small and volatile organic market, at least in the short term. On the other hand, too forceful efforts in
marketing can fail if there are no products to sell. A combination of market supply and demand
measures is more promising (Hamm, Groenfeld and Halpin 2002). From East Africa (Taylor 2007),
Thailand, Costa Rica and Malaysia, lack of supply is mentioned as a factor limiting domestic market
development. It is apparent that policies seeking to influence the market need careful design and
adaptation.
Pricing of organic products is, as shown above, a relevant factor. Also in developing countries,
sometimes very high premium prices are quoted for organic products, often up to double the price
compared to conventional, and in the case of Malaysia up to 400 per cent – much higher than the
premiums in OECD markets. On the other hand, there are also a number of examples where there is
no particular premium charged for organic products (Rundgren 2007). To a large extent, the premium
prices in organic are a result of inefficient distribution of small quantities rather than high farm-gate
prices. Most important for a decent pricing level is probably to organize the supply and the
distribution, which requires collaboration by the actors. With growing volumes, distribution can be
more efficient and retail prices are likely to go down, not necessarily putting pressure on farm-gate
prices. Distributing organic products through mainstream channels such as supermarkets will help in
this, but supermarkets are also very demanding clients and an emerging organic sector may not be
able to fulfil their stringent quality and just-in-time delivery demands. The need for better market
information is highlighted in several of the case studies.
Supply chain management and processing
Producer organizations are often under-resourced and the lack of proper distribution infrastructure can
be fatal both for export and local markets. This is not particular for organic, but as a “new” sector, one
can assume that there will be more obstacles for organic producers than for their conventional
colleagues, especially as organic standards require proper separation of organic products and organic
markets are generally more demanding. Training can be of value, as can direct government support
(grants or credits) for joint efforts by the producers, such as establishing proper packing facilities,
joint shipments and labelling, and purchasing of certain machinery for grading or sorting.
43
See more under the section of regulation and certification
Organic farming in KwaZulu-Natal
In South Africa, organic producer groups have started to work together, and the first group of Zulu farmers was
certified in 2001. This group has grown from 27 farmers to more than 200 currently in the group. Several other
groups, all in KwaZulu-Natal, have been established since then, and are in the process of organizing themselves as
primary cooperatives, while establishing Zulu Organics as a secondary cooperative to set up a quality management
system, coordinate logistics and packaging, and assist with marketing (South African case study).
54
What developing country Governments can do to promote the organic agriculture sector
29
There are many technical hurdles for emerging organic food processors. Some are technological, e.g.
organic processing may need other technological solutions than conventional. Others are related to
inputs in mixed processed products. For example, it is common that there is a domestic production of
fruits, but there is no organic sugar available for making preserves such as marmalade. Trade channels
are not at all developed to import organic sugar to developing countries, and sometimes there are
quotas, tariffs or other obstacles for imports. Therefore, any organic processing standards need to
recognize and be adapted to the stage of development.
Imports of organic products, as shown in Malaysia and other countries, developed and developing
alike, can play a role for the development of the domestic organic markets. Imports can provide high-
quality exposure to organics for domestic consumers, can be necessary raw material for processing
organics, and can have a demonstration effect (processed foods) or set benchmarks for the domestic
industry. An organic shop in Kenya reports that only 1 per cent of products sold are of domestic origin
(Kimemia and Oyare 2006). In the Philippines, the domestic organic industry is about US$ 2.5 million
and imports of processed organic food products are estimated at another US$ 3 million (USDA 2002).
In the initial stage, the domestic supply is often small, qualities doubtful and the level of processing
very low. In that scenario, the whole organic sector can get a boost from imported products – more
products will make both retailers and consumers more interested. As modern consumers are used to
year-round availability of most products, imports of off-season products can also stimulate the market.
This opportunity is often lost when the early organic market is moved by producer organizations and
NGOs, which rarely have imports on their priority list and sometimes outright reject imports as being
competition to local producers. There is also scope for the development of regional organic trade.
Imports of organic products to developing countries are to a very large extent from OECD countries
rather than from other developing countries. Even products that are produced in a neighbouring
country may very well be exported to Europe, processed or packaged and then imported
44
. In addition,
there are imports of raw material for processing, e.g. to both the United Republic of Tanzania and
Uganda organic sugar is imported from Europe (in turn imported from Latin America) to be used in
fruit processing for exports.
Certified, not certified and alternative guarantee systems
A number of the case studies (Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa) report considerable sales of non-
certified organic products. In some cases this is seen as a major problem, in other cases it is of no
great concern. There are also a number, probably increasing, of organic producers in markets with
mandatory regulations, that market organic food, but as a result of the regulation they are prevented
from making the organic claim. This is also reported from Costa Rica: “Thus, many farmers chose to
sell their products within the community, where they obtain better prices from direct sales to final
consumers and do not necessarily have certification expenditures”. If organic producers are prevented
from selling their products as organic, the result will be that they introduce other terms in their
marketplace, which may add to consumer confusion and weaken the organic market. In addition, there
are products sold with alternative guarantee systems (see Participatory Guarantee Systems above).
Whilst certification is likely to remain a very important mechanism for the development of the organic
market, these other approaches should not be overlooked and in particular it might be
counterproductive to make them unlawful by legislation.
Role of Government
The Government is normally not, and should probably not, get too involved in domestic markets,
apart from setting the general regulatory framework. However, when it comes to consumer education,
it is quite common that Governments promote the consumption of particular foods, for commercial or
health reasons. Consumer education for a healthy diet can also include the promotion of organic food.
General promotional activities have been supported in Costa Rica and Denmark and in many other
44
Observations from a number of countries, last reconfirmed in training with participants from 10 Asian
countries in Thailand in February 2006.
184
Best Practices for Organic Policy
30
countries. Local Governments can also promote organic foods by allocating space in open markets
and in trade fairs. The most important factors in an early market stage, where Governments can play a
role, are availability of products, proper presentation and distribution, and clear consumer
communication. Producer organizations can be supported to organize a common supply, nice
packaging and an efficient distribution. Government can take the initiative to bring together the
parties of the supply chains. Finally, proper market information systems can be useful for all parties,
and in particular for producers. Such systems should include a directory of suppliers and buyers, price
and quantity reporting, and can also include prognosis for future production. It is important that
market information reaches out to the farmers, e.g. by radio programmes.
Integrating organics into public procurement stimulates market demand and improves the public
information and consumer exposure to organics. In Denmark and other European countries, the
Government has stimulated public procurement of organic products to schools and hospitals. For the
Government to select organic foods for high-level events will send a strong signal to the domestic
markets and contribute tremendously to the acceptance of organic production.
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Public procurement of organic products should be encouraged,
including featuring organic food in important public events.
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 1188.. Consumer education and awareness should be actively
promoted.
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A common (national, regional or international) mark for organic
products should be established and promoted.
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Domestic market development strategies should include
measures for both the supply and demand side, including the role of imports.
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The organization of farmers in regards to marketing, joint
distribution and storage should be supported.
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 2222.. Market information systems should be established.
Export
Export markets have played a dominating role for five of the six developing country cases, especially
in the initial development of organic production. Most initial exports were developed without any
significant government involvement. Government involvement has mainly been on two levels: export
promotion activities (e.g. Chile, Costa Rica and Thailand), and the efforts to get recognition according
to the importing countries’ regulations, successfully accomplished in the case of Costa Rica for the
European Union. Only Argentina, Costa Rica and India have recognition by the European Union, and
India has limited recognition by the United States. Organic export promotion activities by producers
in developing countries have also been supported by development agencies (e.g. GTZ, USAID,
SIPPO, Sida, and CBI). The Brazilian Export Promotion Agency has invested over US$ 800,000 in
the Brazil Organics project, in part to increase the participation of Brazilian organic companies at
BioFach organic trade fairs in Germany, the United States and Japan, and to link buyers and
journalists to organic projects in Brazil by supporting their participation at BioFach America Latina
(IFOAM 2005).
When designing export promotion programmes, the special nature of the organic markets need to be
understood: the outlets or programmes designed for conventional products may not be the right ones
for organic; exporters used to selling bulk commodities are often less inclined to understand the more
demanding and quality-conscious organic markets; handling practices and treatments need to be
adopted. Personal contacts between seller and buyer, important in all business, are even more
important for organic exports. Organic exporters need to cooperate in their export marketing
activities. Through joint promotion, supported by the Government, they can give the country a good
86
What developing country Governments can do to promote the organic agriculture sector
31
image as a quality supplier of organic products. Organic technical solutions to deal with problems
should be developed. For example, many export crops are regularly fumigated with chemicals that are
not allowed in organic farming; however, there are alternative treatments such as carbon dioxide or
freezing. The Government can support the establishment of joint facilities for such treatments in a
central location or in export harbours.
Export marketing of organic products also puts high demands on the certification bodies. They need
to service the exports with certificates, forward inspection reports to other certification organizations,
and respond to queries from importers, authorities or certification bodies in importing countries. They
may also have to seek direct accreditation for export markets, e.g. NOP accreditation and IFOAM
accreditation. International certification bodies have routines for this. Domestic bodies will need
support to train staff and get their procedures in place to be an efficient service provider. They will
most likely also need financial support for accreditation.
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Export promotion activities should be supported, recognizing
the special nature of organic markets. Organic exporters should be encouraged to join
forces to promote and market their products.
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 2244.. Organic products should be excluded from any mandatory
phytosanitary treatments that are not permitted for organic products. Alternatives for
fumigation should be supported.
Production
The production conditions for organic farming are important for the development of the sector. Most
of the success or failure of an organic farm is the result of the farmer’s activity rather than the
Government’s. However, Governments are influencing the production directly in many cases and
indirectly through supporting services such as education, extension and research. It should be
recognized that there has been very little research directed to organic farming, and there are good
reasons to believe that if more resources were allocated, a leap in productivity in organic farms could
be accomplished.
In this context, it is worth pointing to the potential of integration of organic farming and traditional
knowledge, both in extension and research. The interface between modern organic agriculture (OA)
techniques and farmers’ traditional agricultural knowledge and landraces offers fertile ground for
innovation and improvements in local agricultural productivity. Traditional knowledge can enhance
the successful implementation of organic farming, while OA techniques can enhance the productivity
of traditional farming systems (Twarog 2006). Simultaneously, there is also a great potential for
modern bioscience and technologies to make contributions to organic farming
45
.
Direct support to production
An important means of promoting organic production is to eliminate existing disincentives for
organic, such as distorting subsidies for chemical fertilizers. Direct government support for organic
farming has been in place in the European Union since 1994, and some countries, e.g. Denmark,
Sweden and Germany, supported organic farmers before that. This should be seen against the
backdrop of the fact that only a small fraction of the population in the European Union is involved in
the agriculture sector. This means that few people get the support from many. In most developing
countries, the situation is the opposite; the farm households represent the majority of the population,
and there are few possibilities to have any subsidy system like the European. One should also take
into account that special organic support programmes in the European Union in most cases merely
compensate organic farmers from disadvantages in the general agriculture policies (Pretty and Dobbs
2004).
45
Apart from the use of GMOs, there is nothing in the organic concepts or rules that resist modern
biotechnologies.
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85
Best Practices for Organic Policy
32
Also in some developing countries, there are examples of direct support to organic producers mainly
as investment support, e.g. in Tunisia (Twarog 2006) and Malaysia; or support for certification costs,
e.g. in China and India; free certification, e.g. in Thailand and Malaysia; or credit incentives, e.g. in
Costa Rica. Credit and investment support are often not easily available for small farms or to women
farmers, maybe because they lack information or because they are not able to make the required
contribution for investments, or they are not credit-worthy because of lack of land title or because of
general poverty. If that is the case, credit or investment support schemes may amount to de facto
discrimination of already disadvantaged producers. Special support measures should be designed for
the small-farm sector, perhaps organized through their organizations.
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 2255.. Direct support measures to producers need to be adapted to
small farmers as well as to commercial operations.
Extension service
Extension services often concentrate on conventional farming, sometimes for reasons of policy,
sometimes because of lack of knowledge of organic farming. Moreover, they are permanently under-
resourced in most developing countries. In many instances, they get posters, brochures and other
materials from suppliers of agro-chemicals. Finally, their training methodology is often weak and
based on a top-down approach, where farmers are instructed to use certain inputs or do certain things.
This is hardly efficient for conventional farming, and is even less efficient for the organic farming
system, which is based on continuous learning by the farmer and by the extension worker alike. In
most cases, farmer-to-farmer exchange, participatory learning, farmer field schools and similar are
well suited for organic producers.
To a large extent, extension can build on traditional or indigenous knowledge. This is underlined in
the studies from Costa Rica, Thailand and Egypt. A challenge for the organic extension is to retrain
extension workers both in the topic and in the way of working. NGOs often have a long experience in
working with participatory extension in organic farming and Governments could consider supporting
that. Another option is to support organic extension integrated in commercial activities by a producer
organization or private companies. In Chile, Costa Rica and Egypt, Governments have established
special programmes for organic extension. In Denmark there is a specialized organic extension
service, but organic is also integrated in general extension services.
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Organic extension services need to be established and the staff
trained. Organic extension should be developed and implemented in a participatory
manner and have the farm and the farmer as the centre of attention.
Inputs (seeds, seedlings, pest control and fertilizers)
For many, organic is about the substitution of agro-chemicals for natural products, e.g. instead of
using a chemical pesticide, a plant extract is used; instead of chemical fertilizers, manures or compost
are used. With that perspective, ensuring that there are appropriate inputs available for organic
farmers or even supplying them to the farmers seem like good ways to promote organic farming.
Thailand and India plan large-scale establishment of organic fertilizer factories. However, organic
farming to a large extent uses site-specific, on-farm resources. In most cases, a chemical pesticide is
not replaced with an organic pesticide, but with crop rotation, companion cropping or the use of a
resistant variety. Similarly, the need for external fertilizers is often not great for farmers having a
diverse system with good crop rotations, the use of green manures, etc. Furthermore, smallholders
have little capacity to purchase either organic or chemical inputs. Therefore, an input substitution
approach to organic is not an appropriate starting point for government intervention.
Nevertheless, there are a number of organic production systems that are quite dependent on external
inputs, especially in the horticultural sector. The integration of livestock and plant production that is a
fundamental aspect of European organic farming is not the rule in most tropical production systems.
Also, a number of pests pose real threats for organic farmers, and it can be a good “insurance” to have
relevant inputs available. It should be recognized that there is a lot of traditional knowledge about the
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What developing country Governments can do to promote the organic agriculture sector
33
use of plants and other natural substances in pest control. This traditional knowledge has often been
discredited and overlooked by the agronomic establishment. Supporting the dissemination and further
development of traditional knowledge can play an important role.
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Traditional knowledge about pest control treatments et al.
should be surveyed and brought into the extension service and disseminated in other
ways.
There are many leftover materials from the processing industry that are useful as fertilizers or soil
improvement, e.g. coffee hulls and rice husks. Governments can survey these resources and make
recommendation for the proper process to get them back to the agriculture systems. The appropriate
recycling of organic matter, e.g. leftovers or waste from marketplaces and households, to the farm
sector is important. This has the additional benefit of contributing to sanitation and environmental
protection. Finally, the appropriate handling of human waste and its integration into the production
system can provide much-needed nutrients to farms
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Recycling of agriculture and food waste into organic farming
systems should be promoted.
Industrial production of agriculture inputs, whether they are organic or conventional, should not be
subsidized in the long term
47
, unless it also provides additional services; e.g. the establishment of a
composting facility in a city may play the double role of being an efficient and hygienic waste-
handling facility and a provider of quality compost to periurban farmers. The Government can
perhaps stimulate the emergence of the production of needed inputs through targeted interventions,
e.g. support to the introduction of new technology in processing and support to a farmers group in
establishing a composting facility. Governments should support the development of (including
research and field-testing) useful inputs, e.g. biological controls. Farmers are easily tricked by
marketers of various inputs and Government could support proper field testing of the products or
other quality control measures, e.g. that the nutrient content of a sold fertilizer is indeed what is
declared, or that they don’t contain dangerous levels of harmful substances such as heavy metals. Care
must be taken though that such controls are not becoming overly complicated or expensive, as that
would defeat their purpose. Another complication is that many countries handle organic inputs under
an identical regulatory framework as their synthetic counterparts, e.g. biological pest control products
have to be registered as pesticides with the same requirements and fees as for synthetic pesticides
(TOS 2004, Envirocare 2006).
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 2299.. Government (or others) should establish basic controls of
biological inputs such as pest control agents and organic fertilizers.
Regulations in importing countries are increasingly demanding that organic products be produced
with organic seeds, even if there are some exceptions. A recent study in three African countries
48
shows that organic seeds are basically nonexistent in the formal sector. In the informal seed systems
they are available, but then even if they are organic they are not certified as such. The study concludes
that it is not at all realistic to demand the use of organic seeds in these countries at present (EPOPA
2006b). The use of treated seeds poses another obstacle. In many countries, seed treatments are
prescribed by authorities or they are just used as a general measure. Treated seeds are only accepted in
organic farming under exceptional conditions and the lack of untreated seeds can pose insurmountable
problems for producers. There are many alternative seed treatments under development, e.g. warm
46
Some organic standards reject or severely limit the re-circulation of human waste, and in some cultures there
is a strong resistance to their use.
47
Subsidies of inputs may lead to suboptimal outcomes (e.g. overuse of a certain input) and an economically
unsustainable use.
48
United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda.
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Best Practices for Organic Policy
34
water, use of microorganisms, but most of them are not available or not known in developing
countries.
RReeccoommmmeennddaattiioonn 3300.. Seed breeding and seed testing should be oriented to organic
production. Compulsory seed treatments should be waived for organic farmers and
untreated seeds should be made available. Alternative seed treatments should be
developed and promoted.
Another pressing issue is the availability of varieties that are well adapted to organic farming. Seed
breeding hasn’t been made to take consideration of the conditions for organic farmers, and the
varieties available might not work so well under organic management. Finally, the potential of
contamination of seeds with GMOs is an apparent risk that can seriously affect organic farmers. In
Costa Rica, a seed network of farmers is supported to assist farmers to deal with the challenges of
seeds for organic agriculture. Organizing the informal seed sector for organic production may be a
way forward.
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Policies for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) need to
ensure that GMO seeds are not distributed or used in a way that can cause
contamination of seeds.
Training and education
Education on all levels plays a big role in shaping the future. In many developing countries, the only
education children from farming communities will have is primary school. Does this education
address farming practices, and if so how? What image does it convey? In Costa Rica, a programme
for inclusion of organic agriculture and the establishment of organic gardens in schools was
introduced in 2002. There are no indications that other countries have introduced organic farming in
any systemic way in primary or secondary schools.
Denmark established a dedicated organic college in 1981. The National Institute of Training in Costa
Rica has an organic training centre. In most countries, organic training is conducted by NGOs. In
South Africa, the Government is involved in accreditation of institutions and curricula. In the United
Republic of Tanzania, the Government provides training institutions with a curriculum for organic
and the course performance certificates (Envirocare 2006). A few training institutions in Africa have
been engaged in organic for a long time, e.g., the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming has been
training farmers and extension workers in organic production since 1986, and there are now 35
training institutions involved in organic (Kimemia and Oyare 2006). In Egypt, two universities have
departments for organic agriculture and offer courses for graduation. In Uganda, the Martyrs
University has courses in organic agriculture and the Sokoine University of Agriculture in the United
Republic of Tanzania is planning to do the same. In Costa Rica, two universities offer master’s
degrees in organic agriculture or agro-ecology. In Thailand, courses for master’s and bachelor’s
degrees are in the making. Training programmes for government employees and other relevant staff
need to be developed. Regional institutes can also be an effective way to develop and convey organic
knowledge while sharing cost between nations with similar conditions; for example, the Institute for
Mediterranean Agriculture covers the Middle East, Southern Europe and North Africa.
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Organic agriculture should be integrated into the curriculum for
primary and secondary schools. Specialized institutions involved in training for organic
agriculture should be supported. Higher education in organic agriculture should be
developed.
Research
Public expenditures on agriculture research in low-income countries generally total less than 0.5 per
cent of their agricultural gross domestic product. By comparison, higher-income developing countries
spend about 1 per cent, and industrialized countries spend 2 to 5 per cent. It is not only necessary to
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What developing country Governments can do to promote the organic agriculture sector
35
spend more, but also to re-direct research. Today, most research money is spent on application of
agrochemicals and gene technologies, but little is spent on areas useful for organic and sustainable
agriculture. A complication is that when the private sector is expected to fund research, this normally
means that input suppliers are the main funders, and it is not in their interest to support research that
supports a farming methodology that emphasizes self-reliance and use of fewer inputs. Another
complication is that the holistic nature of organic farming calls for more systems research rather than
research on isolated issues, such as the control of a certain pest, or the function of a biological
fertilizer.
As organic agriculture is knowledge-intensive, one could believe that research would have played a
major role in the establishment of organic agriculture, but it is hard to find any indication that research
has been important for the early organic development. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the organic
sector is depending on investments in research for its future development, to allow it to reach higher
levels of productivity, to cope with certain pest problems, etc.
There is a strong inertia and sometimes outright resistance from the research establishment against
organic research. Therefore, dedicated funds and programmes for organic research are often needed to
ensure that sufficient attention is given to organic. This has been the strategy in most EU countries,
and even after 10 to15 years of organic research, Governments continue to allocate special research
funds to organic programmes. Danish research in organic farming has been deliberately decentralized
into all agricultural research institutes since 1995, and is coordinated by DARCOF, a research centre
collaborating across the institutes. There have been three major organic research programmes with a
total budget of more than US$ 80 million. Similar approaches are reported also from Costa Rica and
Egypt. In addition, there is a need that production-oriented research is tuned to the needs of the
producers. Research priorities should therefore be developed in close consultation with the sector.
Public funding of organic-related research and programmes is increasing in both the European Union
and the United States, although European Governments are financing more programmes with a
broader range. European funding supports innovation in production techniques, food processing, food
marketing, and food retailing, and is estimated at €70 million to €80 million annually from 2003 to
2005. Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark accounted for 60 per cent of this. In fiscal
year 2005, the United States Government made approximately US$ 4.7 million available exclusively
for an organic research grant programme. This amount is supplemented by other programmes that
benefit organic producers, including funding for organic research and technical assistance by federal,
state and local agencies that focus on organic agriculture (Dimitri and Oberholtzer 2005). From
Denmark comes so-called grassroots research, a participatory collaboration between researchers and
farmers, which has been generously funded. Also in Costa Rica, the Government supports
participatory research. The case study from Egypt makes a strong call to include smallholders and
traditional knowledge in research.
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Special research programmes should be established for organic
research, and the sector should be involved in priority setting. R&D in organic
agriculture should be participatory, build on and integrate traditional knowledge (where
relevant) and be based on the needs of the producers.
Development programmes
In many developing countries, foreign development assistance plays a rather important role in
forming the agriculture sector, either through budget support or through special projects and
programmes. Most of the recommendations here are also applicable for their efforts. Egypt reports
five such projects. In Uganda, the Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa programme has
worked with more than 30,000 small-holders over eight years (EPOPA 2006). FAO gives technical
assistance to Governments, e.g. in Tunisia. IFOAM’s I-Go programme has organized training and
capacity-building in many countries. The interventions by foreign development assistance often cover
issues such as subsidizing costs of certification, technical advice to farmers or extension workers,
92
Best Practices for Organic Policy
36
export promotion activities and support to the development of farmers’ organizations or local
certification agencies. Lately, there is greater interest in policy dialogue, e.g. the UNEP-UNCTAD
CBTF project in East Africa. In many developing countries, development assistance has supported the
development of a regulatory framework for organic agriculture. Many development programmes work
with the private sector or NGOs as partners. From Uganda it is reported that “the government
initiatives which receive funding from the national budget and the civil society efforts which receive
funding from donors seem to be largely disjointed” (Tumushabe 2006). Donors need to identify
existing initiatives and specify in project design that there be linkages or direct interactions between
them to ensure more effective organic development and avoid unnecessary competitive friction or
projects reinventing the wheel.
Regional and international cooperation
There are many fields where regional or international cooperation could be meaningful:
•• Research;
•• Regional trade;
•• Harmonization of standards;
•• Regional and international trade agreements;
•
•
Policies to support the development of the organic sector;
•
•
Biosafety; and
•
•
Traditional knowledge.
By participation in the Codex Alimentarius committee for labelling, Governments can contribute to
the development of a basis to establish equivalence. They can also ensure that international standards
take due consideration of the conditions in their countries and the expectations of domestic producers
and consumers. Governments can also consider participating in the work of IFOAM, and supporting
the participation of their private sectors in IFOAM’s work. There are also other international treaties
and processes that directly or indirectly influence the organic sectors, such as TRIPS, CBD, and
UNFCC. A Government that has mainstreaming organic as its target needs to assess how all these
influence organic.
FAO, UNCTAD and IFOAM have embarked on an ambitious effort to reduce barriers to trade in
organic products. In the International Task Force for Harmonization and Equivalency in Organic
Agriculture (ITF), the three organizations invited Governments, private-sector bodies and
international organizations (e.g. OECD, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)) to analyse the current situation (the review
phase) and seek solutions (the proposal phase). The ITF was initiated in 2002, and has conducted a
number of studies and meetings. It is premature to assess what concrete agreements might spring
directly out of the ITF
49
, but it is already evident that it has created a dialogue that is influencing both
private-sector actors and regulatory authorities. Currently the ITF is developing two tools: 1) a
common set of International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) to serve as a
benchmark for equivalence, a catalyst for convergence of requirements and direct accreditation as
possible and 2) the ITF Guidelines for Equivalency. Governments and the private sector should
consider participating in this process and utilize ITF results and tools. (UNCTAD-FAO-IFOAM 2006
and 2007).
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Governments and the private sector should participate in
relevant international forums such as the Codex Alimentarius, IFOAM and the ITF.
Failing any grand international agreement on organic standards and certification, Governments in
developing countries could consider including organic standards and organic certification services in
49
The agreements in the ITF are not binding for the participating organizations, but can be seen as negotiated
proposals.
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