Three East African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) will move closer this week to establishing a regional standard for organic agriculture, the first of its kind for a developing region. The East African organic standard will help to make organic products from East Africa more recognizable on the shelves of global supermarkets.
Work to develop the standard, which has been in progress for a number of years, will get a boost with a decision by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) to join forces in pursuit of this goal.
The UNEP/UNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development (CBTF) project Promoting Production and Trading Opportunities for Organic Agricultural Products in East Africa, launched in Kampala on 19 October 2004, established a Regional Standard Technical Working Group (RSTWG) to address this issue. Comprising representatives from standards bodies, certification bodies and the organic sector from the three countries, the RSTWG held its first meeting in Kampala on 24 October 2004. It met again in Arusha on 6 March to discuss the contents of the standard.
The RSTWG will now be strengthened by full-fledged support from IFOAM - a leader in the field of organic agriculture -- which is launching its Organic East African Standards (OSEA) project this week. OSEA will provide resources to conduct national consultations, field-testing of the standard, and develop a joint inspection protocol and consumer education once the standard has been approved.
This new partnership will be announced on the occasion of the CBTF Regional Workshop for Organic Agriculture, 7-10 March 2006, in Arusha, Tanzania.
The workshop will showcase the outcome of new research conducted under the CBTF project on such topics as the status of organic agriculture and related policies in East Africa (contributions from 17 authors in East Africa and abroad); best practices; organic agriculture and food security in Africa; and demand for organic products from East Africa. The workshop also will focus on opportunities for regional cooperation. The RSTWG will present the outcome of its work. On 10 March, participants will have the chance to view organic agriculture in practice by visiting nearby organic farms.
Participants in the workshop will include representatives from Ministries of trade, environment and agriculture as well as standards bodies; the East African Community; national organic agriculture networks, including farmers and certifying bodies; research institutions and universities; national and international organizations involved in organic agriculture; and international experts.
All draft papers are available on the CBTF website at http://www.unep-unctad.org/cbtf/openArusha.htm .
It is expected that the information and momentum generated through the workshop will help to promote production and trade in organic agriculture in East Africa.
Organic agriculture refers to agricultural systems that promote environmentally, socially and economically sound production of food and fibers and that are based on specific standards of production. It aims at achieving optimal agro-ecosystems through enhanced soil fertility and respect for natural processes. Organic agriculture brings together local traditional knowledge and crop varieties and the most modern scientific research to yield successful and sustainable production results. It offers particularly interesting opportunities for resource-poor small-holding farmers in the developing world.
