EkoConnect – International Centre for Organic
Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe e.V.
Phone: +49 (0) 351-20 66 172
Fax: +49 (0) 351-20 66 174
E-Mail: info@ekoconnect.org
Internet: www.ekoconnect.org
May 2006
1. Country report: Organic agriculture in the Republic of Moldova
2. Dynamic Development of the Polish organic agriculture – 103 percent growth of the organic area in 2005
3. Promotion of organic agriculture with the ‘Ecological Food Valley’ project in Poland
4. Great deal of organic products awarded at Czech food fair
5. Ten years organic shops in the Czech Republic
6. Russians would buy organic products
7. More than 31 millions of organic hectares worldwide
8. Humus management in vegetable growing
9. New Master Course "International Food Business and Consumer Studies (IFBC)"
10. Foundation of the European Consortiums for organic animal breeding
11. 25th – 26th May 2006: international forum on organic marketing in Warsaw for the promotion of
organic food
12. 12th to 16th July: Conference for the international cooperation of universities and the industry at the
academy of agriculture Ulyanovsk (Russia)
13. 3rd September – 8th September 2006: Second Pillnitz Summer Academy on Organic Animal
Husbandry
1. Country report: Organic agriculture in the Republic of Moldova
Moldova enjoys a favourable climate and good farmland – about 80% is black soil – but has no major
mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, on fruits, vegetables,
Moldavian wine and tobacco.
At the moment, the Republic of Moldova has about 2.2 millions ha of agriculturally used land. Some
70 % are arable crops. The average farm has about 1.8 ha. During the Soviet times Moldova was
specialised on fruit and wine production, and Russia is still a major export market. Today approx. 25%
of the agricultural area are still vineyards and orchards.
Organic farming has a small but recently pretty fast growing importance in the agriculture of Moldova.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry considers organic production as an important future
sector for its farmers, first of all as a way for a better rural development and for the protection of the
environment.
Already in August 2001, the government approved a national concept of ecological agriculture and
started different means of supporting organic farming. On February 10th 2006 the parliament passed
the bill concerning organic food production. This law protects the words "organic" as well as
"ecological" and "biological" for organic farming and is very similar to the CEE Regulation 2092/91.
With the 1st April 2006 each organic farm and processor has to be registered by the Moldovan
authorities. Before April, the farms were only inspected and certified by private organisations from
Western Europe and not registered by the government. There are no domestic certification and control
bodies at the moment.
According to the data from the three foreign certification bodies – Ecocert/France, BSC/Germany and
SGS/Switzerland – at the end of 2005 there were 87 organic farms with 10,755 ha certified as organic
and 320 ha in conversion. In 2003 there were 577 ha certified area (7144 ha in conversion) and in
2001 just 168 ha. In a forecast the Ministry predicts for the year 2016 about 31.000 ha of organic
farmland.
In 2005 about 80 % of this area are vineyards. About 13 % are oleaginous and protean plants. The
following main organic products were exported in 2005: wine (250,000 litres), sunflower oil (1500
tons), walnuts (1450 tons), lavender oil (3.5 tons), honey (3 tons) and dried (357 tons) and frozen (322
tons) fruits. Companies from Western Europe as well as from the new EU countries are importing
fruits, wine and other organic products from Moldova. Besides some wine bottlers there are so far no
organic processors in the country.
To enhance the organic production, the farmers union ‘EcoProdus’, which is member of IFOAM, as
well as the Ministry of Agriculture, carries out training courses with specialists from other European
countries. In March and April this year, for example, specialists from EkoConnect trained farmers and
advisors in production methods, marketing and quality management in different courses.
Because of the good natural conditions and a growing group of very committed organic farmers and
dedicated advisors, researchers and governmental people, the organic agriculture in Moldova seems
to make big progress in the future.
2. Dynamic Development of the Polish organic agriculture – 103 percent growth of the
organic area in 2005
The development of the Polish organic sector was very dynamic in 2005. According to the Polish
Inspection Body for Commercial Quality of Agricultural and Comestible Articles (IJHARS) the number
of organic producers (farmers) raised from some 3,423 to 7183 in 2005. This is an increase of
91 percent of organic farms compared to the year before. Moreover, 44 new organic processors were
certified during the last year, which makes 99 organic processors in Poland by the end of 2005.
Polish organic farmers were running 167,740 ha at all in 2005, which is an increase of 103 percent in
comparison to the year before. At all about one percent of the Polish agricultural area is certified
according to organic standards.
The newly converted organic entities own mostly a small area of land. 25 percent of the Polish organic
farms had less than 5 ha in 2005. Small and medium organic farms – up to 20 ha – take, with about
70 percent, the bulk of the organic businesses. 170 new organic farms own more than 100 ha; with
them some 345 entities were in this size range. By the end of last year the Polish average organic
farm had 23 ha of land and was about 18 percent smaller than 2004 (28 ha).
3. Promotion of organic agriculture with the ‘Ecological Food Valley’ project in Poland
In 2005 started the EU-funded project ‘Ecological Food Valley’, which will promote organic agriculture
and food supply in the Lubelskie region. This region is one of the 16 Polish voivodeships and is
located in the East of the country.
The appellation of the project does not, as it may seem, refer to the geographical shape of the region.
The name is deduced from the all over the world used appellation ‘Valley’ for economic clusters. The
most well-known of such formation is Silicon Valley in California. The founder of the ‘Ecological Food
Valley’ wants it to be as famous as the Silicon one.
The Project has a pilot character and is led by the College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin
as part of the Integrated Operational Program of Regional Development (EU), co-financed by the
European Social Fund.
The aim of the organisers is to develop an economic cluster, a net of cooperating producers,
companies, local authorities and knowledge centres, as well as social institutions and organisations, to
support organic farming, sales of organic products, and to keep people in the rural regions. The main
focus of the project will be on technological and intellectual support, granted by the participation in
social consultations and involvement in creating the ‘Valley’.
The Lubelskie voivodeship has a high potential for the development of organic agriculture, especially
because of the low environmental pollution and its agricultural character. According to the latest data,
380 new organic farms were registered in Lubelskie in 2005. It is an increase of 97% in comparison to
2004.
Within the project there are actions planned to promote the idea. This will be accomplished amongst
other things, by five meetings, where new possibilities of financial support for organic food producers
and processors in the region will be discussed as well.
Up to now, there have been two such meetings. The results are published on the project’s official webpage
(www.dolinaeko.wspa.lublin.pl).
4. Great deal of organic products awarded at Czech food fair
On SALIMA, the biggest Czech food fair taking place in Brno at the beginning of March 2006, seven
prizes were awarded to organic products. Only two years ago, organic products were still something
exotic at the SALIMA fair. Back then, all organic producers and wholesale traders presented
themselves at the common booth of the association PRO-BIO. While in 2004 the products were not
taken seriously yet, this year they were awarded seven of the 34 popular prizes.
All in all, 13 food products were awarded the prize "GOLDEN SALIMA" and 21 the prize "TRENDY".
The latter is given to especially healthy products.
Five of the seven organic products that were awarded are from abroad. Among them are three fruit
juices (two of the Swiss company Biotta and one of the German company Voelkel), the "Provamel
Soy-Bananamilk" of the Belgian producer Alpro and the vegetable broth "Würzel" of the German
producer Primavita. All products are imported to the Czech Republic by different wholesale traders.
However, the national production itself is growing as well. The best examples for this are the two
Czech products that were awarded at SALIMA: The rice cakes topped with milk chocolate of the
company Racio and a bread mix of the bakery Jizerské Pekarny spol. s. r. o.
Source: Mgr. Tom Vaclavik, Green Marketing.
5. Ten years organic shops in the Czech Republic
This year, the independent section for organic shops of the Czech organic association PRO-BIO
celebrates its 10th anniversary. One decade ago, Mrs. Jarmila Chladová, owner of an organic food
store in Litomyšl in the Eastern part of the Czech Republic, established the section. Her aim was to
help setting up other shops which are specialised in organic foodstuff. Moreover, she wanted to
exchange further information between organic shops and to initiate training possibilities for the staff to
give good advice on organic farming and healthy diet to consumers.
After a little while, some shops started to join the association, such as Country Life in Prague and
Bazalka in Hradce Králové. Today, the independent section has 50 members spread all over the
republic. PRO-BIO member food stores have a share of 20% in the entire turnover of organic products
sold in the Czech Republic. Especially customers, who seek advice, will consult any of the PRO-BIO
shops. For regional organic farmers the shops are a sales prospect. The sale of organic products from
regional farmers is a major aspect for the development of organic agriculture in the Czech Republic.
Consumers can be sure that the PRO-BIO shops have at least 30%, and at no time less than 150
certified organic products on sale. In larger cities, such as Prague and Brno, organic shops offer about
60 – 80% of certified organic products, mostly more than 1000 articles. The PRO-BIO member shops
are actively taking care of promoting ecological products. This takes place during special events, such
as the "Day of the Earth" and "September - Month of organic products".
6. Russians would buy organic products
About half of the Russian consumers would be willing to pay higher prices for products of controlled
organic agriculture. This information was the result of a survey of the information service AgrarEurope
in 75 Russian cities. The questionnaire showed as well that people in Russia do not know a lot about
organic products yet. Now the Russian food industry wants to extend its range of organic goods on
offer. The main problem, however, is that until now legal regulation for the production and labelling of
ecologically produced goods is lacking. If the market for organic products becomes more profitable,
the risk of abuse will rise as well. To have their products labelled as organically correct has been a
marketing strategy for companies before.
Source: BioWelt 1/2005
7. More than 31 Million organic hectares worldwide
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Swiss Research Institute
of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), and the Foundation Ecology & Farming (SOEL), Germany, presented
the latest global data on organic farming at the BioFach fair in February 2006 in Nuremberg, the world
leading fair for organic food. The study was supported by the fair organisers NuernbergMesse.
According to the survey, currently more than 31 million hectares of farmland are under organic
management worldwide (state: February 2006).
In terms of organic land, excluding wild collection, Australia is leading with 12.1 million hectares,
followed by China (3.5 million hectares) and Argentina (2.8 million hectares). Most of the world’s
organic land is in Australia / Oceania (39 %), followed by Europe (21 %), Latin America (20 %), Asia
(13 %), North America (4 %) and Africa (3 %). Regarding the share of organic farmland in comparison
with the total agricultural area, Austria, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries lead the way. In
Switzerland, for example, more than ten percent of the agricultural land is managed organically. The
editors of the study Minou Yussefi (SOEL) and Helga Willer (FiBL) note that the continued increase in
the organic land area over the last years is not just due to the ever greater interest in organic farming,
but is also a result of improved access to information and data collection each time the study is
updated.
According to the marketing research company Organic Monitor, the market value of organic products
worldwide reached 27.8 billion US$, (23.5 billion EUR) in 2004. The largest share of organic products
was marketed in Europe and North America. Ongoing growth of the market and organic land area is
expected for the foreseeable future, in part due to an increased support of governments and
development organisations. Angela B. Caudle, IFOAM Executive Director, emphasizes: "As markets
for organic products continue to develop throughout the world, including in key markets outside of
Europe and North America, such as Brazil and the Middle East, the benefits of organic agricultural
systems on a large scale will become increasingly evident."
8. Humus management in vegetable growing
The soil in intensive vegetable farms is poor and in many cases contaminated. Regular intensive soil
cultivation reduces the humus layer and declines the soil structure. In organic vegetable growing there
are various measures to preserve a healthy soil.
Clover grass leys
"The meadow is the mother of the field", pioneers of organic farming already used to say this a long
time ago. The crop rotation area should therefore be paused every 5 years and clover grass ley should
be cultivated for 1 or up to 2 years. By doing so, one has to keep in mind: The longer the clover grass
ley is cultivated, the better it is for the soil. Humus will be built up from organic matter, which is arrived
at the soil through cultivation of clover grass ley. Humus, which has been decomposed through
mineralization, will be built up again and the humus balance will be compensated.
Application of compost
Constant application of compost will also enrich soil with organic matter. Green compost can be
applied every third year with an amount of up to 90 m3 per ha. In order to protect the soil structure,
machinery for compost application should be equipped with broad tires. Application should only be
carried out when the soil is dry in summer or slightly frozen in winter.
Gentle soil management
For soil management measures the following is essential: only as often as necessary with machinery
that preserves the soil as much as possible. One should take special care with equipments that are
driven by power take-off, such as rotary cultivators and rotary harrows. But without this equipment, soil
is barely suitable for young plants. A possible chronology for soil management measures could be:
basic soil management – rotary harrow – one-time or several times use of curry comb for weed
control.
Comparison of humus enrichment and humus consumption in vegetable crops, green manure
and compost application (according to Leithold and Hülsbergen, 1998)
crop/measure humus units (HE*)
crops that feed on humus (decline of humus)
potatoes, leek, asparagus, pumpkins -2.75
chicory, carrots, swedes, tomatoes -2.05
kohlrabi, green salad, red beet, spinach -1.05
crops that built up humus (enrichment)
1. year of clover grass ley +2.1
green manure with ‚Landsberger Gemenge' ** +0.5
freezing off green manure +0.2
compost 8,3 t dry matter / year +2.0
manure 30 t +0.3
*) 1 HE equals 1 t humus with 50 kg N and 580 kg C; **) Landsberger Gemenge' is a mixture of: (Vicia
villosa Roth.), (Trifolium incarnátum L.) (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) Source: www.oekolandbau.de
Comparison of humus enrichment and humus consumption in vegetable crops, green manure
and compost application (according to Leithold and Hülsbergen, 1998)
crop/measure humus units (HE*)
crops that feed on humus (decline of humus)
potatoes, leek, asparagus, pumpkins - 2.75
chicory, carrots, swedes, tomatoes - 2.05
kohlrabi, green salad, red beet, spinach - 1.05
crops that built up humus (enrichment)
1. year of clover grass ley; +2.1
green manure with ‚Landsberger Gemenge' +0.5
freezing off green manure +0.2
compost 8,3 t dry matter / year +2.0
manure 30 t +0.3
*) 1 HE equals 1 t humus with 50 kg N and 580 kg C; **) Landsberger Gemenge' is a mixture of: (Vicia
villosa Roth.), (Trifolium incarnátum L.) (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) Source: www.oekolandbau.de
9. New Master Course "International Food Business and Consumer Studies (IFBC)"
"Organic is in", also when it comes to the career. The agricultural sector and the sectors of food
production and trade have a high demand on qualified professionals. The Master course "International
Food Business and Consumer Studies" in English language, focuses on these fields of competence
for the education of the students. The academic disciplines of economic sciences and politics of food
in society are brought together with agriculture and human nutrition. According to the organizers, after
four years the students have good job opportunities in the fields of trade, processing and quality
management and are qualified for responsible jobs in national and international companies and
organisations.
The accredited MSc course is a joint venture of the Faculty of Nutritional, Food and Consumer
Sciences of the University of Applied Sciences Fulda and the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences
of the University of Kassel. The main location where the course is held is Witzenhausen; only a few
classes take place in Fulda. Emphasised is a study course that is closely linked to practice. During
their studies, the students work on complex projects along the food chain and come in contact with
potential future employers in the organic sector. Study contents are above others food quality, product
development and product innovation – particularly regarding organic products. The Master course
IFBC is being offered in cooperation with other European partner universities. Therefore, students are
able to do project work or research work for their theses abroad. Of special interest are the growing
economies of Middle and Eastern Europe. More information at:
http://www.fh-fulda.de/index.php?id=810&L=1&F=0
10. Foundation of the European Consortiums for organic animal breeding
Animal breeding in organic agriculture so far only receives little attention. There are only a few
appropriate research projects on a European level. Not many breeds are adapted to organic
management conditions.
Respective breeding programmes have to be developed. Breeds used in organic agriculture are
derived from conventional breeding programmes, where technologies are applied which are not 100%
in line with the principles of organic farming. In order to tackle these problems on a European level, the
European Consortium for organic animal breeding will be founded prior to the "Joint Organic
Congress" (in Odense/Denmark, http://www.organic-congress.org), on May 29th 2006. Following the
"European Consortium for Organic Plant Breeding" – (Eco-PB) it is called Eco-AB. The main objective
of the Eco-AB is to foster organic farming by developping organic animal breeding according to the
special needs of organic farming. The single objectives of the Eco-AB are:
· to initiate animal breeding programmes;
· to support organisations and people who will make specific information available to organic
farmers in Europe;
· to develop concepts and to create a scientific basis for organic animal breeding;
· to develop standards and legal basics for organic animal breeding.
Further information about Eco-AB can be obtained in the near future from the homepage of the
organisation (yet not known). Source: www.oekolandbau.de und http://www.darcof.dk
11. 25th – 26th of May 2006: International forum on organic marketing in Warsaw for the
promotion of organic food
From 25th – 26th of May 2006, the "Organic Marketing Forum" is taking place in Warsaw. This is an
international meeting to promote exchange of know how, information and experiences and a meeting
point for decision makers in the organic food industry. The overall aim is the mutual transfer of
knowledge and to prop the establishment of organic processing and the marketing of organic food in
Central and Eastern Europe. The symposium is organised by EkoConnect in conjunction with the
Polish association Ekoland, the "Polish consulting service for agriculture" (CDR), and the Organic
Retailers Association (ORA, Czech Republic). Working languages are English, German, and Polish.
For further information and the registration form, please contact info@ekoconnect.org or:
12. 12 to 16 July: Conference for the international cooperation of universities and the
industry at the academy of agriculture Ulyanovsk (Russia)
The charitable, registered association Logo has been working since 1995 for ecological agriculture
and the protection of the environment in the whole of Europe with emphasis on the eastern countries.
Moreover, it strives to enhance the international understanding between the east and the west of
Europe. Among other things, Logo every year organizes an exchange of interns for students of the
field of agriculture. In July, the association is staging a conference for the international cooperation of
the industry and universities in Ulyanovsk. This city is situated in the central part of the European
Russia. The target group of the meeting are former interns, companies of the agrarian sector,
universities of agriculture and farmers. To former interns, it will offer good opportunities to gather
further qualification and to enter the job market. Companies will be able to spot qualified future
employees among the over 150 participants of the conference. To universities of agriculture,
information on the international cooperation of universities will be provided. Anybody who is interested
is welcome to take part in scientific excursions to Russian farms directly after the conference.
For further information, consult www.logoev.de
13.3rd September – 8th September 2006: Second Pillnitz Summer Academy on Organic
Animal Husbandry
For the second time, the Pillnitz Summer Academy on Organic Animal Husbandry will take place in
Dresden/Germany. It is organised by EkoConnect in cooperation with the University of Applied
Sciences (HTW) in Dresden, and the August Cieszkowski Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland. It
is an international intensive one-week training course about organic animal husbandry. Students will
be taught practice oriented knowledge about organic livestock breeding, nutrition and husbandry
management. The application form and information on the last year’s academy can be found at:
http://www.ekoconnect.org/projekte_pillnitzer_sommerakademie.html.
