IFOAM World Board Made Impressive Gains for the Organic Sector
5 World Board Members, Including President Gunnar Rundgren, Step Down After Years of Voluntary Commitment
The IFOAM World Board 2002-2005 effectively advanced the interests of the organic movement worldwide, both by professionalizing IFOAM’s organizational structure and through
the establishment of a strategic framework for its further development. Highlights of this term include the revision of the IFOAM Mission and the Principles of Organic Agriculture, the development
of the strategic action plan Program 2008 for the 2005-2008 period and efforts to improve the Organic Guarantee System. The World Board members voluntarily contributed significant time and
resources to IFOAM: their generosity and commitment to the organic movement is integral to its success and highly appreciated.
This World Board reformulated the IFOAM Mission that clearly sets out the scope of IFOAM’s work and overarching goal:
IFOAM's mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity. Our goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically
sound systems that are based on the principles of Organic Agriculture
Based upon the new Mission, the World Board developed a strategic plan – the IFOAM Program 2008, which defines 5 targeted goals with precise objectives and activities leading toward their
achievement. This World Board also guided the revision of the Principles of Organic Agriculture, which were approved by the IFOAM General Assembly, and will serve to both inspire the organic
movement in its full diversity, and to articulate the meaning of Organic Agriculture to the world at large.
The Organic Guarantee System also received a lot of attention from the World Board, and during the term, the approval of standards was changed to incorporate a “rolling revision” process, including
the provision of electronic voting, making it possible to more easily address urgent matters and integrate new standards. The World Board also approved the Italian Organic Standards, a joint
Italian standard for organic agriculture that is based upon the IFOAM Basic Standards, making way for future standards to join the IFOAM “Family of Standards” based upon adherence to IFOAM Basic
Standards, while recognizing regional variations, which thus also facilitates the process of IFOAM Accreditation.
This World Board was very successful in these and other areas, including the professionalization of IFOAM’s management, the growth of IFOAM’s staff, the growth of the project portfolio and the
increased recognition of IFOAM around the world. ?
IFOAM would like to specifically recognize the contributions of the following parting IFOAM World Board members:
Gunnar Rundgren– President, Sweden
Gunnar Rundgren, one of the founders of the organic movement in Sweden, has served 7 years on the IFOAM World Board, including 5 years as the President.
During his Presidency certified organic certified farmland has expanded from 5 million to 26 million hectares, and IFOAM has developed into a strong actor in the international arena. In his home country Sweden, organic farming is now practiced on 19 percent of all farmland. Organic markets worldwide have grown from 10 billion US dollars to 25 billion. The relevance of Organic Agriculture has also been acknowledged by international organizations such as the FAO, UNCTAD, IFAD and UNEP. Governments, from EU member states, to India and Brazil, have recognized both the market potential and the substantial benefits linked to organic, and some of them have launched ambitious action plans.
Gunnar Rundgren says that the main accomplishments during his term at IFOAM has been that IFOAM has managed to expand the view on organic from being seen as relevant as a market niche to being
acknowledged for the services it delivers to society, such as a living landscape, carbon sequestration, water conservation and biodiversity conservation.
Gunnar Rundgren has been an organic farmer since 1977.? He is the Chief Executive Officer of Grolink AB (www.grolink.se) - a consultancy company engaged in certification development, policy
development, project development, marketing strategies and international training programs – mainly targeting developing countries.
Liz Clay, Australia
Liz Clay served on the IFOAM World Board for 7 years after being elected in 1998.? She is an organic farmer and has also been a long serving member of the executive of the Organic Federation of
Australia.? During her time on the World Board Liz has chaired the Task Force to review the Principles of Organic Agriculture and the Program Steering Committee - IFOAM’s key funding program.
Liz is proud of being a part of the past three World Boards, in particular the work achieved to professionalize the organization, the development of the IFOAM Mission, the IFOAM Program and the consultation and reporting processes that have been installed.
Life after IFOAM for Liz will now focus on local activities in the development of the organic sector and the continuation of her role as the government appointed Chair of her regional and river
basin based catchment management authority. ?
The IFOAM World Board 2002-2005 effectively advanced the interests of the organic movement worldwide, both by professionalizing IFOAM’s organizational structure and through the
establishment of a strategic framework for its further development. Highlights of this term include the revision of the IFOAM Mission and the Principles of Organic Agriculture, the development of
the strategic action plan Program 2008 for the 2005-2008 period and efforts to improve the Organic Guarantee System. The World Board members voluntarily contributed significant time and resources
to IFOAM: their generosity and commitment to the organic movement is integral to its success and highly appreciated.
This World Board reformulated the IFOAM Mission that clearly sets out the scope of IFOAM’s work and overarching goal:
IFOAM's mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in its full diversity. Our goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically
sound systems that are based on the principles of Organic Agriculture.
Based upon the new Mission, the World Board developed a strategic plan – the IFOAM Program 2008, which defines 5 targeted goals with precise objectives and activities leading toward their
achievement. This World Board also guided the revision of the Principles of Organic Agriculture, which were approved by the IFOAM General Assembly, and will serve to both inspire the organic
movement in its full diversity, and to articulate the meaning of Organic Agriculture to the world at large.
The Organic Guarantee System also received a lot of attention from the World Board, and during the term, the approval of standards was changed to incorporate a “rolling revision” process, including
the provision of electronic voting, making it possible to more easily address urgent matters and integrate new standards. The World Board also approved the Italian Organic Standards, a joint
Italian standard for organic agriculture that is based upon the IFOAM Basic Standards, making way for future standards to join the IFOAM “Family of Standards” based upon adherence to IFOAM Basic
Standards, while recognizing regional variations, which thus also facilitates the process of IFOAM Accreditation.
This World Board was very successful in these and other areas, including the professionalization of IFOAM’s management, the growth of IFOAM’s staff, the growth of the project portfolio and the
increased recognition of IFOAM around the world.
IFOAM would like to specifically recognize the contributions of the following parting IFOAM World Board members:
Gunnar Rundgren – President, Sweden
Gunnar Rundgren, one of the founders of the organic movement in Sweden, has served 7 years on the IFOAM World Board, including 5 years as the President.
During his Presidency certified organic certified farmland has expanded from 5 million to 26 million hectares, and IFOAM has developed into a strong actor in the international arena. In his home
country Sweden, organic farming is now practiced on 19 percent of all farmland. Organic markets worldwide have grown from 10 billion US dollars to 25 billion. The relevance of Organic Agriculture
has also been acknowledged by international organizations such as the FAO, UNCTAD, IFAD and UNEP. Governments, from EU member states, to India and Brazil, have recognized both the market potential
and the substantial benefits linked to organic, and some of them have launched ambitious action plans.
Gunnar Rundgren says that the main accomplishments during his term at IFOAM has been that IFOAM has managed to expand the view on organic from being seen as relevant as a market niche to being
acknowledged for the services it delivers to society, such as a living landscape, carbon sequestration, water conservation and biodiversity conservation.
Gunnar Rundgren has been an organic farmer since 1977.? He is the Chief Executive Officer of Grolink AB (www.grolink.se) - a consultancy company engaged in certification development, policy
development, project development, marketing strategies and international training programs – mainly targeting developing countries.
Liz Clay, Australia
Liz Clay served on the IFOAM World Board for 7 years after being elected in 1998.? She is an organic farmer and has also been a long serving member of the executive of the Organic Federation of
Australia.? During her time on the World Board Liz has chaired the Task Force to review the Principles of Organic Agriculture and the Program Steering Committee - IFOAM’s key funding program.
Liz is proud of being a part of the past three World Boards, in particular the work achieved to professionalize the organization, the development of the IFOAM Mission, the IFOAM Program and the
consultation and reporting processes that have been installed.
Life after IFOAM for Liz will now focus on local activities in the development of the organic sector and the continuation of her role as the government appointed Chair of her regional and river
basin based catchment management authority.
El Hadji Hamath Hane, Senegal
El Hadji Hamath Hane, one of the founders of the Association des Agriculteurs Naturalistes du Senegal (AGRINAT) in 1986, has served 7 years on the IFOAM World Board.
In 1993 El Hadji Hamath Hane started an experimental farm in the desert area in Senegal with his wife. In 1997, he organized the first General Assembly of IFOAM francophone members on behalf of his
organization AGRINAT. He was elected the coordinator of this meeting, where the Senegalese organic movement came together for the first time.
He is impressed by the unity of the organic movement and the recognition that it shares a common agenda, and appreciates that the IFOAM federation consists of many organizations that share the same
goals and values for today and the future. He has dedicated his time and energy to strengthen Senegalese organic farming through his 7 years of experience on the World Board, and benefited from the
development of relationships with people worldwide.
Sheldon Weinberg, USA
Sheldon Weinberg has served on the IFOAM World Board for the last 3 years.
Sheldon Weinberg has been a US organic pioneer since 1984.? He has developed several successful organic agriculture-based businesses in the USA and internationally for over 2 decades.
Mr. Weinberg first encountered IFOAM in 1994, while in New Zealand on an organic agriculture technical exchange mission. There he gained a life-long appreciation for IFOAM’s mission, its importance
to the world and its breadth of activities.
Mr. Weinberg was elected to the IFOAM World Board in 2002 and served three years. During his time on the World Board he worked to strengthen IFOAM’s relationship with the North American organic
movement, and to assure that IFOAM is prepared to evolve and remain relevant in a world where the organic sector is growing and changing rapidly.
Sheldon Weinberg is the President of Weinberg & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in international organic business development, serving international companies seeking to gain
distribution in the US organic market.
Kenji Matsumoto, Japan
Kenji Matsumoto has served on the IFOAM World Board for the last 3 years. He is the Director of the Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association (JONA), a voluntary non-profit organization.
During his time in the World Board, Mr. Matsumoto had several opportunities to speak about IFOAM and Japanese organic regulations at conferences and seminars in Japan, China, India, and the
Philippines. He wrote and edited the comprehensive market study entitled “The Japanese Market for Environmentally and Socially Certified Agricultural Products from Central America” in cooperation
with IFOAM Japan, which was financed by the World Bank and the FAO. Realizing that organic certification is very important part of organic movement but not enough to achieve aims of organic
movements, he focused his attention towards the task of reconstructing IFOAM during the past three years. He takes pleasure in the fact that the IFOAM General Assembly in Adelaide approved the
2003-2005 activities, Principles of Organic Agriculture and the IFOAM Program 2008.
After leaving World Board, he plans to continue promoting local and regional organic agriculture, in many aspects in cooperation with IFOAM.
In addition to the 5 departing World Board members, 4 World Board members chose to run for reelection at the IFOAM General Assembly and were subsequently reelected, including: Gerald A. Herrmann,
Germany, Alberto (Pipo) Lernoud, Argentina, Prabha Mahale, India and Antonio Compagnoni, Italy. Their volunteer contribution to advancing the interests of IFOAM during the 2002-2005 period is
equally recognized.
More details about the IFOAM World Board can be found on IFOAM’s web page www.ifoam.org. For press inquiries or to schedule an interview, please contact the IFOAM
Head Office: +49-228-92650-16.
IFOAM Press Release, Responsible: Angela B. Caudle, Contact: Neil Sorensen
Head Office Contact
Charles-de-Gaulle-Str. 5
53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel: +49-228-92650-10
Fax: +49-228-92650-99
Email: headoffice@ifoam.org
http://www.ifoam.org
