The problem

In June 2004 the European Commission published the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming. The Commission intends to assess the status of organic farming and to lay down the basis for policy development in the coming years. The ORGAP project will identify ways in which to promote the action plan and analyse its socio-economic implications.

Overview:

ORGAP gives scientific support to the European action plan on organic food and farming and will assess its potential effects by:

• Developing protocols to evaluate and monitor the implementation of the European Action Plan proposals for: information, training and education, research, production, processing, market development, certification, public expenditures
• Undertaking protocol pilot tests on selected existing national action plans
• Identifying potential conflicts of interest between national and pan-European action plans
• Make policy recommendation for the effective introduction and implementation of an EU organic food and farming action plan.

Contribution to policy development:

• The project will highlight differences and facilitate harmonisation of national policies in support of organic agriculture
• Conflicts of interest between organic and traditional agriculture will be identified and recommendations developed for their minimisation
• The project will provide an analysis of the socio-economic implications, including benefits, of organic agriculture
• Recommendations will be developed for enhancing opportunities for organic agriculture and the marketing of organic food across the EU

Project deliverables

• Establish project website – August 2005
• Report: Annual project progress – May 2006
• Report: Potential conflicts, synergies, and proposals for implementing the EU Action Plan in member states – April 2007
• Report: Scope of national action plans, their evaluation procedures – April 2007
• Report: Annual project progress – May 2007
• Report: Action plan and initiation manual – May 2008
• Report: Project conclusions & policy implementation plan – May 2008

Dissemination

• A public access project website will present project aims, participants and progress
• A biannual project newsletter will be circulated widely
• Consultation with stakeholders will take place during project workshops and findings made known through the popular, trade and technical press as well as the project website
• Project participants will promote the project and its progress at appropriate meetings as opportunities arise

Technical information

Project acronym: ORGAP
Project’s official full title: European Action Plan of Organic Food and Farming
Specific webpage: http://www.orgap.org/
Proposal/contract no: 6591
Start date: May 2005
Kick off meeting: May 2005
Completion date: May 2008

Coordinator: Otto Schmid
Name: Research Institute for Organic Agriculture
Abbreviated name: FiBL
Address: Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick
Country: Switzerland
Tel: +41 62 865-7272
Fax: +41 62 865-7273
e-mail: info.suisse@fibl.org
Website: www.fibl.org

Partners

Name: University of Wales Aberystwyth
Abbreviated name: UWA
Country: United Kingdom         

Name: University of Hohenheim
Abbreviated name: UHO
Country: Germany         

Name: Universita Polytechnica delle Marche, Ancona
Abbreviated name: UPM
Country: Italy 

Name: University of Southern Denmark
Abbreviated name: USD
Country: Denmark         

Name: IFOAM EU Regional Group
Abbreviated name: IFOAM EU
Country: Sweden/Belgium        

Name: Institute for Sustainable Development
Abbreviated name: ISD
Country: Slovenia          

Name: Institute for Agricultural Economics
Abbreviated name: VUZE
Country: Czech Republic           

Name: Agricultural Economics Research Institute
Abbreviated name: LEI
Country: Netherlands     

Name: Sociedad Española de Agricultura Ecológica
Abbreviated name: SEAE
Country: Spain