2009 Organic Sector Conference

More than 200 people gathered at the University of Waikato for OANZ's second biennial Organic Sector Conference from 13-15 November, with speakers from six countries covering issues as diverse as animal welfare, international trade, soil fertility, wine production, organic dairy farming, organic standards and certification.

With the theme "Innovate: Go Organic!", each speaker brought their own unique perspective on organics, showcasing the best of pure and applied research.

 

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Conference Speakers

Opening sessions on Friday updated attendees on Hua Parakore - an overlay based on traditional Maori values, which the national Maori organic group Te Waka Kai Ora is developing for organic certification.

Researchers from the Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) then outlined how, while organic farmers differ from their conventional neighbours by placing a primary focus on the environment, leading organic farmers have similar financial performance.

ARGOS research suggests that organics should no longer be viewed simply as a niche market, but as a best practice approach to management of our environment, agriculture, and food production.

Dr Manfred Bötsch, Director of Switzerland's Federal Office of Agriculture - the Swiss equivalent of the Minister of Agriculture - delighted and entertained conference participants with his presentation on agricultural reforms in Switzerland, explaining how organic farming is now fully integrated into Switzerland's high quality management of its agriculture, environment, and landscape, and how the public goods arising from this high quality management is paid for from the public purse.

The growth of organic farming to now represent 11% of Swiss agricultural land has played a key role in reducing their excess nitrogen levels (a root cause of nitrification of waterways) by 25% since 1985, surplus phosphorous by 65% since 1990/92 while cutting use of pesticides by 35% since 1990.

Dr Urs Niggli - Director of the world's largest organic research institute, FiBL - spoke about how long-term field experiments indicate the ability of organics to increase the soil's capacity to store carbon, and its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, even when calculated per food unit. Dr Niggli also spoke of the need for more research to boost productivity in organic systems - a test which OANZ will continue to put to New Zealand researchers.

Andre Leu, Vice-President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and Chair of the Organic Federation of Australia, spoke about a new initiative to streamline organic standards between the more than 100 countries which export certified organic products and over 400 public and private bodies which provide certification in the global organic marketplace.

With New Zealand organic exports now valued at $170 million, maintaining the ability to easily trade organic products with other countries is increasingly important not just to organic farmers, but to New Zealand's economy and our international environmental image.

In a presentation which was undoubtedly one of the conference's highlights, Professor David Montgomery, from the University of Washington, explained how the fundamental condition for sustaining a civilization is sustaining the soil, and that recent archaeological studies showed soil erosion playing a role in the demise of ancient civilizations of Neolithic Europe, Classical Greece, Rome, the Southern United States, and Central America.

Professor Montgomery spoke on how future food security depends on maintaining natural soil fertility, rather than N-P-K fertilizers, and the especially great need for organic agriculture in the developing world, where subsistence farmers can't afford to buy into the Green Revolution.

The Bret Brothers, biodynamic wine makers from Burgundy, explained how the chemicals used in agriculture and viticulture were affecting one of their favourite pastimes - fly fishing. The brothers spoke of their belief that biodynamic methods produce more "vibrant" wines, and how high quality agriculture can produce high quality wines worthy of a higher price per bottle.

Speaking on Sunday morning, Wijnand Sukkel concluded the conference with a challenge - explaining that while society, consumers and wholesalers are increasingly demanding high levels of performance in areas such as fair trade and carbon footprinting, organic certification rules don't necessarily guarantee good performance.

Mr Sukkel suggested that, while organic products still evoke a strong image of environmental sustainability and good health, the international proliferation of other certification means that organic standards need to be kept up to date if they are to remain at the leading edge.

In addition to the high quality presentations, there were plenty of opportunities for attendees to meet and socialize with others. Saturday night's Organic Awards gala dinner provided an especially memorable event, with entertaining addresses from Green MP Jeanette Fitzsimons and former All Blacks captain Sir Colin Meads, while the 2009 Organic Awards recognized leaders in the organic wine and dairy/pastoral sectors.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

The Organic Sector Conference would not have been possible without our conference sponsors - Platinum Sponsor Agrissentials, Gold Sponsors Zespri International, Fonterra Organics, Ideas Shop and Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (The Millton Vineyards, Seresin Estate, Felton Road and Richmond Plains), and Bronze Sponsors Plant & Food Research and Ceres Organics.

OANZ extends a special thanks to the sponsors who helped bring such an outstanding lineup of speakers to the conference - AGMARDT (Professor David Montgomery), the Embassy of Switzerland (Dr Manfred Bötsch and Dr Urs Niggli), the French Republic (the Bret Brothers) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Wijnand Sukkel).

OANZ would also like to thank our conference managers, Six Hats, and those who donated products towards Saturday night's Organic Awards dinner - Harmony Meats, Kiwi Organics, Mike's Brewery and Coffee Supreme.