Conference on ecological agriculture in Africa

The conference “Ecological organic agriculture: The agricultural alternative for Africa” will take place at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi / Kenya from 15 to 16 November 2011. The need for greater uptake of people centred ecological agriculture practices and systems are now widely recognised, but solutions proposed for increasing food security in Africa are still predominately based on the industrialisation of African agriculture and the intensification of economically and environmentally unsustainable imported input products, IFOAM reports. This conference aims to re-address the balance and build awareness of accessible and resilient organic based production systems and position organic agriculture higher on the agenda of African governments, policy makers and the international donor community.

Social and cultural highlight of the conference will be the award ceremony honouring Prof. Wangari Matu Maathai with the One World Personality Award. An exhibition area will be made available for organisations to present themselves and their products. The conference is convened by IFOAM in cooperation with the African Union, the Kenyan Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and Colabora. It will bring together technical practitioners, policy makers, funding agencies, NGOs, retailers and media. The registration process will start early September and attendees will then be chosen by a screening process. It is not foreseen to charge a registration fee in order to allow broadest possible participation. More information is available here: IFOAM