Sustainable Farming: IFOAM EU has launched an Organic Roadmap

Discussion with EU policymakers from the EU at the IFOAM EU Organic Congress in Tallinn (© Karin Heinze)

To reach the Organic Vision 2030, IFOAM EU has launched an Organic Roadmap to Sustainable Food and Farming Systems in Europe at the 11th European Organic Congress in Tallinn.

This roadmap is the result of extensive discussions in a collective vision development process. The roadmap should guide the stakeholders of the sector to actively shape the agri-food systems in a sustainable and organic way to meet the ambitious vision to reach 50% organic share in agricultural area by 2030.

It sets out pathways to support an ambitious implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where the agri-food sector must play a critical role. The launch of the Roadmap follows the Estonia EU Presidency’s Informal Meeting for Agricultural Ministers which examined how the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) can empower farmers with effective tools for risks management.

Welcoming around 200 participants to the Congress, Christopher Stopes, IFOAM EU President, said “Our Roadmap shows how organic farming can continue to play an important role in producing quality food, creating viable business opportunities, and protecting and enhancing the environment. The organic model provides a proven path to achieving the SDGs.

The discussion with EU policymakers from the EU at the IFOAM EU Organic Congress in Tallinn and the Commission’s recent CAP public consultation clearly shows that a new deal is needed between farmers and citizens. To capitalise on the potential of organics, the EU and national governments need to fully integrate the SDGs into all the EU’s policies, including the CAP.