On June 20th the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) was founded. Circa 100 researchers from Europe, North America, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Asia have united in a globally active society in order to promote innovations in organic agriculture, animal welfare oriented health and husbandry. The formation of the society was initiated by the Institute for Organic Agriculture at the University of Bonn, Germany, one of the first organic farming research institutes affiliated with a university, as well as the renowned Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).
“The aim of the new society is to reintegrate agricultural research into agro-ecological contexts and to tackle challenges in an interdisciplinary way,” said Dr. Ulrich Köpke, Professor and Director of the Institute for Organic Agriculture, Bonn.
“Organic farms, which are continually rising in number, are our research labs”, said Urs Niggli of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Switzerland. For Niggli the continuous dialogue between organic researchers and practitioners is essential.
The society hopes to augment science and research in all fields of organic farming and increase interdisciplinary cooperation. It is planning to hold international scientific conferences and publish a scientific journal. A special focus is placed upon strengthening cooperation with scientists from countries in the Southern hemisphere, and on the promotion of young academics.
The launch of the Society was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (BMVEL), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (DEZA), the Eden Stiftung, Germany, the Institute for Organic Agriculture (IOL), University of Bonn, Germany and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland.
Further Info
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Köpke
Institute for Organic Agriculture (IOL)
University of Bonn
Katzenburgweg 3
D-53115 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 735616
Fax: +49 228 735617
IOL(at)Uni-Bonn.de
www.iol.uni-bonn.de
Dr. Urs Niggli
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL)
Ackerstrasse
CH-5070 Frick
Tel: +41 (0)62 865-7272
Fax: +41 (0)62 865-7273
Internet
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