European Organic Advisers

Seminar at Hotel Scandic, Bygholm Park
Horsens, Denmark

From August 28th to 30th, 2005

Join the European network of Organic Farming Advisers

Develop your organic advising by the exchange of practical experience and technical knowledge in an international network of advisers on organic farming.

We plan to start such a network among the European countries and the first step will be the seminar European Organic Advisers.

The seminar will present promising development in the organic sector valuable for the advis-ers, and the participants will be asked to express the needs of the organic advisers and the objectives for a common network.

After the seminar the planning group will apply for an EU funding to establish the network.

Seminar programme:

Sunday August 28th - evening

Informal gathering and mutual presentation.
(Dinner is not included)

Monday August 29th

Breakfast

• 9.00 - 1. Plenary session:
  
  Welcome and presentation of the planning group, the seminar programme and the ideas of a European network and the possibilities to be member of the consortium applying for EU funding.
  
  Senior Adviser Erik Fog, Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, dept. Organic Farming:
  The adviser as important mediator of research and innovation in organic farming.Differences in organic advisory service among the European countries - challenges to a common network
  
  Manager Ing. Bertus Buizer, DLV Biologische land-& tuinbouw, The Nederlands
  Networking in Dutch organic research and advisory organizations.
  Our experiences with the use of research results from organic research
  - Interesting results we have discovered (where and how)
  - How we use the results when advising farmers
  - How it was adopted by the farmers
  
  Prof. Carlo Leifert, Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, University of Newcastle, Coordinator EU-IP-QualityLowInputFood
  Highlights of the most interesting and useful results from the last five years of organic research. The role of advisers when research results shall change the practise.
  
  Information officer Claus Bo Andreasen, Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming
  Communicating European research - strategies and instruments
  

• 12.00 - Lunch
  

• 13.00
  
  Senior adviser Michael Tersbøl, Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, dept. Organic Plant Production.
  Visions for a network that will inspire and promote the advisers' jobs and the benefits for the farmers.
  

• 2. Group work:
  
  Identify common needs and interests in an international network.
  
  Creating good conditions for advisers as mediators of research and innovation in organic farming.
  
  How do we meet our challenges as organic advisers?
  - Developing the organic idea and enthusiasm on the farm
  - Addressing the farmers' economy in the organic advising.
  - Integrating information from the organic market when advising organic farmers.
  - Interpretation of the organic standards in praxis. How can we be sure? - Are there differences between countries?
  - The value of adviser tools e.g.: computerprogrammes, field trials and demon-stration plots and farms.
  

• 15.00 - 3. Conclusions on group work
  

• 15.30 - Coffee break
  

• 16.45 - 4. Visit the organic research station Rugballegaard
  See: http://www.agrsci.org/afdelinger/driftsafdelinger/msd/grupper/rugballegaard
  

• 19.00 - Dinner and social gathering

• 8 .30 - 6. Plenary session:
  
  Bernhard Jansen, President of EkoConnect - International Centre for Organic Agriculture of Central and Eastern Europe e.V.:
  Organic farming in Central and Eastern European countries. Differences in advisory service and experiences with networking and common development projects.
  
  Dipl.-Ing. agr. Britta Weitbrecht, Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau, Project coordinator "Berater-Praxis-Netzwerk"
  The experiences of co-operation among German speaking advisers
  - How it is organized, the activities and the tools
  
  Senior Adviser Erik Fog, Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, dept. Organic Farming:
  Possibilities and limits in a Special Support Action under the EU Sixth Framework Programme.
  
• 10.30 - 7. Group work:
  
  Required benefits from the network project - in the viewpoints of farmers and advisers
  - Defining target groups and network participants
  - Possible benefits of an international information exchange.
  - What do we expect to gain and what can we offer the common network?
  - Wanted activities to make the network a success
  - Seminars, common or on special topics
  - Electronic communication system
  - Common secretariat
  - etc.
  
• 12.00 - Lunch
  
• 13.00 - 8. Common conclusions
  Presentation of the findings in the groups.
  Identification of the needs and ideas to be elaborated into the application for the EU funding.
  
  Next steps
  Presentation of what the Planning Group will do and how it will be accessible on the Internet.
  Continuous communication.
  
  Departure.

E-mail to Erik Fog, Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, National Centre
erf@landscentret.dk

with the following information:
Name
Position
Organization / company
Organization / company website
Address
E-mail
Phone / Fax
Mobile phone

Britta Weitbrecht
Stiftung Oekologie & Landbau
Germany
E-Mail weitbrecht@soel.de