Linking Organic Knowledge

By Dr. Andrew Hammermeister, Manager, Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada

On December 3, 2007, The Hounourable Gerald Keddy (MP, South Shore, NS) announced over $1.3 million in funding for organic in Canada. Of this funding, $711,000 will be received by the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC). The remainder will be received by the Organic Federation of Canada. So why all of this funding for organic?

With organic sales exceeding $1 billion, we have entered a time of unprecedented interest and cooperation among all stakeholders in organic agriculture. Organic provides many positive outcomes for the agri-food sector. It is a clearly defined production system based on working in harmony with the environment. It is innovative and competitive in its marketing, allowing it to capture high-value niche markets. It promotes sound business risk management by working in harmony with the environment and minimizing use of inputs. And most importantly, organic links with social values by reducing environmental risk, providing environmental goods and services, and emphasizing humane treatment of livestock.

The goal of the OACC is to support the development of these positive outcomes. We will do this by Linking Organic Knowledge. That is, by connecting the needs of producers and values of consumers with the science of organic.

With this funding the OACC will facilitate national networking by hosting extension and research symposia across Canada. We will support the development of research priorities by working through the Expert Committee on Organic Agriculture. And we will produce a current inventory of researchers conducting organic-related work in Canada.

The OACC will lead the scientific community in meeting the needs of organic stakeholders. We will work closely with provincial extension specialists to develop resources for producers and consumers.

All of these resources will be prominently featured on our bilingual website, www.oacc.info and in our free monthly electronic newsletter. To learn about the symposiums, participate in the research priority process, or to receive monthly e-zine updates, please send an email to: oacc@nsac.ca.

Organic exists only through the dedication of crop and livestock producers and the purchasing commitments of consumers. We endeavor to support these producers and consumers by linking them to sound science. Again, we gratefully acknowledge AAFC for this important and timely contribution.

 

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is pleased to participate in this project. AAFC is committed to working with industry partners to increase public awareness of the importance of the agriculture and agri-food industry to Canada. Opinions expressed in this document are those of OACC and not necessarily those of AAFC.

 

Posted January 2008