Dynamic developments in organic research – strengthening partnerships across Europe and beyond
For the first time the 6th International Conference on Organic Agriculture Sciences (ICOAS) was held in Austria from 7 – 9 November. High-level international experts met at Esterházy Palace, Eisenstadt, to exchange knowledge and experiences from different areas of organic production. The three-day conference was organized as a joint project by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Esterhazy Betriebe GmbH, the Austrian Rural network and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT). This year’s conference theme was “Dynamic Developments in Organic Research – strengthening Partnerships across Europe and beyond”.
ICOAS brought together scientists, advisors, entrepreneurs, policy makers, associations, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to meet and discuss latest research results and developments in organic agriculture in Central and Eastern European countries. The 200 participants from 30 countries actively discussed the latest developments in the organic sector, making Eisenstadt a hub of the organic world. On the first two days of the ICOAS, speakers from 26 countries presented a wide range of current research results on organic production, which were discussed intensively from the most diverse perspectives. Furthermore, the respective organic markets, regional marketing strategies and processes for increasing quality were examined. Innovative no-till methods were presented, as well as the latest studies on consumers’ behavior and attitudes to organic products throughout Europe.
Following the two-day scientific conference on November 9, Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism Elisabeth Köstinger invited to the Organic Policy Summit. “Austria is the number one organic country – we are a model for many member states in the European Union. Therefore, we are pleased that we can hold the ICOAS’18 in Austria,” Elisabeth Köstinger emphasized. High-level political representatives from Austria, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic highlighted the role of organic agriculture and applied research in this area for a sustainable and sustainable agricultural system at the Organic Policy Summit. (ICOAS)
