The development of organic advisory services, the creation of demo plots with various organic technologies, the creation of a closed-cycle organic dairy farm and the opening of a mini-bakery – these development plans were presented by the participants at the final sessions of the first organic leadership course in Ukraine.
The organic leadership course started at the end of 2021 from the face-2-face meeting where participants had the opportunity to get the basic information on organic agriculture, the history of the organic movement development and the formation of standards in different countries.
International experts highlighted important issues regarding the place of organic production in the global food system, the concept of sustainable food systems, and the true accounting costs. Later, these and other topics were covered and discussed during the webinars.
The preparation and presentation of the development plans was the final stage of the course, which was stretched in time first by another wave of covid and then by a full-scale invasion.
During the final event, the participants had the opportunity to present their development plans and receive a feedback from the professor of the National Agrarian University of La Molina, Roberto Ugas (Peru), who has been researching and promoting organic agriculture for many years. And also hear inspiring words and support from the president of IFOAM – Organics International, Karen Mapusua (Fiji), who has unparalleled experience and expertise in organic agriculture.
At the end of the event, the participants also had the opportunity to discuss current situation and the prospects for the development of the organic market in Ukraine together with the Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy in the Field of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Liudmila Khomichak.
Thanks to the organic leadership course, the organic sector of Ukraine was replenished with new leaders, to whom we sincerely wish the successful implementation of their development plans!
Notice:
The Organic Leadership Course (OLC) program is intended to facilitate the development of leaders in organic agriculture, giving them the opportunity to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to lead and assist the development of the organic movement in a global and/or local context.
The organic leadership course was supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Organic Trade 4 Development in Eastern Europe (OT4D) Program implemented by IFOAM – Organics International) in partnership with HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation (Switzerland) and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland), www.organictrade4development.org.