National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan

In a nutshell

The government presented the National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan in 2007. Based on the framework, the National Organic Programme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests has developed and promoted organic farming to produce safe and healthy food for local consumers as well as for other markets.

Investments are being made for capacity building, technology transfer, and market linkages. Additionally, unique affordable certification systems have been conceptualized and piloted.

In its recent 5-year-plan (FYP), the government of Bhutan plan to convert all farms to organic production by the year 2020.  The national framework for this transition outlines several levers for a change to a more sustainable and productive agriculture.

Due to Bhutan’s remoteness and restrictive policy, it is already organic for the most parts.

Context

In 2008, Bhutan officially introduced the “Gross-National-Happiness” Philosophy (GNH) and enshrined it in its constitution. It promotes that happiness of the people is more important than increased production or efficiency. Bhutan’s landscapes consist mostly of mountains and valleys (only 3% of the area is used for crop production). Under such conditions, large-scale production is challenging. About 50% of food is imported nowadays. Until the early 1960s, Bhutan isolated itself and thus preserved much of its culture and traditional (organic) agriculture. An estimated 70% of all farmers already apply organic agriculture farming methods.

Objective

The objective of the Bhutanese government is to reduce poverty in Bhutan and to preserve the health and happiness of the Bhutanese people by transforming the entire agriculture sector towards an organic agriculture-based production.

Key Interventions

Farm level:

• Protecting the long term fertility of the soil by maintaining and increasing levels of organic matter, fostering soil biological activity and preventing soil erosion
• Achieving nitrogen self-sufficiency through crop rotation with leguminous and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock wastes
• Responsible use of water resources
• Using renewable on-farm resources in locally organised farming systems
• Controlling weeds, diseases and pests by relying primarily on local formulations for plant protection, crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, resistant varieties, and by using local species of successful traditional seeds and crops

Regional/national Level:

• Preserving and enhancing traditional and indigenous farming knowledge
• Developing the education curriculum to include subjects covering biodiversity and organic agriculture
• Developing a strategy with certified (for exports) and non-certified organic production
• Creating a “National Organic Programme Coordination Unit” (NOPCU) for research, policy coordination and extension

Lessons Learned/challenges

The challenges that Bhutan is facing are a lack of clear regulation for pesticides and fertilizers, as well as a lack of external organic inputs, which the unfertile soil would desperately need. A further challenge is the work-force shortage since organic farming is labour-intensive. Finally, the consumers and the markets need time to adjust to organic production in order to generate more income to cover the extra costs.

Relevant Links & references

• Bhutanese Government: “National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan”
• ICIMOD: “Organic Agriculture Development Strategies”
• Tashi: “Prospects of Organic Farming in Bhutan”

Brazil’s National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Food Production

In a nutshell

The Brazilian National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production (PLANAPO) is the main instrument to implement the Brazilian National Policy for Agroecology and Organic Production (PNAPO). It aims to improve the quality of life of the population by widening and consolidating actions towards a sustainable rural development and by increasing the consumption of healthy food. To work towards this goal, the PLANAPO follows six strategic axes: Production; Use and Conservation of Natural Resources; Dissemination of Knowledge; Commercialization and Consumption, Land and Territory and Socio-Biodiversity. Ten ministries are involved in creating and carrying out policies and programmes to work towards the goals of the National Plan. The Interministerial Chamber for Agroecology and Organic Production (CIAPO) coordinates the actions of the ten ministries and the National Commission for Agroecology and Organic Production (CNAPO), which is composed by Government representatives and civil society actors, is in charge of monitoring the PLANAPO.

Context

The PLANAPO was created in 2012, after the so-called “March of the Daisies” in 2012, where rural women demonstrated for sustainable rural development, gender equality and better life conditions for the rural population. Ever since, civil society has always been strongly involved in the planning, the implementation and the monitoring of the PLANAPO. The “Ecoforte” programme, funded by the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Económico e Social (BNDES) and the Fundação Banco do Brasil (FBB) Foundation is one of the PLANAPO’s pivotal elements: This program aims to strengthen agroecology networks and organic farming networks throughout the country by providing direct financial support. The PLANAPO supports the transition of all dimensions of sustainability.

Objective

The overall goal is to create a better quality of life for the Brazilians through the offer and consumption of healthy food and the sustainable use of natural resources. Fostering agroecological transition by strengthening organic and agroecological based production is seen as a key path to achieve this goal.

Key Interventions

National Level:

• Promoting food safety and nutritional sovereignty and the human’s right to healthy and adequate eating;
• Promoting the sustainable use of natural resources;
• Supporting the conservation and recovery of the modified ecosystems by privileging the use of production systems that reduce pollutant residues and the dependence on external inputs for production;
• Promoting fair and sustainable systems of production, distribution and food consumption
• Adding value to the agrobiodiversity and the sociobiodiversity products as well as stimulating local experiences of usage, conservation and management of vegetal and animal genetic resources;
• Enhancing the participation of rural youth both in the organic and agroecological based production;
• Contributing to mitigate gender inequalities through actions and programmes to foster the women’s economic autonomy.

Lessons Learned/challenges

It has become clear that the participation of the civil society in the elaboration and in the monitoring of the plan is crucial for its success.

The lack of a complete register of all organic farmers in Brazil is a great challenge for the PLANAPO. Furthermore, organic farmers’ access to credit facilities is still very restricted. There is also an urgent need for more technical assistance and extension programmes for agroecological and organic farmers. In order to make the PLANAPO a sustainable and stable instrument to strengthen organic and agroecological agriculture in Brazil, it is furthermore crucial to strengthen the plan at the federal level, thus to make it a public policy of the Brazilian State (instead of a government plan). The Brazilian government changes regularly and each change puts the PLANAPO at risk.

Relevant Links & references

• Global Alliance for the Future of Food/Biovision: “Beacons of Hope – A Sustainability Transitions Framework for Sustainable Food Systems” (not officially accessible yet)
• Government of Brazil: “National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production”

Denmark’s Organic Action Plan

In a nutshell

The overall goal of the Action Plan is to double the organically cultivated area by 2020, measured from the 2007 level. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, engaging the relevant stakeholders in Denmark was perceived as an essential factor. The government of Denmark wanted the public sector to lead the way and to accelerate the development. Therefore, one objective was to transition from conventional to organic production on publicly owned land. The second objective was to continue efforts to support public sector kitchens to go organic. The vision is that more than 800’000 people could benefit from healthy, organic meals served every day in canteens, hospitals and nurseries. Since Denmark’s Organic Action Plan was adopted in 2011, the organically farmed area has grown by 57 per cent, and sales of organic products by shops has more than doubled. Within these years, sales of organic products to professional kitchens in Denmark have increased by approximately 170 per cent, and 30 municipalities are currently in the process of making their kitchens go organic.

Context

Denmark was the first country to develop and implement rules for organic farming, a national logo, and inspection system. In addition, Denmark has – at 13 percent- the highest organic market share in supermarkets. The Danish organic association, Organic Denmark, has supported governments, organizations, and food retailers in over 30 countries with the development of organic food policy and market development.

Objective

By developing and implementing the Organic Action Plan, the government of Denmark (2011-2015) aimed to further develop and increase organic production, and by doing that to maintain Denmark’s leading role in producing and using organic produce. One of the key objectives of the Organic Action Plan is to increase sales of Danish organic products, both nationally and globally.

Key Interventions

National Level:

• One key activity of the Action Plan is to stimulate the demand of organic products by consumers and private and public kitchens by e.g. getting public kitchens (such as in schools and hospitals) to start using more organic produce.
• Another key action has been using the Organic Cuisine label to encourage the use of organic products in both public and private kitchens.
• The Action Plan supports farmers to convert to organic production by making the rules on how to become an organic producer easier to understand.
• In order to support the development of good farming practices, research programs have been initiated that aim to develop good organic production practices.

Lessons Learned/challenges

Policies that have been developed to support organic farming have played a key role in realising the significant organic results achieved in Denmark.

This development did not come out of the blue and over night. It is the result of cooperation between farsighted farmers, organisations and politicians that has turned Denmark into the world’s leading country for organics.

Relevant Links & references

• Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark: “Organic Action Plan for Denmark. Working together for more organics”
• One Planet Network: “The Danish Organic Action Plan”
• World Future Council: “Silver Winner Denmark”

Regulation on Agroecology (RAGRECO)

In a nutshell

In 2010, the local government of the canton de Vaud in Switzerland adopted a regulation on agroecology (Règlement sur l’agroécologie RAgrEco 910.21.1), which became applicable in January 2011.

These are legislative measures and regulations whose principal objective is to address the public economic and financial subsidies to farmers, with respect to agroecological objectives. Those objectives are focused on the maintenance of soil fertility and on the conservation of biodiversity and landscape diversity. Interestingly, the regulation fosters collective actions and promotes the conservation of rural cultural-natural heritage at the cantonal level. Finally, it contains a clause on compensating production loss in the first few years of conversion to organic production.

Context

The canton of Vaud is one of the main agricultural cantons of Switzerland and its agricultural production presents a wide range of vegetable productions and animals. The government traditionally provided significant subsidies for agriculture and price guarantees, to maintain a high level of domestic production. The context of liberalization and environmental awareness of the early 1990s had important consequences for Swiss agricultural policy, which took a completely different orientation toward recognizing of the multifunctionality of agriculture. Switzerland became in the recent years a strong consumer of organic products. In parallel, farmers seek to rationalize, specialize and develop quality labels such as Controlled Origin Certification in response to a decrease in prices of agricultural products.

Objective

The objectives of the regulation on agroecology is to define financial incentives for agri-environmental measures that reduce environmental impacts. The environmental objectives of the policy are focused on the maintenance of soil fertility, organic agriculture and conservation of biodiversity and landscape diversity. The scope of subsidies include individual voluntary projects, promotion activities, as well as collective projects and project plans.

Key Interventions

Farm level:

• Promotion and subsidies for voluntary ecological measures by farmers including:
  • Safeguarding and increasing grass strips and lawns to reduce soil erosion
  • Pilot projects of cultivation by direct sowing or organic agriculture
  • Renewal of apple orchards through the introduction of varieties resistant to pests or belonging to Vaud’s agronomic genetic heritage.

Regional/national Level:

• Subsidies for the realization of collective agri-environmental projects
• Protection of the biodiversity and the diversity of the countryside (conservation of specific biotop and ecosystems such as marshland, orchid rich grassland)
• Creation of a network of compensatory ecological surfaces
• Protection of the rural, natural and landscape heritage (protection of specific element of the landscape such as chestnut groves, hedgerows)

Lessons Learned/challenges

The regulation on agroecology from the canton of Vaud is one the few experiences of an agroecological legislation under way throughout the world. One of the main challenges of such law is to link and coordinate regulatory measures between different legal fields, in particular between environmental law and agricultural law. It requires constructing a bottom-up “trans-law” that integrate both fields, and coordinate their associated institutions while respecting their autonomies.

Relevant Links & references

• Regulation No. 910.21.1 on Agroecology (Règlement sur l’agroécologie RAgrEco 910.21.1)
• Regulation No. 910.03.1 on the application of Vaud’s Agricultural Law (Règlement d’application de la loi sur l’agriculture vaudoise RLVLAgr 910.03.1)
• Vaud’s Agricultural Law (Loi sur l’agriculture vaudoise LVLAgr 910.03)
• Monteduro, P. Buongiorno, S. Di Benedetto and A. Isoni (eds.) 2015. Law and Agroecology. A transdisciplinary dialogue. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-662-46616-2