Objectives of the Work Group: Support the Organic Districts in all the start-up, management and organization related activities involving the integration of the different dimensions of the Organic District (technical, environmental, social and economic). Focus areas are Organic Districts vision, organization structure, planning strategies, performance monitoring, private and public policies.
Participants
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Cesare ZANASIItaly |
Agroeconomist, associate professor at Bologna University Department of Agrifood Protection and Valorization. Phd in Agricultural Economics at Bologna University. He has 35 years of working experience in different fields ranging from Agricultural policy to agrobusiness and supply chain management, integrated rural development applied both to the EU and to international development for cooperation. This activity was carried out both in teaching and research activities and in the last 15 years concentrated mostly on food systems sustainable development, organic agriculture, fair trade and integrated rural development. Studies have been carried out mostly in EU, Latin America and African countries. He is member of different national and international agricultural and food economics scientific societies. Coordinated an EU Project on the implementation of sustainable production of soy and beef in Latin America and the EU; organized a Master course on fair trade and management and organic and ethical certification of agrifood systems. Responsible of the IN.N.E.R. Scientific Committee. Author, moreover, of the Monitoring tool applied to Eco-Regions which can be adopted to assess their degree of competitiveness, development and compliance to the different dimensions characterizing and Eco-Region according to the International Network of Eco-Regions Standards. |
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IFOAM Asia President. Senior Advisor to the Organic Food Development Center, Ministry of Environmental Protection of China.Zhou Zejiang, more fondly known as Dr ZZ in Asia, has served the organic movement in China, Asia and other parts of the world for 27 years. He is a pioneer of the Chinese organic movement, one of the 2 first organic inspectors in the country and a well-regarded organic expert. He was the chief expert in drafting the national organic standards and joined the drafting of organic sector management regulations of China. He has also been deeply involved in promoting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).Zhou Zejiang has supported IFOAM activities for years, as an official IFOAM Representative to China and Asia, member of the IFOAM Development Committee and as the coordinator of numerous regional organic projects, including the CFC/FAO/IFOAM Organic Tea project and the IFOAM/FAO/UNCTAD Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) project, EU/IFOAM BOKK project. He was also the first Honorary Ambassador of IFOAM and joined the IFOAM World Board in 2014. |
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Owner of Nordic Bio Group AS and Co-founder of Organic Waste Processing Company CJSC www.orwaco.am which is producing organic soil regeneration material by vermincomposting in Armenia. Much of the soil in the Caucasus and Eurasia is severely degraded and prone to desertification. Together with a group of eco agriculturalists, soil scientist, professionals from Savory Nordic Hub, BERAS International and OIKOS, Rolf has formulated the Multinational Soil Building Project. The MSB-project promotes the idea of creating holistic regenerative pilot farm projects in many countries, employing proven best practice. The MSB-project is also supported by “4per1000”. Regions having a culture with grazing animals like many countries in Africa, Caucasus and Eurasia are specially targeted. The prominent Soil Scientist Dr. Rattan Lal of Ohio State University, who is participating in the MSB-project group, is pointing out that “A mere two percent increase of the carbon content of the plant’s soil could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere”. The quickest way to achieve this and even negative carbon emissions, is through proven holistic regenerative grazing management on a large scale. At the same time of being a powerful climate measure, it will also provide nutritious food, good farm economy, sustainable employment and more. By joining the GAOD alliance we hope to open new international financing possibilities for pilot projects in a growing number of countries and regions. |
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Vic is currently the Executive Director of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities, Cities and Provinces in the Philippines (LOAMCP-Ph). LOAMC is a coalition of more than 140 mayors in the Philippines who are strong advocates of Organic Agriculture and are implementing various Organic Agriculture ordinances in their respective cities and municipalities. He is a member of the Xichong Innovation Committee, an expert group from various parts of Asia who are expert in the field of agriculture innovation based in Xichong, China. He is also the President of the Sustainable Agriculture and Family Centered Entrepreneurial Group of Co-creators Incorporated (SAFEGCC Inc.), a family farm learning site in the Philippines. Prior to this, he was the Executive Director of Sustainable Agriculture Center for more than 20 years. |
Suresh KANNAIndia |
Executive Secretary, BERAS India Deputy Director for Advocacy & Campaigns at Kudumbam, a Tamil Nadu-based nonprofit organization working toward sustainable rural development. |
Arunas SVITOJUSLithuania |
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