Schemes And Institutions

Agrecol is a working group of NGOs, development services, consulting companies, universities, and individuals who promote locally adapted, ecologically sound land use in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Their website provides information on meetings, publications, seminars, and projects. [Available only in English, French, and German].

Agricultura Ecologica offers a variety of on-line courses regarding organic and sustainable agriculture including advanced olive growing, natural pest control, hydroponics, and starting an agro-tourism business. [Available only in Spanish]

Agriculture and Organic Farming Group
AOFG is a service and development organisation that promotes sustainable agriculture and organic farming in India with a focus on natural resource management, rural economic sustainability, and women’s empowerment. Their site provides information on their activities, projects and services. [Available only in English].

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
AFSIC is one of several US topic-oriented information centres operated by the US Department of Agriculture through the National Agricultural Library. AFSIC specialises in locating and accessing information related to alternative cropping systems including sustainable, organic, low-input, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture. [Available only in English].

Biodynamic Farming And Gardening Association (BDA)
This website provides information on biodynamic farming, related education, training, apprenticeship opportunities, events, discussion forum, conferences, literature, and advice. [Available only in English].

CAB International
The site contains a large amount of information on organic agriculture and food. It provides access to scientific articles and documents from the CAB ABSTRACTS database.
News headlines provide weekly stories on organic research, policy, funding, business, education, etc. Other resources include a list of educational courses by region, a calendar of events, a career service, links to the full text of international and regional laws and regulations governing the production and processing of organic foods as well as hundreds of other links. [Available only in English].

Canadian Organic Growers (COG)
COG is the national information network for organic gardeners, farmers, and consumers in Canada. The site provides information on the organisation and membership, events, publications, an online resource library, a message board (for discussions), an eco-market database of growers, products and services, as well as job and apprenticeships opportunities. [Available only in English].

Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS)
The aim of this Australian non-profit organisation is to provide a forum for organic growers to exchange information, and encourage the general public to adopt organic growing methods. The page offers a wide range of general information on organic farming, selected articles, web-links, a discussion forum, and a free expert question and answer service. It covers most information on organic agriculture in Australia, including events, resources, education, statistics, certification, products, and contacts. [Available only in English].

Transport of Cattle
CIAS is sustainable agriculture research centre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. The site contains information on resources, research, links and publications, mainly on sustainable and organic agriculture subjects. [Available only in English].

National Center of Organic Agricultural Resources
The National Center of Organic Agricultural Resources is jointly supported by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture. It collects, analyzes and disseminates technical and economic information related to organic agriculture. The site includes information on services, training, news, and contacts. Of particular interest is its database, BIOBASE, that reviews articles of over 130 agricultural magazines specialized in organic agriculture

CORE Organic
Core Organic is a transnational partnership formed to enhance the quality, relevance, and utilization of resources for organic food and farming research in Europe. This website contains analysis reports of organic research facilities and programmes throughout Europe and links to Core Organics newsletter which reports on topics related to organic food and farming research. [Available only in English].

Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Placed within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Farming Systems Unit of the Danish Institute provides information on organic farming, namely: research area, yearbook including farm reports with descriptions of production, agronomic and economic annual results (so far, only for organic dairy farms), survey of ecological farming in Denmark (1997), publications, and projects.

Danish Research Centre For Organic Farming (DARCOF)

The DARCOF website contains summaries of current and completed research projects at the centre, up-coming meetings, DARCOF publications, and a discussion forum on organic principles. [Available only in English and Danish].

Demeter International
Demeter is a non-profit organisation dedicated to certifying biodynamic agricultural products in over 40 countries world-wide. Demeter has developed international standards for production, processing, and labelling of biodynamic products. [Main site available only in English; however, Demeter country websites are available in various languages].

Department of Organic Farming and Cropping Systems, University Of Kassel
This website provides information about the staff, publications, and research activities being carried out in the Department. The Department of Organic Farming and Cropping Systems also offers courses in ecological agriculture through the SOCRATES - Common European Specialisation in Ecological Agriculture. [Available only in English and German].

Economic Research Service of US Department of Agriculture
The Organic Briefing Room of the Economic Research Service synthesises ERS research about organic farming and the economic framework of organic markets. The site contains a variety of information on organic agriculture in the US including organic farming statistics, overviews of organic sales, and economic impact assessments of proposed policies. [Available only in English]

European Network For Scientific Research Coordination In Organic Farming (ENOF)
The objective of ENOF, funded by the Commission of the European Communities and managed by the Direction General of Agriculture, is to encourage collaborations within Europe in the fields of organic agriculture education, research, experimentation, and technical knowledge. Research is focused on five main topics: crop production and weed control; soil fertility and environmental aspects; animal husbandry, grasslands, and fodder production; legal and economical aspects; and crop protection. [Available only in English]

Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University Of Kassel
This website provides information about the staff, publications, and research activities being carried out in the Department. The Department of Organic Farming and Cropping Systems also offers courses in ecological agriculture through the SOCRATES - Common European Specialisation in Ecological Agriculture. [Available only in English and German].

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO)
The site includes information related to fair trade labelling principles and standards in over 20 countries. [Available only in English and Spanish].

Farming Solutions
Farming solutions website provides stories of sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture in developing countries. The site also presents information on food security issues and statistics on population, food insecurity, land use, and biodiversity for many developing countries.

German Institute For Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL)

DITSL is an NGO which fosters sustainable rural development in the Third World through technology transfer, resource management of agro-ecosystems, and organic farming.

Goetheanum HYPERLINK "http://www.sektion-landwirtschaft.org/560.html?L=1" Section On Agriculture
The Section on Agriculture is situated at the Goetheanum (Dornach, Switzerland), where it collaborates closely with the Research Institute of the Science Section. Its work focuses on research projects such as: development of an extended understanding of warmth in agriculture and nutrition; copper as a pesticide; individualising nature-protection measures; access to matter and process with the example of nitrogen; image-creating methods; research on plants with transferred genes; hygiene and nutrition and biodynamic agriculture. It creates meeting points through courses, conferences and practical work on farms. Annual international conferences on biodynamic agriculture are held in February, at the Goetheanum.

Grolink HYPERLINK "http://www.sida.se/sida/jsp/sida.jsp?d=121&language=en_US" And Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
The Advanced International Training Programme in Organic Agriculture is being organized and administered by Grolink in cooperation with an African Institution.
The objective of the training programme is to provide expertise and experience of selected topics that are of strategic importance in the development of organic agriculture in developing countries.

Henry A. Wallace Centre For Agricultural And Environmental Policy
The Institute aims to encourage and facilitate the adoption of low-cost, resource-conserving and environmentally sound farming systems in the U.S. by providing the leadership and policy research and analysis necessary to influence national agricultural policy.
The site contains an overview of programmes, projects and publications on sustainable agriculture, including among others, organic agriculture documents. [Available only in English].

Indonesia Organic
Indonesia Organic is a website promoting the expansion of the organic industry in Indonesia. It provides the links to connect the industry to the rest of the world and creates access to the rapidly expanding amount of information, education and businesses in Indonesia.

Institute For Biodynamic Research
The Institute is based in Germany and focuses its scientific research on biodynamic and organic agriculture. Among other topics, the Institute has researched long-term soil organic matter content of land used for organic farming, yield output of crops using various production methods, and plant breeding. [Available only in English and German].

Institute of Organic Agriculture (University of Bonn, Germany)

The Institute is at the University of Bonn, Germany. The site contains information on main research results and on-going research as well as publications and web-links

International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR)
ISOFAR promotes and supports research in all areas of organic agriculture by facilitating global co-operation in research, methodological development, education and knowledge exchange. ISOFAR supports individual researchers through membership services, publications and events and by integrating stakeholders in the research process. [Available only in English].

Leopold Center For Sustainable Agriculture
Based out of Iowa State University, the Leopold Center focuses on sustainable agriculture in the Midwest US.
The website offers a wide selection of articles, reports, opinion papers, research, technical advice, fact sheets, and statistics about US agriculture. [Available only in English].

Louis HYPERLINK "http://www.louisbolk.org/"Bolk HYPERLINK "http://www.louisbolk.org/" Institute
The Louis Bolk Institute (LBI), based in the Netherlands, is a non-profit organisation and the natural source of knowledge to encourage scientific research and provide new insight into organic and sustainable agriculture, nutrition and health care. It links social issues with groundbreaking research, and bridges the gap between scientific objectivity and personal involvement.
The LBI works on four main issues (human, animal, plant and soil) and helps farmers with practical solutions for farm management provides greater insight into healthy nutrition, helps doctors to promote human health and vitality and helps researchers throughout the world with scientific innovation.

Multinational Exchange For Sustainable Agriculture (MESA)

MESA is a non-profit organisation, which facilitates US organic on-the-farm training programmes for international farmer interns. It arranges 8-month US experimental training programmes in sustainable and organic agriculture for young international farmer interns and conducts 7-14 day ecological tours of organic farms. [Available only in English and Spanish].

National Organic Program
This Agricultural Marketing Service site of the US Department of Agriculture provides information about the National Organic Program (NOP). It contains links to the NOP regulations and guidelines, the National Organic Standards Board, NOP policies and news updates as well as other resource materials on organic production. It now features the new National Organic Program policy for apiculture, greenhouse, hydroponics, mushroom, and aquatic animal products. [Available only in English].

Network of Researchers Involved In Organic Crop Rotation Experiments
This network was founded in October 1998 by the FAO regional office for Europe in collaboration with Research Institute of Organic Agriculture. The site includes a list of members and their e-mail addresses together with a list of references. [Available only in English].

Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC)

OACC is a research and education initiative dedicated to building sustainable communities for organic producers and consumers. Their research focuses on all aspects of organic farming from soil health to food quality. OACC offers extension services, bulletins on technical knowledge, as well as web- and campus-based courses. [Available in English and French].

Organic Agriculture Information Access
The Organic Agriculture Information Access is a searchable electronic collection of historic US Department of Agriculture publications related to organic agriculture. [Available only in English].

Organic Centre Wales
The Organic Centre Wales is operated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. The website offers technical information for farmers including information on conversion to organic farming, training courses, and publications on marketing and processing organic foods. The Centre has a wide range of publications from research to technical guides and offers a searchable database of articles. [Available only in English and Welsh].

Organic Consumers Association (OCA)

OCA is a US consumer advocacy organisation promoting organic food and fibre production and is affiliated with the Campaign for Food Safety. The page provides information on legislative action and campaigns for sustainable agriculture and organics as well as an extensive directory of eco-friendly and organic food and products. Links to a variety of topics related to organic agriculture are also provided. [Available in English and Spanish].

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
The OFRF sponsors research related to organic farming, disseminates research results to organic farmers, and educates the public and policy-makers about organic farming issues. The site presents details on OFRF-funded research projects, procedures for grant applications, information about US federal policy issues, and links to other organic research entities. [Available only in English].

Organic Research Database
Organic-research.com is an online community for organic farming and food, developed by CABI Publishing. CABI Publishing endeavours to provide impartial information of high quality, recognising worldwide interest in organic farming and related sustainability issues. Paying members can access commissioned research papers, a sample of conference and workshop reports, and lists of current and completed research projects worldwide. [Available only in English].

OrganicAgInfo
The OrganicAgInfo website was designed to provide information on production, economic data, research results, farmer anecdotes, certification information, transition strategies, as well as many other subjects related to organic agriculture. The website features many broad topics and specific subtopics which link to scientific journal articles, statistics, workbooks, websites, meeting notes and more. Each link is annotated with a short description of the content. [Available only in English].

Permaculture International, Ltd. (PIL)
PIL is an Australian-base organisation that provides support for permaculture and permaculturists. PIL also serves as an information and communication hub and to that end, the website provides an international directory of permaculturists, recent news, related articles, trainings and courses, and up-coming permaculture events. [Available only in English].

Pesticide Action Network (PAN)
PAN brings together NGOs, institutions, and individuals worldwide to fight pesticide use. There website provides position papers, alerts, and political actions. The Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) (link:http://www.panna.org/) provides information on the dangers of pesticides for consumers, agricultural workers and the environment and promotes alternatives to chemical pesticides in Canada, US, and Mexico.

Scottish Agricultural College (SAC)
This site includes a rich selection of SAC publications on organic farming, categorised into animal health, crop and soil systems, land economy and environment, and sustainable livestock systems. SAC also operates an organic help-line, offers education and training opportunities, offers an organic information pack including facts about conversion, prices, market outlets, costs of certification, and farming practices. [Available only in English].

Sociedad HYPERLINK "http://www.agroecologia.net/" Española De HYPERLINK
SEAE was established in 1992 to combine the efforts of farmers, technicians, scientists and others to develop socially, economically and environmentally sustainable agricultural systems. The fundamental objective of ecological agriculture movements is to produce premium food and raw materials while safeguarding the environment and soil fertility through the optimal use of local resources and a stronger focus on rural cultures, ethical values of social development and quality of life. [Available only in Spanish].

Soil Association
The Soil Association provides a great deal of information on a variety of organic farming issues. Through their website there is access to over 400 documents in their virtual library and a list of their own publications, which can be purchased on-line. The site also contains an organic directory with details of over 1200 organisations supplying organic goods and services, information about organic standards, and educational resources for both teachers and students. [Available only in English].

Soil Association
The Soil Association provides a great deal of information on a variety of organic farming issues. Through their website there is access to over 400 documents in their virtual library and a list of their own publications, which can be purchased on-line. The site also contains an organic directory with details of over 1200 organisations supplying organic goods and services, information about organic standards, and educational resources for both teachers and students. [Available only in English].

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Through the US Department of Agriculture, SARE funds projects across the US to identify practical methods to manage sustainable agricultural systems. It maintains a searchable database containing details of research projects, of which over 300 focus on organic agriculture. The site also provides a list of books, bulletins, and on-line resources related to SARE projects. [Available only in English].

The Center For HYPERLINK "http://casfs.ucsc.edu/"Agroecology HYPERLINK
CASFS is a research, education, and public service programme at the University of California, Santa Cruz, dedicated to increasing ecological sustainability and social justice in the food and agriculture system. CASFS offers practical as well as academic training in the techniques of agroecology and organic farming for domestic and international students, researchers, and farmers. [Available only in English].

The Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA)
The Egyptian biodynamic association (EBDA) is a NGO that provides biodynamic research and extension service to farmers all over Egypt. Its activities include training for farmers, multilateral cooperation with other organizations, awareness raising of the organic agricultural method, biodynamic cultivation of herbs, cereals, vegetables and cotton; moreover, the development of a knowledge database designed to facilitate communication and the exchange of information between all parties interested in organic agriculture (researchers, engineers, farmers and producers).

The New Farm
The New Farm is an on-line newsletter produced by the Rodale Institute and it provides a wealth of practical organic farming advice, opinion articles on organic farming issues, book reviews, discussion fora, and personal accounts from farmers. The international link features articles about sustainable agriculture in various countries from Senegal to Italy. [Available only in English].

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL for its acronym in German) is the foremost authority on European organic agricultural research. The site provides a database of research as well as publications, links to a variety of other resources, and information on conferences and trainings throughout Europe.

The Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit (VEERU)
VEERU was established in the Department of Agriculture at the University of Reading. The aim of this research group is to improve the efficiency of livestock production in order to enhance the well being of producers, consumers, and animals. The site provides information about organic research at VEERU, projects, literature, on-line publications, and contacts. [Available only in English].

United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and The Pacific (ESCAP)
ESCAP runs a few programmes working on poverty alleviation through organic agriculture. This website links to the publication Organic Agriculture and Rural Poverty Alleviation: Potential and Best Practices which looks into concepts and practices, export potential, and market developments of small and marginal farmers conversion to organic agriculture. ESCAP has also established an Asia-Pacific Organic Farming and Green Food Information Network information on which can be accessed through the website. [Available only in English].

University Of California Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education Program (UC-SAREP)
The UC-SAREP is a California state programme that administers competitive grants for research on sustainable agricultural practices and systems, develops and distributes information, and supports long-term research in sustainable farming systems on University of California farmlands. The website contains newsletters and publications regarding the many research areas funded by SAREP as well as information regarding workshops, courses, and funding opportunities. [Available only in English].