World Food Day 2005: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Highlights Its Role In Global Intercultural Dialogue

At the occasion of World Food Day 2005, The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) highlights its role in recognizing our common agricultural heritage and creating a global platform for intercultural dialogue. IFOAM and the international organic movement worldwide are demonstrating the relevance of organic agriculture in promoting and enhancing biodiversity and food security and creating an ecologically, socially and economically sound future for all.

In its World Food Day press release, the FAO recognizes that "Poor farmers cannot compete in an international marketplace if their goods are shut out of richer countries, while subsidized farm products from industrialized countries are sold at or even below production cost in poor countries." This recognition by the FAO that export subsidies and the dumping of agricultural products on poor countries create an unfair trading system is an important step. However, commitments to partially eliminate such economically and culturally devastating practices by 2010 only provides for an additional several years of suffering and destruction of cultural traditions in poor countries, and virtually ensures that the 852 million people around the world who are hungry will remain hungry, and also makes the stated World Food Summit goal of reducing this number to 426 million hungry by 2015 practically impossible.

IFOAM and the organic movements worldwide are making tangible and systematic efforts towards achieving its goal of the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the Principles of Organic Agriculture (http://www.ifoam.org/organic_facts/principles/index.html). As of the beginning of 2005, 558,449 farms in 108 countries, amounting to more than 26 million hectares and a market value of over 25 billion Euros, are currently certified. Many millions of people are involved in the production, marketing, processing and distribution of organic products, generating immense income for a great number of people while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity and protecting the environment for future generations.