The next Organic World Congress will be held in Rennes, France. Originally scheduled for 2020, the Congress was postponed to 6-10 September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organic World Congress
In 1977, the first ever Organic World Congress (OWC) saw people from around the globe come together to exchange knowledge, innovations, and experiences, providing an unprecedented platform for anyone working towards truly sustainable agriculture.
Since then, IFOAM – Organics International’s emblematic OWC has become the world’s largest global organic gathering, with farmers, producers, researchers, and advocates meeting every three years. Its forums bring together thinkers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss new ideas and concepts that will help propel agriculture and organic to the next level of sustainability.
IFOAM – Organics International is working with a consortium of leading French organic organizations including Agence Bio, A PRO BIO, Bio Centre, Cluster Bio, and Ecocert, to mention but a few.
Under the event’s tagline ‘From its roots, organic inspires life’, the 2021 OWC will tackle issues around resilience, societal transformation, ecosystem regeneration, as well as health and food sovereignty.
OWC 2021 key’s messages
- Innovation can be used to stimulate farmer conversion to organic, increasing nutritional yields per hectare while maintaining ecosystem health.
- Organic systems are tied to the living soil and should be enhanced to preserve and develop biodiversity as well as plant health and animal welfare.
- The organic agriculture movement inspires healthy food systems and a culture of sustainability.
- Organic agriculture is forward-looking and achieves innovation through the melding of tradition and science.
- Organic agriculture serves as an inspiration for the transformational changes needed within the agricultural sector.
- Organic agriculture works and positions itself as an agent of change. It is time to scale up and harness the benefits reaped from regenerative, sustainable ways of farming.
- The 2021 OWC is solution-oriented, offering pathways to shape sustainable food systems that keep us within planetary boundaries
The OWC 2021 will have six main forum
- Leadership Forum: Thinkers and researchers discuss and shape the future of the organic movement. Stakeholders from various professions and backgrounds will openly debate the sector’s latest insights, challenges and developments.
- Farmers’ and Advisors’ Forum: A unique opportunity for farmers from five continents to gather and exchange on what it means to be an organic farmer.
- Science Forum: Presenting groundbreaking research on the organic sector.
- Supply and Value Chain Forum: From producers to consumers, supply and value chain actors share inspiring experiences as well as innovations to further develop organic food and non-food supply chains.
- Culture and Education Forum: Trainers and educators share their experience disseminating the message of sustainable, organic farming as well as their work in empowering farmers and citizens to find organic solutions for the world’s environmental and social challenges.
- Stakeholder Forum: An exchange between all the stakeholders dedicated to organic development and innovation where we present past success stories, debate controversial topics, and provide a space for exchange utilizing participatory meeting methods.
Though the congress language is English, simultaneous translations in French and Spanish will be made available for some sessions.
Aside from vital discussions, the OWC 2021 will offer opportunities for personal and professional development, inspiration and networking. It is an event by the organic movement, for the organic movement and beyond.
Join around 2,000 like-minded participants and some 80 sessions. Whether you are an organic organization, supporter, farmer, or policymaker, the congress is a great opportunity to shape the future of food and farming, organically.
The #OWC2021 will be both an in-person and virtual event. Tickets for the in-person sessions in Rennes are available from mid-January. The Congress virtual platform, online sessions and how to join them will be presented in March. Stay tuned!
Author: Julie Cornu, Communications Coordinator, IFOAM – Organics International
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