International research
The secretariat of ICROFS initiates, coordinates, and participates in international research activities. The aim is to strengthen the position of organic farming and food systems. Furthermore, ICROFS works for increasing the conversion possibilities from conventional farming production, as well as promoting the sustainable development of farming and food systems as a whole and to contribute to the development of agro-ecological methods.
Projects can either be geographical focussed activities or horizontal activities that can be applied globally or to a wider range of organic farming and food systems.
Productivity and Growth in Organic Value-chains (ProGrOV)
A research project on productivity and growth in organic value-chains, ProGrOV in short, was launched in January 2011. This project will focus on improving productivity and growth in existing organic value chains in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania through development of agro-ecological methods, governance and management of organic value-chains, and capacity development regarding research focused on participatory and interdisciplinary approaches.
International conference: Innovations in ORGANIC FOOD SYSTEMS for Sustainable Production and Enhanced Ecosystem Services
ICROFS organised jointly with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Organic Management Systems Group of American Society of Agronomy (ASA-OMS) the International Conference that took place 1-2 November 2014 Long Beach, California.
Knowledge Synthesis: 'Organic Agrilculture for Sustainable Livelihoods'
This book provides a timely analysis and assessment of the potential of organic agriculture (OA) for rural development and the improvement of livelihoods. It focuses on smallholders in developing countries and in countries of economic transition, but there is also coverage of and comparisons with developed countries. Market-oriented approaches and challenges for OA as part of high value chains and as an agro-ecologically based development for improving food security is covered. The often unrecognised roles that organic farming can play in climate change, food security and sovereignty, carbon sequestration, cost internalisations, ecosystems services, human health andthe restoration of degraded landscapes are demonstrated. Buy it here.
VOVE – a preparatory study for long-term explorations of Viable, Integrated, Agro-ecological Food Systems
The VOVE project is an international study lead by ICROFS. The over-all aim of the study is to investigate the development of a large-scale and long-term research project to test the hypothesis that complex, agro-ecological, functionally integrated food systems can be sustainable and nourish the world in 2050 with significantly reduced net emissions of green house gases (GHG).
Chinese-Danish network
ICROFS coordinated the ‘Chinese-Danish networking on Systemic Approaches to Pest Management without Pesticides’ funded by International Network Programme of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The network was established in collaboration with the China Agricultural University, Beijing.