OFA Chair elected IFOAM President
Andre Leu - interested in promoting the multifunctional benefits of organic systems and food in terms of health, climate change, soil improvement, water use efficiency and poverty alleviation.
The Chair of the Organic Federation of Australia, Andre Leu, has been elected as President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Andre is the first Australian President of IFOAM - the world umbrella organization that currently unites 750 member organizations in 116 countries and is the only organization that advocates for organic agriculture at the international level.
Andre was elected at the General Assembly in Korea during the 17th IFOAM Organic World Congress.
“It is an exciting time to be involved in the organic sector as it is the fastest growing agricultural based industry in the world,” said Andre.
“The growth in the markets for organic product sales continues to increase and defy the global market slowdown. One hundred and sixty countries collected certified organic data in 2009 compared to 86 countries in 2000.
“The global value of certified organic market sales is estimated to be around $60 billion dollars. It was $54.9 billion in 2009, $33.2 billion in 2005 and $15.2 billion in 1999.
“This shows a consistent trend of a high rate of growth,” he said.
When asked about the priorities during his term as President Andre stated: “I am interested in promoting the multifunctional benefits of organic systems and food in terms of health, climate change, biodiversity, small farmers, feeding the world, resilience, soil improvement, water use efficiency and poverty alleviation.”
The IFOAM Organic World Congress, held every three years, is the most significant event in the organic world. This year it attracted thousands of people from around 100 countries with over 250,000 people participating in the numerous activities at the congress site.
Many Australians, including Jan Denham, the Chair of Australia’s first organic certifier, NASAA, contributed to this important international event.
OFA Deputy Chair, Tim Marshall and several other OFA members presented a range of papers on organic systems and OFA founding member, Liz Clay, was a keynote speaker and a Co-chair of the General Assembly.
Liz Clay was the first Australian to serve on the IFOAM World Board and retired in 2005, with Brendan Hoare from New Zealand being elected.
Andre paid tribute to the outgoing IFOAM board members, especially the previous President, Katherine DiMatteo.