"THE LEAP AHEAD"

(Implementation of the Slovenian Action plan for organic farming)

Coordinator: Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD)
Partners: Organic Farmers' Association Central Slovenia, Umanotera; DEBIO (Norway)
Duration: July 2008 - December 2009
Financial support: Financial Mechanism EGP and Norwegian Financial Mechanism
Project web page: www.itr.si/en/leap_ahead

The aim of the project is to enhance the implementation of the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Farming in Slovenia until 2015 (APOF), which was adopted by the Slovenian government in November 2005.

APOF was adopted with the argumentation that organic farming benefits biodiversity, environment, supply with quality foods and sustainable rural development. APOF is therefore an important tool for providing these public benefits.

ISD participated intensively in the preparation of APOF and facilitated involvement of civil society (environmental, organic farming, consumers' NGOs) in its elaboration. All of these are also strongly interested in its successful implementation. After 2,5 years, our conclusion is that the APOF is laying behind in many of its areas. This puts under a serious threat the achievement of its goals, such as 15% share of organic farms and 20% share of organic area until 2015.

This project will enhance the implementation of the APOF in four key areas - topics of our project:

Area 1: KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER for ORGANIC.
Very weak transfer of knowledge on organic farming and no system for enhancement of conversion of farms and other operators to organic farming.

Area 2: GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT.
Absence of »green public procurement« of foods: no organic foods in public schools, hospitals...

Area 3: GMO.
The challenge of permanent prevention of contamination of crops and foods with genetically modified organisms.

Area 4: PROMOTION OF APOF.
APOF is irrecognisable or has low priority among the stakeholders, especially among employees in state administration and public institutions.

Key target groups are employees in state administration, public institutions, agri chamber (especially its Advisory service), civil society organisations (especially organic farmers, but also conventional), local communities, politicians, and general public.

Main activities comprise facilitation of cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, organisation of stakeholders into more permanent structures (such as task force for organic knowledge transfer), elaboration of guidelines (green public procurement for organic foods) and strategies (GMOs), trainings, seminars, publications, elaboration of recommendations for further actions for relevant stakeholders, targeted promotion of APOF among the carriers of its action points and inclusion of APOF into the programme of the governmental Council for Sustainable Development.

Results will be the establishment of an innovative system for knowledge transfer in organic farming with the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders, setting up of the foundation for green public procurement of (organic) foods, national starting-point for maintenance of GM-free farming, a considerably improved recognition of the APOF among responsible stakeholders, and as a whole: a »leap forward« in the development of organic farming in Slovenia, based on more permanent structures and better starting points.

The project is supoported by Financial Mechanism EGP and Norwegian Financial Mechanism.