Organic Insights Magazine - Spring 2023

12 / Organic Insights / Spring 2023

Acknowledgements

INOFO would like to acknowledge the support that its Council Members have received from Andreas Hermes Akademie who have been instrumental in INOFO formalising the organisation, from a loosely connected network, to a farmer organisation platform with a vision, mission, and a strategy within the IFOAM Organics International Network. Since the association with Andreas Hermes Akademie, INOFO has been able to consult, debate and align our organisation as an integrated participatory organisation within a structured process. Furthermore, the understanding of how INOFO positions, relates and functions within the IFOAM Network and INOFO’s operational ecosystem is an ongoing process of our organisational development. INOFO also wishes to acknowledge that the IFOAM Network is fully supportive of our self-organised development and our growing contribution, participation, and value in the overall network development. After all, farmers are the heart of the organic movement and therefore it is a crucial necessity for the network to have strong and united farmer representatives. Finally, but not least, INOFO appreciates the voluntary resources deployed by its Convenors and Organic Farmer Organisations to building our organisation and ensuring that the farmers speak for themselves and are heard. RA I S ING THE VOICE OF ORGANIC FARMERS GLOBALLY The Intercontinental Netwo k of Organic Farm rs Organisations (INOFO) is a sub-group of IFOAM Organics International designed to represent organic producers globally; to ‘ensure that farmers speak for themselves and are heard’. INOFO was founded in 2008 as a self-organised farmer sector platform within the IFOAM Organics International Network. There are now 6 regions spanni g all continen s where INOFO ha active membership. farmer herself) says that when she joined INOFO in 2014 at the time of the Organic World Congress in Istanbul, it was obvious that there was a lack of representation of farmers, with attendees being mostly businessman, traders and certificatio people. “[At the time] my mentor Dr Claude Alvares, then Director of OFAI (Organic Farmers INOFO strategic plan R-L: ShamikaMone – INOFOWorld Board – President and IFOAM World Board; KarenMapusua – IFOAMWorld Board – President; ThalesMendonça – INOFOWorld BoardGlobal R latio ship; Julie Matovu – INOFOUganda Convener; Daniel Wanjama – INOFO World BoardVice President; CharlesMubanga – SouthernAfrica Convener; Gerald A. Herrmann –Director Organic Services Germany; Nana Adams – INOFOWest Africa Convener; Choitresh Ganguly – IFOAMWorld Board; CarolinMoeller – INOFOGlobal Support; Miss Sarah Jensen –GIZ Germany

ORGANIC FARMERS SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES INTER-CONTINENTAL NETWORK OF ORGANIC FARMERS ORGANISATIONS (INOFO)

STRATEGIC PLAN

2021-2027 (TWO TERM)

INOFO has a vision, mission, and a strategy to seek influence to gain recognition and visibility for organic farmers’ organisations throughout the World. It has a farmer-centric focus on: • Advocacy • Knowledge Sharing and Training • Leadership and Capacity building; and • Organisational Development & Governance INOFO released a Strategic Plan back in February to guide the group’s priorities to 2027 around these 4 key focus areas. The Plan includes actions to share farming best practice, participate in broader agro-ecological systems, build relationships with non-organic stakeholders to ‘mainstream’ organic, provide high level government advocacy, develop farmer skills in representation, and provide training and mentoring. Several thematic topics are also outlined in the plan, including food and nutritional security, climate resilient farming, gender empowerment, youth engagement, family farms, and market access and value chains. Shamika Mone (INOFO’s President and member of the IFOAMWorld Board, and a

Association of India) wanted the world to know that organic farmers are doing great work on their farms and the whole world should see them. He wanted the Organic World Congress to come to India, which it did in 2017.” It was Dr Alvares that encouraged Shamika to step into INOFO and it was Anton Pinschof, Ex President of INOFO, who inspired her to contribute to the development of INOFO. The idea was not new, with many contributors to IFOAM (including Australia’s Andre Leu) advocating the need for greater farmer representation over the years. Some of these people were instrumental in obtaining a small grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in 2014 to mobilise a capacity building program for INOFO. This resulted in 3 workshops held in Asia, Africa and Latin America to consolidate a network of Organic Farmers Organisations with a young leadership. In addition to regular online monthly meetings, all convenors would meet physically at the INOFO General Assembly which took place every 3 years after the IFOAM Organic World Congress. During the last GA in 2021, during covid times, we