UN explores organic agriculture options in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
April 14th, 2010 - 12:10 am ICT by BNO NewsUNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced Tuesday that it is exploring options of organic agriculture in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia region.
UNEP said it is partnering with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) to examine the potential economic, employment and environmental benefits of greater investment in sustainable agriculture in the aforementioned region.
The study by UNEP and IFOAM will build on the findings of a 2007 report by UNEP and the European Environment Agency which concluded that the region’s low use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and its availability of workers presented good prospects for the growth and export of organic food products to Western Europe.
According to IFOAM, organic agriculture worldwide is developing rapidly with 35 million hectares of agricultural land managed organically by almost 1.4 million producers in over 150 countries, and the European Union is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets for organic products.
“Organic agriculture can trigger sharply polarized views, sometimes presented as the anti-dote to modern, intensive agriculture systems or cast as a niche, luxury market for the few and the rich,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. “But there is increasing evidence from Africa and elsewhere that organic agriculture can play its part in feeding the world and in meeting various sustainability goals, from water and improved soil quality to delivering higher levels of employment and conservation of biodiversity,” he added.
“Sustainable, ‘Green Economy’ choices,” as Mr. Steiner described them, have been on the uprise, and is growing and gaining popularity by the day. With the current ecological problems, green economy promotes renewable energy and energy conservation, preventing further environmental pollution, global warming, and other environmental issues.
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