VII Congress of the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture
The seventh edition of the Congress of the Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture (SEAE), to be held in Saragossa within September 18th and 23rd, will carry the topic "Sustainable Water Management and quality food."
The purpose of Congress is to link the social and political aspects that make up rural development, food production and land management, with the resulting economic and environmental aspects of agriculture.
Parallel to this event – organized by the Government of Aragon, University of Zaragoza, as well as various organizations and institutions – the III Latin American Congress of Agroecology will be held. Both events will be preceded by several workshops and the I International Meeting of Students of Agroecology and related sciences.
Conference and participants
Vice President of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) and current director of FIBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Frick Switzerland), Urs Niggli, and Mexican agroecologist Victor Toledo analyzed status and future prospects of research on organic agriculture, with special emphasis on Latin American and Mediterranean countries.
On the other hand, the expert of the Center for Scientific Research (CSIC), Paul Campos, the member of the New Water Culture Foundation, Pedro Arrojo, and Professor of University of Zaragoza, Domingo Blanco, treated the economics of natural resources and water use in agriculture and rationality.
For his part, CEO of Organic Agriculture of Andalusia, Manuel Gonzalez de Molina, and MEP Hans Lorenzen discuss policy issues and strategies for the development of organic agriculture in Spain and in Europe.
These lectures will be supplemented by panel discussions with the participation of various industry representatives and agents. The tables cover topics of current interest such as the integrity of organic agriculture compared to GM crops, which are checked against the results of studies conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and Greenpeace GMO coexistence in Spain with the experience of organic and conventional farmers.
T is expected that over 200 participants attend this congress among them the presence of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) outlining 'Araucaria Program', the result of consultation with organizations of cooperation for development, where also SEAE participated.
Regarding the III Latin American Congress of Agroecology, will be attended by prominent Latin American Agroecologists as Marta Astier, Mario Ardón, Fabio Da Saglio and Jaime Morales. During this event will present the scientific journal 'Agroecology', edited jointly by the University of Murcia and SEAE.