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Press release2005-09-20 Organic Pioneer steps downGunnar Rundgren, one of the founders of the organic movement in Sweden, steps down from the position of President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements at the General Assembly in Adelaide, Australia, 25-27 September. He has served 7 years in the IFOAM Board of which 5 as the President. During his Presidency, organic agriculture has entered the center of attention and IFOAM has developed into a strong actor in the international arena. IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) has around 750 member organisations in more than 100 countries. They represent producers, consumers, traders, researchers, trainers, certification bodies etc.-in short all the interested parties in the organic world. It has its head office in Bonn (Germany) and offices in Dakar (Senegal), Rome (Italy) and USA . Gunnar Rundgren is an organic farmer since 1977. Chief Executive Officer of Grolink AB - a consultancy company engaged in certification development, policy development, project development, marketing strategies and international training programmes - mainly targeting developing countries. He is the initiator of several organisations for organic agriculture in Sweden , including KRAV - the certification programme where he was the director for the first eight years. He served as the first President of the IFOAM Accreditation Programme Board (now the IOAS) 1992-1997. IFOAM World Board member 1998 and IFOAM President as of year 2000. Since 1998, when Gunnar entered the IFOAM Board, organic farming has expanded rapidly. Organic certified areas are up from 5-6 million to 23 million hectares. In his home country Sweden organic farming is practiced on 19 percent of all farm land. Organic markets have grown from 10 million US dollars to about 25 million. The relevance of Organic Agriculture has also been acknowledged by international organisations such as the FAO, UNCTAD, IFAD and UNEP. Governments from the EU member states to India and Brazil have recognised both the market potential and the substantial benefits linked to organic, and some of them have launched ambitious action plans. IFOAM itself has expanded from 3 employees to 16, and has an impressive range of activities, including international conferences, publications, lobbying and promotion. Inreasingly IFOAM is also implementing various projects for the development of Organic Agriculture, especially in developing countries. Gunnar Rundgren says that the main accomplishments during his term at IFOAM has been that IFOAM has managed to expand the view on organic from being seen as relevant as a market niche to be acknowledged for the services it delivers to society, services such as a living landscape, carbon sequestration, water conservation, bio-diversity conservation • IFOAM has transferred itself into a professional sector organisation and benefits from a good reputation and good links with international organisations • The relevance of Organic Agriculture for developing countries has been highlighted and its relevance for food security has been recognised • The system for standards and certification implemented by IFOAM has improved considerably • Through a joint initiative with FAO and UNCTAD governments and the private sector are gradually moving towards solutions for obstacles for trade in organic products He is also proud over initiatives to find new ways for certification and quality assurance and the process to revise the fundamental principles of organic farming. Most disturbing over the last five years is the expansion of GMOs in agriculture, a technology that has few merits, if any, a technology that further strengthen the corporate control over farming with no improvement for the farmer or the consumers, but with very high risks, says Gunnar. Within the organic sector itself, too detailed organic regulation has the potential to stifle the development and has lead to substantial barriers to organic trade. Generally, Gunnar thinks that governments and the organic sector should be careful not to over-regulate organic farming. Asked what he is going to do with the extra time he now has available, Gunnar Rundgren says he spent like 70 days per year on IFOAM work (IFOAM Board members, including the President are elected. It is a voluntary position with no remuneration.), and that he will spend more time on his farm, which is a two-family operation, and "maybe, maybe I will just take it a little easier". inally, he looks back at his time in IFOAM not only as a time for hard work, but also as very rewarding. "The atmosphere in the IFOAM Board has also been fantastic and the staff is very dedicated. To meet all these wonderful organic farmers, from small-holders in Africa to the modern organic farmers in the USA has been most rewarding." More information: For more information about IFOAM see following pages:
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