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Naturland Academy celebrates launch at Biofach 2024

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): Can digital tools help to scale-up and adapt knowledge transfer in organic agriculture globally? At Biofach, the Naturland Academy will share practical experiences and discuss challenges and achievements.

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Naturland Academy celebrates launch at Biofach 2024

Can digital tools help to scale-up and adapt knowledge transfer in organic agriculture globally? At Biofach, the Naturland Academy will share practical experiences and discuss challenges and achievements.

Sophie Egerer, Naturland e.V.

Service & Expertise

Access to knowledge is key to further development. Since the Covid pandemic, digital tools have become mainstream all over the world. Can digital tools help to scale-up and adapt knowledge transfer globally? Where are the limits? A panel with Beate Huber (FiBL), Patricia Flores (IFOAM International) and Paul Van Mele (Access Agriculture), moderated by master trainer Konrad Hauptfleisch (Naturland e.V.) will discuss knowledge transfer activities for all target groups along the whole organic value chain. A special focus will be on small-scale farmers in regions geographically and culturally distant from Europe. The experts will share their experiences and the challenges they face: How to avoid eurocentrism in the development of trainings? Which format and methodology is suitable for which target group? How to deal with cultural differences in the organization of work? In which conditions can a peer-to-peer knowledge exchange work successfully?

The session takes place on February 15th at 16:45 to 17:30 at Forum Biofach, Room Shanghai, in the Messe Center in Nuremberg, Germany. No registration is needed for visitors of Biofach. After the event, the participants are invited to join the Biofach party at the Naturland stand with free drinks and chance for further informal exchange.

The Naturland Academy offers tailor-made online seminars, e-learning courses and knowledge resources in different formats and languages through its online platform.

  • The e-learning courses currently available cover various topics from agroforestry to soil fertility and can each be completed within 2 hours.
  • The knowledge resources include carefully selected cultivation guides, manuals, videos. They explain guidelines or offer advice for water management, soil fertility, pest control and more.

Visit www.academy.naturland.org

Our learning initiatives and e-learning courses are free of charge for our members and many others. You are welcome to express your needs and give feedback to the Naturland Academy team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Author

Sophie Egerer coordinates the Naturland Academy as part of the team International Capacity & Community Building. Together with Nina Blankenstein and Minou Yussefi-Menzler, she is responsible for its future development.

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For coffee farmers: Everything you need to know about the Antestia Bug

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): Our new factsheet about the Antestia Bug (Antestiopsis spp.) on Arabica Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in Eastern Africa is now available. Learn more about pest prevention and control.

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For coffee farmers: Everything you need to know about the Antestia Bug 

For many coffee growers, the Antestia bug is a major challenge. Learn more about pest prevention and control in our new factsheet.

Paula Ott, Naturland e.V.

Service & Expertise

The Antestia bug (Antestiopsis spp.), or variegated coffee bug, is a significant pest in Arabica coffee, especially in Eastern Africa. From nymphs to adults, all development instars, feed on most parts of the coffee bushes. An Antestia bug infestation can lead to a direct yield reduction of up to 40 percent. For many coffee growers, the Antestia bug is a recurring and major challenge. The presence of even one or two bugs per tree is considered an economic risk and this would require action to avoid economic crop losses. The infestation can lead to the so-called 'Potato Taste Defect', which can cause the coffee beans to take on the flavour and smell of raw potatoes. Already one bean can spoil an entire batch of coffee.

Naturland has complied a new fact sheet for its members, which presents the most important features for recognising the pest, its damage symptoms and population dynamics. Furthermore, the most important organic measures for pest prevention and control are introduced.

One measure of successful and long-term control of the Antestia bug is the incorporation of agroforestry systems in coffee production. Naturland recognises the value of agroforestry systems, which is why according to the Naturland standards coffee and cocoa are cultivated in agroforestry systems appropriate to local conditions.

The factsheet in English is available here ("Technical information" > "Plant Pests and Diseases"). Further translations will follow.

The Antestia bug (Antestiopsis spp.). Source: Wikimedia Commons

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Author

Paula Ott supports the Naturland Academy and compiles training materials, including technical information and agricultural best practices.

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(Re-) Discovering Georgian tea

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): Explore Georgia's unique history and methods of tea cultivation, and learn more about the advantages of cultivating tea under shade trees from the Georgian Tea Producers Association (GOTPA).

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(Re-) Discovering Georgian Tea

Explore Georgia's unique history and methods of tea cultivation, and learn more about the advantages of cultivating tea under shade trees from the Georgian Tea Producers Association (GOTPA).

Mariami Mirtskhulava and Eva Gemmel, Naturland e.V.

Service & Expertise

During the Soviet period, tea production was one of the most developed and economically profitable sectors in Georgia. Our recent dialogue with our partner association, the Georgian Tea Producers Association (GOTPA), unveiled the intricacies of Georgia's unique tea cultivation methods.

Georgia's tea sector has a fascinating history

Tea cultivating culture spread in Georgia in the second half of the 19th century¹. At the beginning of the 20th century, tea plantations became widespread in Guria, Abkhazia, Adjara, Imereti and Samegrelo. Georgia was supplying high-quality tea to the entire Soviet Union from the 1940s onwards. During the Soviet period, tea production was one of the most developed and economically profitable sectors in Georgia. In the 1980s, Georgia ranked 5th among tea producing countries. Georgian tea was exported to France, Germany, Austria, Finland and the United Kingdom. In the 1990s, after restoring independence from the Soviet Union, the civil war and the loss of traditional markets contributed to the collapse of the Georgian tea sector. The area of tea plantations in the country was dramatically reduced. In 2016, Georgian tea production volume was just 1.800 tons, which was a 99% drop compared to the peak of 152.000 tons in 1985.

Impression of a tea garden at Terjola tea farm in Imereti region (Image: Eva Gemmel)

There are many advantages of tea grown under shade trees

Today, the tea production is slowly increasing again and there is also some organically certified production. In Georgia, tea plants and white acacia trees form a natural alliance that goes beyond protection. The observations of tea producers of GOTPA highlight the natural symbiosis between Camellia sinensis and the Georgian white Acacia tree, fostering optimal tea health and growth.

GOTPA's insights indicate how this natural relationship nurtures high-quality tea leaves. The sustainable approach fosters an ecosystem where fallen leaves enrich the soil, creating a sustainable environment requiring minimal intervention. Natural protection and shielding against spring frosts preserves the initial harvest, while guarding against hot and cold winds ensures a stable environment for tea growth. Additionally, slower vegetation development results in leaves enriched with micronutrients, elevating both flavor and nutritional content. Humus enrichment is another important factor as fallen tree leaves enrich the soil, fostering a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem for tea cultivation. And last but not least, shade trees lead to a more pleasant work environment: Lower temperatures in shaded plantations create a more comfortable climate for tea pickers, particularly during scorching summer days.

Discussion with the tea farmer and GOTPA on plant health during a field visit of project team at Terjola tea farm in Imereti region (Image: Eva Gemmel)

Impression of a Georgian tea plot with shade trees (Robinia Pseudoacacia) during a project visit in 2023 (Image: Eva Gemmel)

The main challenge from this practice is the mechanization of plantations with shade trees. A careful tree placement is vital to prevent a decrease in yield. While for now mainly Acacia tree species are planted as shade trees, there are ongoing experiments with other shade tree types that have a deeper root system. If the Georgian tea sector focusses on its unique strengths and can combine traditional knowledge with modern methods, it can return to former greatness. The high quality of the tea speaks above all for potential in the organic sector. Convince yourself at the Biofach at a tea tasting.

Georgian tea tasting event at BIOFACH 2024

Learn more about Georgian tea cultivation and processing from organic tea producers and tea experts. Join our Georgian tea tasting event at BIOFACH, Nuremberg, Germany!

» Where: In the middle of the Naturland world at the Naturland lounge in Hall 7A / 355

» When: Thursday, February 15th 2024 at 4:30 - 5:30 p.m

This text is a translation. No guarantee can be given for the correctness.


Authors

  • Eva Gemmel is as part of the team "International Capacity and Community Building" at Naturland. She is responsible for project management and capacity development, with a special focus on Georgia.

  • Mariami Mirtskhulava is as part of the Georgian project team of Naturland and is based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is responsible for supporting the projects aims and activities in Georgia.


Further information

¹Source: Georgian Mountain Tea Association (2023). https://mountaintea.ge/en/blog/History-of-the-Georgian-tea

Read more about the project "Georgia Organic - Farming for the Future" here

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Little water, lots of flavour

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): The Spanish family business Citricos El Romeral defies the water shortage in the sunny region of Málaga with hierba and clever technology.

We Are Naturland

Little water, lots of flavour

The Spanish family business Citricos El Romeral defies the water shortage in the sunny region of Málaga with hierba and clever technology.

South-west of Málaga, fourteen organic fincas nestle, one after the other, on the riverbed of the Río Guadalhorce. Although this is one of the most water-rich rivers in Andalusia, its name carries a quiet warning. In Arabic, Guadalhorce means River of the Silent - and in view of climate change, the once abundant water masses are threatening to become silent at some point. But Naturland farmer Miguel Ángel is not letting it get him down.

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Sunshine for the sweetie

With a grin of anticipation on his face, Miguel Ángel reaches with both arms into the dense foliage of an orange tree. Under the dark greenery, with a skillful twist of the branch, he unearths his treasures that had just been hiding under the leaves. He plucks a fruit from the branch, peels it routinely, puts an orange wedge in his mouth, beams and explains confidently: "Our fruits from the Málaga region are sweeter than those from Valencia or Huelva. Because there are no extreme temperature fluctuations here, but all the more sun. And you can taste that!" But the hot sun, which gives his fruit its special sweetness, is also his biggest operational risk with increasing drought.

Miguel Ángel inspects the trees on the plantation and checks the drip irrigation. Source: Ina Hiester

Drops instead of floods

Miguel Ángel is the second generation to run Citricos El Romeral. "Normally it rains here in autumn and winter. This year, all the rain fell in March and April. Rainfall is increasingly difficult to predict, and the water in the river is also finite. In the past, our orange and lemon groves were simply flooded regularly via these small canals for irrigation," the farmer tells us, pointing to some remains of the waterways called acequia. But those days are long gone. Today, the precious wet is distributed drop by drop in his fincas with an irrigation systems. "Drip irrigation is efficient, but maintenance-intensive. We have to keep a constant eye on the systems, because a hose can get clogged or broken somewhere on our 110 hectares at any time," he points out. In order to irrigate even more economically, he had a solar-powered measuring system installed. With the help of an app, he can determine the soil moisture at any time - not only on the surface, but also in the deeper soil layers. Water pressure and the irrigation rhythm can then be adjusted as needed. While his neighboring farms irrigate according to a fixed schedule, Miguel Ángel's orange and lemon trees only get water when they really need it.

Hierba helps

"Our Fincas have been certified organic since 2013. For me, the biggest change at that time was coming to terms with weeds - or even making friends with them”, the farmer recalls. Today, they are an integral part of his water management system, because they protect the soil from drying out. Again and again he crouches down, inspects what is growing and classifies it into buena hierba (good weed), mala hierba (bad weed), hierba de verano (summer weed) and hierba de invierno (winter weed). "The wood anemone that covers all the ground here may look pretty, but it is invasive. It climbs up the trees and steals the sunlight they need for photosynthesis," he explains. Miguel Ángel's business is an ongoing balancing act. Good herb, bad herb, lots of sun, little water. But he is determined to make the best of it.

Naturland campaigns worldwide for sustainable water management in the production of organic food. Source: Ina Hiester

Naturland pays attention to every drop!

Water is precious. Therefore, every Naturland farm must be able to prove that its operations do not impair water quality. In regions with scarce water resources, farms must fulfil extended Naturland requirements. Specifically, farms located in World Resources Institute-defined Water Risk Zones 4 or 5 must:

  • Prove the legality of the water abstraction
  • Use efficient and water-saving irrigation systems
  • Submit a water management plan that demonstrates that risks to water quantity and quality are avoided as far as possible
  • Record water consumption

For sustainable water management, Naturland offers training in five languages.

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Better health and education thanks to sustainable wild fishery

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): Naturland certification of fisheries on Lake Victoria in Tanzania, East Africa, brings a higher quality of life to many locals. Come with us to Tanzania.

We Are Naturland

Better health and education thanks to sustainable wild fishery

Naturland certification of fishery on Lake Victoria in Tanzania, East Africa, brings a higher quality of life to many locals.

It looks like the open sea, but it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world: Lake Victoria. As Africa's largest lake, it borders three countries: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The latter is the home of Naturland advisor Anne Hessenland. For in addition to the topics of coffee and agroforestry in Burundi, she is also the contact person for Naturland-certified fishing of the Victoria perch in East Africa.

This pioneering project was born in 2008, when local traders and companies at Lake Victoria were looking for a certifier who would not only take responsibility for sustainable fishing but also for social commitment. Thus, about 13 years ago, this project at Lake Victoria came into being with today's GIZ, ANOVA (importer), Vicfish Ltd (today Supreme Perch) and Naturland, in the course of which the organic association developed the guidelines for sustainable fishing that are still valid today.

"With the certification of some fisheries in Tanzania, Naturland has made a lot of difference here with hard work and brought more quality of life to the local people."

After all, sustainability does not only mean securing the fish stock, but also supporting the people in this region. "Almost 40 percent of the fisheries on Lake Victoria in Tanzania bear the Naturland seal," says Anne Hessenland: "But the social commitment reaches the whole region here." Naturland Wild Fish certification contributes to a higher quality of life in the fishing communities and the whole region. In addition to clean drinking water for all and the availability of life jackets for the boatmen, the fishermen's wives are supported in accessing gainful employment, such as tailoring. In addition, investments are made in education. Access to a school must be ensured for every child within a radius of 5 kilometres. Adults are educated about water quality and new wells are dug. A mobile clinic also regularly provides the people on the fishing islands with medical aid, vaccinations and all kinds of wound care.

"Climate change is already being felt. The air is getting warmer, the fish are swimming in deeper areas. This makes fishing more difficult and reduces the quantities - thus increasing the price."

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Fishing according to Naturland standards helps the fishermen at Lake Victoria to have a better quality of life. Source: Naturland

To protect the fish stocks and the entire ecosystem on site, regular water samples are taken and evaluated. The fishermen work with special set nets and hooks that guarantee that no perch too young (under 50 cm in size) are caught, smaller ones escaping again through the large mesh sizes of the nets.

On land, the fishermen are present when their catch is measured with calibrated scales and they are paid fairly for it. This long-term relationship with the buyers, the certified companies, guarantees the fishermen not only a fair but also regular income. Further processing is carried out hygienically and under strictly controlled guidelines.

"I can understand that consumers (still) lack confidence in this African product Victoria perch. We are all ready to answer questions."

"Unfortunately, there are still many fishermen who work with illegal fishing methods. Uganda and Kenya are interested in sustainable fishing, but the market for it is not there," says the mother of two. "All the more important that consumers look carefully at what they buy. Because here I can see every day the difference we as Europeans can make even in more distant countries by buying food consciously."

The processing is carried out hygienically and under strictly controlled specifications. Source: Naturland

Thanks to calibrated scales, the fishermen get a fair payment for their catch. Source: Naturland

This text is a translation. No guarantee can be given for the correctness.


Further information

Naturland standards for sustainable fishery can be found here

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On making a living income come true

  • Intro (Pagebuilder-Pages): Results of a research project on living income in organic farming and fair trade in Burundi

Naturland Fair

On making a living income come true

Results of a research project on living income in organic farming and fair trade in Burundi

Ann-Kristin Schmidt, Naturland e.V.

What do you expect from your wage or income? Probably, that it allows you to afford decent housing, nutritious food, the medical support you need, to invest in your own or your children’s education and – in the best case – to build reserve assets for your future and times of crises. However, especially in underprivileged regions, there is a gap between a so-called living income and the actual household income. Naturland Fair wants to reduce it: A study with the Burundian union of coffee cooperatives COCOCA reveals promising levers on the ‘how’.

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Fair trade has high ambitions: to foster decent living conditions for all stakeholders along global supply chains by long-term trading under fair standards. The reality is that this goal sometimes cannot be reached or proved due to a lack of data collection and analysis.

Therefore, Naturland Fair implemented a one-year-research project on "Living Income: Sufficient family income through agroforestry systems, fair trade and organic farming in Burundi" together with the University of Burundi and the Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences. The aim is to think food security and living income in disadvantaged regions together. Therefore, different factors contributing to closing the gap between real and living family income in typical rural poverty regions were identified. They help to envision new fair-trade strategies for Naturland with partners. The research was based on data of Naturland Fair certified members worldwide, international fair trade literature as well as data and concepts circulated in the “Living Income Community of Practice” for measuring living income.

Fair trade is an entry ticket to global markets, but cannot guarantee a living income

BIOFACH 2023 in Nuremberg, the world´s leading trade fair for organic food, was the perfect event to discuss the findings of the research project and present the resulting position paper to an international audience. Dr. Christina Weber, team leader of Naturland Fair and Social Responsibility, introduced the research and explained the role of an organic and fair certification when striving for Living incomes. Burundian project lead Audace Niyonzima, Assistant Professor at the University of Burundi at the Faculty of Agronomy and Bio-Engineering, enhanced the discussion presenting data and local empirical evidence. The panel was moderated by Dr. Jutta Kister from Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt as research expert on global value chains in fair trade.

Dr. Christina Weber (Naturland Fair & Social Responsibility), Audace Niyonzima (University of Burundi) and Dr. Jutta Kister (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt at Biofach 2023 in Nuremberg. Source: Naturland e.V./ Sabine Bielmeier

Cultivation at different levels in agroforestry systems in Burundi: Tall trees form a shade canopy, mulch protects the soil. Source: Naturland e.V./ Christina Weber

“The very initial thought of fair trade is to raise a living standard”, initiates Dr. Weber the session. However, even though connected to a fair trade supply chain, smallholders sometimes face a large gap between the measurable level of a living income and the income actually achieved. It is a struggle that needs to be addressed and supported while also building awareness: Consumers in affluent societies might wonder why to pay higher prices for fair trade products when farmers still do not earn a living income. On the other side, producers wonder whether added value of a living income outweighs the added bureaucracy of new calculations. Fair trade certification givers do provide the “entry ticket” to a global market by signaling fair trade production but cannot regulate the market prices.

Facing this complexity, the research aimed to answer the question: How to derive strategies to close the gap between living income and real income by fair trade and organic agriculture in regions and populations struggling for food security?

Burundi’s agricultural sector offers potentials for closing the income gap: through technical efficiency and entrepreneurial skill development

Audace Niyonzima laid the foundations for an exemplary region by explaining the high importance of subsistence and crop agriculture and coffee export for Burundi.

Some facts and figures about agriculture in Burundi:

  • Local agriculture accounts for 95 percent of food supply and 84 percent of the working population works in the sector. Therefore, it is a huge guarantor for national food security.
  • Nationally, around 40 percent of GDP is due to the agricultural sector.
  • Internationally, the only link to the world market is coffee.
  • In all, this shows clearly that the agricultural sector needs to enable decent living and working conditions to reduce poverty among rural households in Burundi. Because currently, there is a gap between a living and a real income of around 30 percent (living income of 1,855 USD per year vs. real income of 1,268 USD per year).
  • The good news is: A one percent increase in technical efficiency would allow a 12 percent increase in household income. Consequently, technical support for small scale farmers to optimize their use of available cultivable land can have a great impact.

In addition to technical efficiency as an important factor in increasing household income, the study revealed other variables: the education level of landowners, a multipurpose cultivation on small fields for higher harvest volumes, the possibility to incorporate workers, and lastly, a factor that Weber points out as particularly promising: entrepreneurial training and, hence, entrepreneurial activity. Research showed: This does not mean that all family members should become entrepreneurs while being farmers at the same time. In fact, if only one family member is entrepreneurially active providing an additional income to the family, this contributes to closing the gap between living and real income significantly.

The reason: Entrepreneurial thinking allows to see and find opportunities, for example the access to more productive technologies, transportation, contacts that increase the organic farm’s productivity. “Training entrepreneurial thinking and financial literacy; not just thinking in supply chains but in new business models for additional value” – this could also bridge the gap between unemployment and living income goals, explains Dr. Weber.

We do our share in enabling a living income for farmers: by both seizing our area of influence and area of control

Dr. Weber concludes that for us as an international association of organic agriculture engaged in fair trade certification, this can become part of our area of control – as opposed to an area of influence: We can decide to provide not only training on organic farming but include basic entrepreneurship training. Furthermore, when adding the living income or wage in fair trade certification standards, we could as well include food security principles to highlight this topic’s relevance for consumers and us, as certification givers (see also “Sustainable Development Goal 2: No Hunger”). Equally important factors that we can actively control are price and wage transparency and reliable long-term contracts with farmers.

By contrast, we must not underestimate our area of influence: By collaborating with partners and engaging in advocacy and political action, we can contribute to shaping market prices, the supply chain and eventually enable minimum living standards. Lastly, we should increase awareness on our power as consumers through “unlearning our consumption patterns and rethinking our influence on fair global trading”. Both the area of control and the area of influence left the audience at BIOFACH 2023 with a clear message and call to discussion: There is a lot to do! Let us join forces to derive actionable strategies together, so the living income claim is set to governments and becomes a reality for farmers and workers worldwide.

If you would like to learn more about all factors that leverage the living income, the case study research results in Burundi and the conclusions drawn by Naturland Fair team, we invite you to have a look at our newly published position paper.

This text is a translation. No guarantee can be given for the correctness.


Author

Ann-Kristin Schmidt is specialist for Naturland Fair and focuses on innovation projects and networking activities in the field of fair trade and social responsibility. Moreover, she is responsible for social and community-supported agriculture at Naturland.


Further information:

More information about the project can be found here: https://www.naturland.de/en/producers/projects/research-network/living-income.html

Other useful link: https://www.living-income.com/

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