In January, a two-day workshop was held in Giheta as part of the ongoing training programme in Burundi under the CANALLS project. The workshop aimed to support participants in transitioning to organic farming and establishing Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS).

Organised in collaboration with the Burundi Organic Agricultural Movement (BOAM), the training covered the requirements of the East African Organic Product Standards (EAOPS), including organic crop production, livestock management, apiculture, wild harvesting and post-harvest handling and storage. Participants finalised their PGS applications in March, aiming to market certified organic food products from July onwards.

In April, BOAM conducted a two-day monitoring and evaluation workshop to assess the agroecological practices implemented by these farmers as part of the Kilimohai certification process within the PGS. This included field visits to selected farms to observe the practical application of organic standards and agroecological techniques.

In March, all Naturland greenhouse producers in Spain were invited to attend a training session on best practices for organic greenhouse production. During the on-site training at a farm, the participants discussed methods to enhance soil fertility and health, the advantages of crop rotation and green manure, mulching technologies, effective soil preparation techniques, plant biodiversity management, and organic fertilization. The participants were particularly interested in the compost produced on the farm using plant residues from their own crops. Producing and using compost is not yet common practice in Spanish greenhouses.

The training was part of an ongoing Naturland project initiated in 2023 in collaboration with the Naturland partner Campiña Verde (Rewe Group). The project aims to promote knowledge exchange between organic greenhouse producers in Spain, thereby improving agricultural practices and sustainable use of resources in greenhouses.

In July, the Mexican beekeeping organisations EDUCE, Kabi Habin and Apicultores Unidos de la Península received training on organic honey and wax quality.

The natural forests of the Yucatán Peninsula are excellent sources of nectar and pollen. However, the challenge for beekeepers is to comply with the strict Naturland quality parameters in the hot tropical regions. To ensure that the honey retains its high value after harvesting, it must be stored and transported in shady, dry and cool conditions. Mexican Naturland beekeepers were taught how to do this in seminars lasting several days, which included a practical component.

In August, a three-day agroforestry workshop took place twice in two different regions: Pichanaki in central Peru and Moyobamba in northern Peru. The workshop aimed to promote knowledge exchange among Naturland coffee producer groups within the same region, present innovative agroforestry practices, and discuss the requirements of certifiers such as Naturland and the EU organic regulation.

Naturland trainer Manfred Fürst paid particular attention to the further development of sustainable cultivation systems in coffee production, securing yields and quality, and adapting to regulatory requirements.

In October, Valentino Macanes, professor and local coffee expert, and Brendan Rosen, Naturland lead trainer in the Philippines, demonstrated how to identify and remedy a coffee shrub infected with coffee stem borer to coffee farmers.

This training is part of a two-year initiative to support the transformation of Tuburan (Cebu) into a model thriving organic coffee production area. Naturland facilitated two trainings in 2025, and will facilitate further six trainings for the municipality until the end of 2027.

In October, Ann-Kristin Schmidt, Naturland social responsibility expert, and Samuel Kiiru, Naturland member support in East Africa, held training sessions on Naturland’s social standards as part of a quality assurance visit to a Naturland member in Embu.

For managers working in the human resources, production, quality, as well as occupational health and safety, the focus was on ensuring safe working conditions in processing facilities. Participants were asked to imagine being an inspector and come up with ways to improve the working environment for their employees.

In a short training session with ICS staff - field officers, internal inspectors and agronomists - the focus was on social responsibility within ICS systems, i.e. human and children’s rights, health and safety, and wages.

Both training sessions were designed to enhance understanding of Naturland’s social responsibility standard and the concept of decent work. The exchange showed that "decent work" can best be defined for each specific context when management and workers, or field officers and farmers, communicate well and are in close contact with each other.

In November, the pilot cohort of our blended-learning course “Growing Coffee under Shade” came together in central Vietnam for an inspiring face-to-face exchange. This four-day study trip marked the final step of the pilot, which combined seven self-paced online lessons, four live seminars, and this hands-on field learning. Guided by two outstanding experts in coffee production - Dr. Phạm Công Trí (Vietnam) and Manfred Fürst (Germany) - a diverse group of farmers, cooperative managers, and experts from our Vietnamese partner organisation VOAA explored the benefits, challenges, and practical steps of implementing agroforestry systems.

In Lâm Đồng province, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, participants visited and compared different coffee farms, sharpened their skills in farm assessment and organic practices, developed scenario-based implementation plans, and discussed realistic pathways for transitioning to agroforestry. The experiences and evaluations from this pilot cohort will now feed into the development of a fully self-paced e-learning course on organic coffee agroforestry in Vietnam, planned for release in summer 2026.