Announcement

As global temperatures rise and weather patterns become more erratic, the
intersection between climate change and agriculture is crucial to
understanding the role agriculture plays in contributing to and mitigating
global warming. Carbon sequestration, lower-input of fossil fuel dependant
resources, and use of renewable energy all present opportunities for organic
agriculture to lead the way in reducing energy consumption and mitigating the
negative affects of energy emissions. Organic agriculture provides management
practices that can help farmers adapt to climate change through strengthening
agro-ecosystems, diversifying crop and livestock production, and building
farmers' knowledge base to best prevent and confront changes in climate.

FAO wishes to discuss these topics with the organic community during the 16th
IFOAM Organic World Congress: Cultivating the Future, Modena, Italy, 16 to 20
June 2008. More information about the IFOAM Congress can be viewed at:
www.ifoam.org and www.modenabio2008.org. On Thursday 19 June 2008, the
Workshop "Organic Agriculture and Climate Change" will bring together
operators throughout the food chain, researchers and academics in order to
discuss the possibilities that organic agriculture presents for adaptation to
and mitigation of climate change. The purpose is to gather information and
identify main areas of action, from research and capacity building, to the
actual implementation of organic agriculture practices within development
plans and projects. FAO, in cooperation with IFOAM and other partners, is
organizing a Workshop on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change on 19 June
2008 in Modena, Italy, with a view to share relevant issues with the organic
agriculture community.

The main Workshop topics include:
1. Mitigation of climate change impacts (e.g. avoided damage, carbon
sequestration);
2. Adaptation to climate change (e.g. improved practices);
3. Risk prevention and management.

The Papers to be submitted for the Workshop on Organic Agriculture and
Climate Change must follow the IFOAM Congress procedures that is, the ISOFAR
template for Call for Papers and Thematic Scope, and be submitted via the
Organic Eprints Archive for peer review by the Scientific and Organizing
Committee by 31 October 2007. Please check:
www.ifoam.org/events/ifoam_conferences/owc/conferences_research_track.html;
www.isofar.org/modena2008/guidelines.html

Nadia El-Hage Scialabba
Senior Officer (Environment and Sustainable Development)
Natural Resources Management and Environment Department
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale Terme di Caracalla
00150 Rome, Italy
Tel: 39 06 5705 6729
Fax: 39 06 5705 3064
E-mail: nadia.scialabba@fao.org
Website: www.fao.org/organicag