Climate Resilience and Adaptation discussed at APD’s conference at BioFach in Nuremberg – Germany

01/08/2022

APD participated in one of the world’s leading trade fairs for organic food, the BIOFACH in Nuremberg, Germany, from 26 to 29 July 2022.

APD supported not only the participation of a Kazakh group from various institutions and farms, but also, on 29 July, organized a side event to showcase achievements in regard to climate resilience and adaptation in past and ongoing projects on sustainable agriculture, with a specific focus on Kazakhstan. The session was opened with a keynote speech, titled “Green Finance & Climate Smart Agriculture – backbones of international development cooperation” by Mr Johannes Buschmeier, managing director of AFC Agriculture and Finance Consultants GmbH in Bonn. AFC is presently implementing several projects in this context. Examples from several countries, concrete tools and practices to increase resilience in agricultural production systems were presented. Experts of a plenum discussed afterwards the topic. Mr Arsen Kerimbekov, director of the Qazaqstan Organic Producers Union (QOP Union) impressively described with examples and figures, how Kazakh farmers are already suffering from climate change effects. Mr Alexander Barnewitz, team leader of APD, pointed out the climate issues addressed by the project within the context of Kazakhstan. Mr Vladyslav Zhmailo, Policy and Guarantee Coordinator of IFOAM – Organics International, recalled the high potential of Organic Agriculture in mitigating climate change and called for more action. The event was attended by a number of organic agriculture practitioners and academics. The session has been recorded by video and is available for all Biofach visitors. In the framework of the visit was also organized:

A meeting for the agricultural University from Astana – KazATU named after Seifullin with the University of Hohenheim and the University of Weihenstephan -Triesdorf to sign MoUs for further cooperation in training and education of specialists in organic agriculture.
Representatives of the certification company “Kazakh Bio Control” negotiated with IOAS (International Organic Accreditation Service) an international accreditation for organic certification in Kazakhstan.
For the development of the youth organic movement were held meetings on the experience of publishing educational brochures for 5-7 year old kids on organic agriculture and recorded more than 20 interviews from participants in preparation for the video: „Salem, Organic Kazakhstan!”
From special interest were the discussions with various exhibitors on the key issues of the EU Regulation 2018/848 related to imports of organic products into the EU from third countries (i.e., Kazakhstan) and a consultation on the list of special required documentation of organic farming in accordance with the EU Regulation 2018/848; with this respect the following question were focused, because these are important current issues in Kazakhstan:
the formation of statistical reporting indicators on production and turnover (certification, processing, storage, sales, domestic consumption, export and import) of organic products.
the experience of EU member states in the organization, coordination and implementation of state control of the compliance with the production requirements of organic products, at the stage of its release and sale;
the implementation of organizational and administrative measures to combat and prevent the entry of organic products on the market with fake-ecolabel;
the practical aspects of the establishment of required infrastructure for organic production and the trade with, such as: a register of seeds and planting material suitable for organic crop production and cattle breeding; a register for organic aquaculture; a system for the registration and traceability of organic products, if necessary and an exhaustive list for all kind of input permitted in organic production.