September 23rd
European Day of Organic Agriculture
The first autumn month is traditionally perceived as a period when the topic of organic food resonates not only in the Czech Republic, but also in a number of other European countries. Therefore, September 23 was declared the European Day of Organic Agriculture as an opportunity to raise the profile of the entire organic sector, spread examples of good practice, innovation and progress in this field.
The European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission have declared September 23 as the European Day of Organic Farming to raise awareness about organic production in the European Union. The Commission also annually awards prizes for organic approaches as recognition of excellence in all stages of the organic food chain. The awards ceremony will take place on September 25, 2023. The European Commission will also support the development of organic tourism networks through bioregions, where farmers, citizens, tourism operators, associations, and public authorities will collaborate on sustainable management of local resources based on ecological principles and practices. The President of IFOAM Organics Europe, Jan Plagge, stated that the European Day of Organic Farming will be an ideal opportunity to assess Europe's progress in achieving the goal of 25% organically managed land by 2030, shaping consumer demand trends, raising awareness about organic farming throughout the supply chain, and implementing activities of the European Action Plan for Organic Farming.
Organic farming brings several benefits for climate and biodiversity, as highlighted in a document on the benefits of organic farming published by the IFOAM OE organization. Changing the way food is produced can have a significant impact on mitigating climate change, helping farmers adapt, and contributing to biodiversity protection. Organic farming offers a systemic approach to increasing carbon sequestration in soil while maintaining healthy soil and protecting biodiversity. Organic farming consumes less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
By relying on closed nutrient cycles and minimizing nitrogen losses, organic farming can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture by approximately 20%. Abandoning the use of synthetic fertilizers reduces nitrous oxide emissions from soil by 40% per hectare in organic production systems. Animals in organic farming have access to pasture and open spaces, and 60% of their feed must come from the farm or the same region. Thanks to the reduced number of animals and the pasture-based organic farming system, emissions are reduced, and carbon stocks in the soil improve. Organic farming often utilizes better manure management, such as composting, which can reduce nitrous oxide emissions by 50% and methane emissions by 70%. Organic farming has higher energy efficiency and lower energy consumption per hectare, consuming approximately 15% less energy per unit of production compared to conventional farming.
Organic farming sequesters more carbon. Many common practices of organic farming, such as crop rotation including legumes or limited soil tillage, help improve soil quality and fertility and significantly contribute to increased carbon sequestration of an additional 450 kg C/ha per year compared to conventionally managed soil.
Source: https://www.mesicbiopotravin.cz/ and https://www.ct24.cz/ EU Organic Awards
