Testimonials from OrganicAdviceNetwork's Partners | Susanne Padel, IFOAM OE

SusannePadel, In-house consultant to IFOAM OE, November 2024

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I am very happy that the OrganicAdviceNetwork Project has now finally started and that I am able to take part, supporting Claire Morelle in her role as project coordinator.

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I started my career in organic as an advisor for organic farmers in North Germany, and ever since then I have followed the development of advisory service. I was hoping for a funding opportunity for a European Network on Organic Advice. TP Organics has long campaigned for a stronger focus on advisors in support of the organic sector, recognizing their important role in supporting farmers and acting as a bridge between research and practice. The advocacy efforts have paid, with the OrganicAdviceNetwork project seeing the light in April 2024.

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Advisors with organic competencies have had some opportunities to exchange with peers, usually initiated by individuals or organisations that were willing to support their travel. International events, such as the Global Organic Congress and some research projects also created opportunities. The OrganicAdviceNetwork allows this cross-border exchange to be intensified through a programme of 30 cross visits, where advisors can where advisors can network and learn from each other. This will help to create a strong European-wide network of advisors with organic farming expertise.

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Part of my first job as advisor was to work with farmers, who were interested in conversion. A few years later, I had the opportunity, as part of my PhD, to explore what motivates dairy farmers converting to organic and how they go about it (Padel, 2002) . In organic farming, we seek to replace external inputs with better management of the farm system, and knowledge on how to do this is crucial to be successful. Improving advisor’s knowledge, also for new entrants into the profession is one mission of the OrganicAdviceNetwork project. But as I experienced in my first job, there remains some scepticism about what organic farming can deliver. So, in the project we want to inspire and challenge the mindsets of advisors and farmers by developing narratives that highlight the benefits of organic farming. The project also will carry out soft-skills trainings for advisors, and thus will contribute to improving advisory methods.

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In 1999, I was involved in a review of the support measures for organic farming in the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU (Lampkin et al., 1999) . Back then, a few countries also had national programmes for extension programs with the aim to increase conversion to organic and enable producers to make informed decision about it. The OrganicAdviceNetwork will map the diversity of the organic advisory services across Europe and reassess its support measures, exchanging our results with the ongoing research project on OrganicTargets4EU, also coordinated by IFOAM OE. Building up the organisational capacity of organic advisory services and highlighting specific policy support needs is also an objective of the OrganicAdviceNetwork Project. I hope together we will be able to achieve the objectives that we have set ourselves and build a vibrant network of advisors with organic competencies.

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