Following FAO definitions of benefits of organic agriculture, Refix Commodities encourages all of its clients and customers to present proposals related to organic agricultural production and best practices, balancing organic production with economic viability.
Proposals will be received from December 1st, 2019, to February 28th, 2020 at our commercial offices on Guamstraat 2, second floor. Almere, Netherlands.

What are the environmental benefits of organic agriculture?
Sustainability over the long term.
Many changes observed in the environment are long term, occurring slowly over time. Organic agriculture considers the medium and long-term effects of agricultural interventions on the agro-ecosystem. It aims to produce food while establishing an ecological balance to prevent soil infertility or pest problems. Organic agriculture takes a proactive approach as opposed to treating problems after they emerge.

Soil.
Soil building practices such as crop rotations, inter-cropping, symbiotic associations, cover crops, organic fertilizers, and minimum tillage are central to organic practices. These encourage soil fauna and flora, improving soil formation and structure and creating more stable systems. In turn, nutrient and energy cycling is increased and the retentive abilities of the soil for nutrients and water are enhanced, compensating for the non-use of mineral fertilizers. Such management techniques also play an important role in soil erosion control. The length of time that the soil is exposed to erosive forces is decreased, soil biodiversity is increased, and nutrient losses are reduced; helping to maintain and enhance soil productivity. Crop export of nutrients is usually compensated by farm-derived renewable resources but it is sometimes necessary to supplement organic soils with potassium, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and trace elements from external sources.

Water.
In many agriculture areas, pollution of groundwater courses with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is a major problem. As the use of these is prohibited in organic agriculture, they are replaced by organic fertilizers (e.g. compost, animal manure, green manure) and through the use of greater biodiversity (in terms of species cultivated and permanent vegetation), enhances soil structure and water infiltration. Well managed organic systems with better nutrient retentive abilities, greatly reduce the risk of groundwater pollution. In some areas where pollution is a real problem, conversion to organic agriculture is highly encouraged as a restorative measure (e.g. by the Governments of France and Germany).

Air and climate change.
Organic agriculture reduces non-renewable energy use by decreasing agrochemical needs (these require high quantities of fossil fuel to be produced). Organic agriculture contributes to mitigating the greenhouse effect and global warming through its ability to sequester carbon in the soil. Many management practices used by organic agriculture (e.g. minimum tillage, returning crop residues to the soil, the use of cover crops and rotations, and the greater integration of nitrogen-fixing legumes), increase the return of carbon to the soil, raising productivity and favoring carbon storage. Several studies revealed that soil organic carbon contents under organic farming are considerably higher. The more organic carbon is retained in the soil, the higher the mitigation potential of agriculture against climate change. However, there is much research needed in this field, yet. There is a lack of data on soil organic carbon for developing countries, with no farm system comparison data from Africa and Latin America, and only limited data on soil organic carbon stocks, which is crucial for determining carbon sequestration rates for farming practices.

Biodiversity.
Organic farmers are both custodians and users of biodiversity at all levels. At the gene level, traditional and adapted seeds and breeds are preferred for their greater resistance to diseases and their resilience to climatic stress. At the species level, diverse combinations of plants and animals optimize nutrient and energy cycling for agricultural production. At the ecosystem level, the maintenance of natural areas within and around organic fields and the absence of chemical inputs create suitable habitats for wildlife. The frequent use of under-utilized species (often as rotation crops to build soil fertility) reduces erosion of agro-biodiversity, creating a healthier gene pool – the basis for future adaptation. The provision of structures providing food and shelter, and the lack of pesticide use, attract new or re-colonizing species to the organic area (both permanent and migratory), including wild flora and fauna (e.g. birds) and organisms beneficial to the organic system such as pollinators and pest predators. The number of studies on organic farming and biodiversity increased significantly within the last years. A recent study reporting on a Meta-Analysis Of 766 Scientific Papers concluded that organic farming produces more biodiversity than other farming systems.

Genetically modified organisms.
The use of GMOs within organic systems is not permitted during any stage of organic food production, processing or handling. As the potential impact of GMOs to both the environment and health is not entirely understood, organic agriculture is taking the precautionary approach and choosing to encourage natural biodiversity. The organic label, therefore, assures that GMOs have not been used intentionally in the production and processing of the organic products. This is something that cannot be guaranteed in conventional products as labeling the presence of GMOs in food products has not yet come into force in most countries. However, with increasing GMOs use in conventional agriculture and due to the method of transmission of GMOs in the environment (e.g. through pollen), organic agriculture will not be able to ensure that organic products are completely GMO-free in the future. A detailed discussion on GMOs can be found in the FAO publication “Genetically Modified Organisms, Consumers, Food Safety And The Environment”.

Ecological services.
The impact of organic agriculture on natural resources favors interactions within the agro-ecosystem that are vital for both agricultural production and nature conservation. Ecological services derived include soil forming and conditioning, soil stabilization, waste recycling, carbon sequestration, nutrients cycling, predation, pollination, and habitats. By opting for organic products, the consumer through his/her purchasing power promotes a less polluting agricultural system. The hidden costs of agriculture to the environment in terms of natural resource degradation are reduced.

A critical review of the relationships between organic agriculture and the environment, as well as other aspects, is provided by IFOAM and is presented under the shape of a list of criticisms and frequent misconceptions about organic agriculture with corresponding counter-arguments.

 

Photo: Designed by mrsiraphol / Freepik

Refix Commodities encourages all our suppliers and customers to participate on The 2020 Vietnam Sustainability Forum (VSF-2020), co-organized by the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) and the Academy of Policy and Development, will take place on 23–24 March 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It aims at providing an international exchange platform for global leaders and stakeholders (policymakers, academics, businesses, entrepreneurs, and NGOs) to present and discuss worldwide initiatives, practices and visionary trends about sustainability. The ultimate goal is to achieve the long-lasting development of an inclusive and equitable society whereby prosperous growth goes together with a sustainable environment.

Researchers and academics are invited to submit their full papers for presentation at the symposium. The Scientific Committee encourages submissions of research and policy-oriented papers on various topics related to sustainability, which include, but not limited to:

• Climate Change Management and Policy
• Education and Training Strategies for Sustainable Development
• Environmental Sustainability
• Energy Transition
• Social Dimensions of Sustainability

 

Refix Commodities adheres to the work that are carrying out EU and partners regarding African Renewable Energy Initiative forward 30/10/2019
The African Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) and the OECD hosted a two-day meeting in Paris this week, with a focus on how the private sector can help boost renewable energy investments in Africa.

The EU co-funded this meeting, moved by the need to leverage private sector investments in sustainable energy, especially in Africa. This is a key priority for the EU’s climate action and the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs.

AREI was launched at COP21 in Paris in December 2015 and formally endorsed at the African Union Summit in Addis-Ababa in January 2016 as an Africa-owned and Africa-led effort to accelerate and scale up the harnessing of the continent’s huge renewable energy potential. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Africa houses 40% of the world’s solar potential, 32% of its wind potential and 12% of all hydropower potential.

It originally had two key aims: to achieve at least 10 GW of new and additional renewable energy generation capacity by 2020, and at least 300 GW by 2030. To support these aims, ten international partners – the EU, the G7 countries, the Netherlands and Sweden – together committed to mobilize at least $10 billion from 2015 to 2020. The EU allocation of €1.5 billion, mostly under the EFSD and the ElectriFI initiative(link is external), aimed to support new investments, adding at least 5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2020.

AREI is already exceeding expectations. The 10th AREI Board meeting, held in the margins of the Climate Summit in New York in September 2019, announced that the 10 GW objective had been reached, over a year ahead of schedule. This encouraging result has come about thanks to the adoption of 200 projects, 78 of which are financed or co-financed by the EU, to the tune of €1.1 billion.

This week’s meeting built on AREI’s impressive results so far and move it closer to its ambitious aim of establishing 300GW of additional renewable energy generation capacity in Africa by 2030.

Source. http://www.arei.org

As part of our commitment to the care of the health and quality of our products, Refix Commodities adheres to the code of practice for the prevention and reduction of aflatoxin contamination in peanuts. As part of this commitment,
Refix Commodities strongly promotes and audits all its suppliers around the world to apply the best agricultural practices to minimize the presence of aflatoxin.

ABOUT THE FAO AND THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

International Food Standards
The CODEX ALIMENTARIUS international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice contribute to the safety, quality and fairness of this international food trade. Consumers can trust the safety and quality of the food products they buy and importers can trust that the food they ordered will be in accordance with their specifications.

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF AFLATOXIN – CONTAMINATION IN PEANUTS

This document is intended to provide guidance for all interested parties producing and handling peanuts for entry into international trade for human consumption. All peanuts should be prepared and handled in accordance with the Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene, which are relevant to all foods being prepared for human consumption. These codes of practice indicate the measures that should be implemented by all persons that have the responsibility for assuring that food is safe and suitable for consumption.

Source. http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/codes-of-practice/en/

Code of Practices download link:

 

 

Refix Commodities will be present at the Anuga fair.

ANUGA is considered the largest trade fair in the world and a meeting point for the most important industry. From October 5 to 9, 2019, Anuga will once again present all that is important to the international public. With ten fairs, eleven trend themes, an informative event and congress program and the largest participation of exhibitors, it will be the number one event again.

More about Anuga: https://www.anuga.com/

The International Peanut Forum (IPF) is an event for the worldwide peanut industry, held every two years.  The next IPF will be held during April 22-24, 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.

The event is organized by the American Peanut Council and is open to everyone in the peanut supply/demand chain and allied industries globally.

The International Peanut Forum is a key networking and conference event held every two years. It is an ideal opportunity to network with the whole supply chain, from farmers, shellers, exporters, brokers, dealers, manufacturers, testing laboratories, equipment and other service suppliers from around the world. The theme of the 2018 conference was “Peanuts – the Protein for Tomorrow’s Champions”, and with session topics ranging from nutrition and allergy research to new product launches and supply & demand, the IPF had something for everyone, whether a supplier, buyer, QA manager or in marketing.

More about IPF: https://www.peanutsusa.com/events/international-peanut-forum.html

Refix attended the International Peanut Forum is scheduled for April in the beautiful city of Athens, Greece. It was an opportunity  to meet with key peanut suppliers, manufacturers, and others in the peanut industry

More about IPF: https://www.peanutsusa.com/events/international-peanut-forum.html