Flexión verbal

IFOAM-Organics International describes itself in its new strategy as ‘The organic agent of change

for true sustainability in agriculture, value chains and consumption; working on behalf of its membership, the global organic movement in over 120 countries.’ Adopting a farmer-centred experiential learning approach (Freire, 1970; Holt-Giménez, 2006; Kolb, 2008), the method has been to draw out of local experience the les- sons which are suited to the context, and in so doing to support local people in building on local resources and indigenous knowledge.

Leading and uniting the organic world over the last 45 years with a small core of staff, needed a strategic approach. Effecting global change and broader adoption of sustainable food and farming systems based on organic prin- ciples even more so. Often, broad adoption goes hand in hand with a technocratic strategy of ex- ponential growth, identifying and scaling-up successful systems. This is the modus operandi of many large corporates and of the industrial food companies. The seminal and definitive cri- tique on Big Agriculture, known as the IAASTD Report (IAASTD, 2009) contains the following inspiring quote: ‘If many little people, in many Fig. 4.1. Organic training in Maharashtra. (Photograph by K. Hauptfleisch.)

little places, do many little things, we can change the face of the world.’ This defines the Organic Academy’s approach: we do not scale-up, we replicate. We do not send an army to conduct mass training programmes, but we inspire the multipliers to do many good little things in many little places.

This approach is contained in the second paragraph of the ‘Definition of Organic Agri- culture’ (IFOAM, 2008): ‘(relying) on cycles adapted to local conditions . . .’. The Academy does not reinvent or impose content from a ‘global up-high’ – it brings together the core principles, values, better practices and con- cepts, into an ‘educational seedball’ – or, to use a more genetic analogy: similar organisms have similar DNA, but in different regions and under different circumstances, different gen- etic markers are switched on. The full diversity of solutions and approaches is not only recog- nized, but actively supported. This is organic learning, in the complex and adaptive ecosys- tem of adult education.

Similarly, organic solutions are locally ap- propriate and locally adapted. It therefore makes no sense for the global organization to provide ‘ready-made’ solutions. Its approach to learning

and teaching must honour this principle, and the Academy recognizes that. It aims to develop capacity of local multipliers to co-create and de- velop solutions (Fig. 4.2), and share and dissem- inate appropriately.

The Academy training works with the ‘common DNA’ of organic, namely a well- developed definition, supported by core prin- ciples. These principles (IFOAM, 2005), driven by organic values, inspire the content. OA has a proud, centuries-old history of supporting sus- tainability through agroecologically focused production systems. The pioneers of modern OA recognized this more than a century ago, across all continents and climate zones. From Fukuoka to Steiner, from Balfour to Rodale, from Mazibu- ko to Phiri to Podolinsky, we see a golden thread of sustainability.

The well-known principles of the organic movement, namely health, ecology, fairness and care, can be used as a yardstick to illustrate how organic systems support a sustainable food system, as explained in Chapters 5 and 6 (this volume).

A food system that considers the well-being of the ecosystem – that supports and emulates it; that considers the health of all the contributors

and beneficiaries; that upholds a principle of fairness in the way that it produces, trades and consumes its output and that takes care to not utilize technologies that could cause untold and unknown damage – such a food system is clearly a sustainable one.

Our current food system is – if not broken – then most definitely severely damaged. In numer- ous research publications, this becomes clear. It can no longer be business as usual. The reasons for failure of the current food system are multiple, and blame is cast in many directions. What is the true nature of food? It is, and (despite recent technological advances) remains a product of a natural ecosystem managed by people. This link between agriculture and food systems seems ob- vious, but when one observes the way in which our current market economy approaches food as a commodity, its production and consumption as an industrial system, then it is clear that this link is tenuous at best. Nature is an extremely complex adaptive and increasingly vulnerable system – how can it be held captive within an in- dustrial mindset driven by a need to simplify and reduce? Is constraining agriculture in the pipe- line of contemporary industry really the most effective way to have sustainable and healthy food systems?

It is here where OA makes a real contribu- tion to changing the food system for the better.

And when we develop any curriculum for organic leaders or practitioners, we can do no better than to base it on the four principles re- ferred to above, and presented in Chapter 2 of this volume: (i) ecology; (ii) health; (iii) fairness; and (iv) care.

The principle of ecology features very clearly when we consider farming inputs: they are sourced, developed and improved based on prin- ciples of nature rather than an extractive fos- sil-fuel-based industry. Manures, compost and natural remedies are created by observing na- ture and natural systems. By using what is avail- able locally, by recycling on-farm nutrients (and in the future, returning off-farm inputs to the farming system). Ecology features further when one considers the growing and production cycle, the sequestration of carbon and responsible use of precious resources like water make real and measurable contributions to the farm ecosys- tem, and by extension, to the planet.

While organic farming offers an obvious con- tribution, it goes further than that: organically produced food is free from harmful inputs and chemicals; organic standards also describe which processing agents may or may not be used – there is a clear positive indicator for the principle of health. Farmers and farmworkers are health- ier because they are not exposed to harmful chemicals. Animals are healthier because they are treated without the use of same, and with re- spect for their welfare. Consumers of the outputs of this system are healthier both because their food is free from poisons and because it is more nourishing, and the whole ecosystem is health- ier as a result.

In order to have a functional food system, fairness is key. A farmer’s livelihood needs to be en- sured by receiving fair compensation for his or her labour of love to provide sustenance for a growing population. Traders, processors, retailers: often these ‘middlepersons’ are maligned, as purely add- ing cost without adding true value. OA has a clear focus on fair systems for all involved: most of the world’s leading organic standards, supported by farmers’ associations across the globe, describe these fairness principles. Here, organic also aligns with its partners in the global movement for change, such as Fairtrade, think-tanks on true cost accounting systems, and the like.

The current buzz-trends in food – trans- parent, local, seasonal, fresh – these are all principles espoused by organic farmers and traders for decades. Some of the best examples of fair and cooperative farming and trade sys- tems are found within the Organic Movement, and many of the current trends in wholefoods, superfoods and raw food were inspired by the organic pioneers. There is a caveat: the move- ment needs to ensure that the values of fairness continue to be enshrined even in the regulated organic industry. Governments need to be con- tinually lobbied and engaged to ensure that the regulations echo the values and principles of sustainability.

The first three principles are embraced by and enshrined in the fourth: care. Care evokes feelings and perceptions of warmth, safety and support. When we take care, and give care, we celebrate that which is one of the highest aspir- ations of the human condition: we do not only feed and clothe, but we do it with care for our

environment internally and externally. We take care of our health and nourishment, but we also take care of the health and nourishment of the planet. We do this by not supporting tech- nologies that risk harm and destruction of the ecosystem, but by supporting research and tech- nology that gives and takes care. This remains non-negotiable.

The values and principles of OA are clear, and their links to and value for a sustainable food system too. But we cannot build systems only on values and principles. While they give the backbone and the vision, these principles have to be supported by science, technology and economics. It stands to reason that OA will not make a meaningful contribution if it cannot show its contribution clearly.

The Organic Academy therefore bases its curriculum very closely on these fundamentals, in order to inspire and capacitate people, who, in turn, capacitate other people. This approach has certain benefits:

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The Academy is not seen as a prescriptive teacher of recipes, but as an enabler of local solutions.

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As a relatively small global organization, it is able to inspire hundreds, who in turn can teach thousands who can empower millions of farmers to adopt new systems – this is the ‘theory of change’ of the Academy. With a permanent staff of two, and a small but grow- ing team of regional trainers, a small organ- ization is able to punch above its weight.

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Through the Alumni Programme and

Knowledge Network, these multipliers are kept connected through an online platform as well as via events and conferences where alumni meet – sometimes organized, but more often spontaneously.

The Academy focuses on participation as its main approach to adult education: participatory curriculum development, participatory method- ology and peer-to-peer learning. Adults ap- proach training differently to younger students: they come with a wealth of experience, and this experience and knowledge needs to be tapped and harvested in a training session. This cannot be done if a trainer is stuck behind a laptop with a laser pointer and a PowerPoint.

While technology is a great tool, and theory is key to learning, it cannot be the only component

receiving energy in the participatory classroom. The training programme includes lectures by sub- ject experts and the lead trainer, but this is bal- anced in equal measure with practical excursions, breakout sessions using different methodologies like ‘Fishbowl’ and ‘World Café’, and thirdly ample time to evaluate, discuss and reflect. This Theory- Action-Reflection approach is at the core of the Academy learning cycle (see Fig. 4.3).

The important consideration of the ‘T-A-R’ cycle is that it is neither sequential, nor hierarch- ical; in other words, one can start at any of the three corners of the triangle, and move to either of the other two. From there one can return to the first, or move to the third, and cycle between all three in any sequence, depending on the need of the learner, the approach of the facilitator and the topic under scrutiny. Over time, all three will be visited. This is an adaptive, ‘organic’ and intuitive approach, and has proven itself successful.

Another important component of the Acad- emy’s pedagogical approach is the fact that the work is aspirational and inspirational. The or- ganic movement is at its core a social movement: it strives for a societal change in the way in which agriculture is discussed; it proposes a different re- lationship between society and nature, between humans and ecosystems. A strong emphasis is placed on the fact that as a movement, we need to inspire our leaders and multipliers to ‘be the change’ and, as Antoine de Saint-Exupery may have said (1948) in The Little Prince: ‘If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.’

The OLC

Organic pioneers inspired and led the emergence of modern OA in the early 20th century. Actors

Theory

Action Reflection

in the organic sector today share their vision of a fairer, healthier and more sustainable world, but sometimes lack the required knowledge, skills and attitude to contribute effectively to organic development.

In the OLC, both present and future lead- ers come together to learn, share experiences, develop innovative strategies, and build like-minded networks. The Academy has been serving the sector the past 6 years, through effective and comprehensive training pro- grammes, developed to support the strategy of our organization and the needs of our movement.

The OLC provides a unique global learning experience. To date, we have welcomed partici- pants from all continents to courses in India, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Thai- land, the Netherlands, Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and the Philippines.

This flagship programme spans 8–10 months with residential and online learning. The OLC entails a kick-off and closing residential

session as well as monthly webinars and assign- ments where each individual participant ac- tively engages in all residential training sessions (Fig. 4.4), attends monthly webinars consisting of lectures and discussions with subject experts and throughout this period, the group goes on a journey of self-discovery and learning. One of the key ingredients of the OLC is the conception and creation of an individual personal develop- ment plan to lead the organic sector in a region, organization or enterprise, with guidance from the lead trainer and peer feedback.

The greatest benefit of the OLC is the net- work each individual participant connects to – not only during the training, but for the rest of their career in the organic world.

The OLC was inspired by the OA Develop- ment course, known as the OAD, a scholarship programme funded by the Swedish Government and conducted for over a decade under the tutel- age of Gunnar Rundgren, one of the pioneers of global organic development. The OAD DNA lives on in the OLC of the Organic Academy.

Short and Tailored Courses

In document Formas libres y formas ligadas en la teoría morfológica del español y el chino mandarín (página 37-44)