Country Belgium

Affiliation and scientific activities Department of Soil Management, Ghent University. I am mainly doing research on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in soils. This is related to fundamental questions of e.g. C stabilization, greenhouse gas emissions, mineralization processes of C and N, the role of soil microfauna in C and nutrient cycling, but also to more applied research on N and P balances, use of organic matter in agriculture, increasing nutrient use efficiencies etc. My research is both in temperate areas and in tropical countries (Indonesia, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Cuba, ...). My research in organic agriculture is also related to these aspects (currently involved in one Core Organic project and several national projects on organic agriculture, and organiser of the first international conference on organic agriculture in the tropics - OrgaTrop2017).

Interest in network activities I am interested in network activities including joint projects and proposals, organisation of conferences etc.

E-mail stefaan.deneve@ugent.be

Country Canada

Affiliation and scientific activities I am Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada located at Dalhousie University (see www.dal.ca/oacc). Aside from facilitating and collaborating in a wide range of research, I coordinate the national science program for organic agriculture in Canada in collaboration with industry partners. As a professor I teach and supervise graduate students. I sit on various organic sector committees in Canada and the Technology Innovation Platform of IFOAM Organics International.

Interest in network activities: As a generalist, my organic research interests are broad but are primarily related to soil fertility and weed management in grain and fruit cropping systems.

E-mail andrew.hammermeister@dal.ca

Country Egypt

Affiliation and scientific activities Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University Soil organic matter response to land management and climatic conditions, with a focus on soil management in organic farming. For more details please visit http://scholar.cu.edu.eg/hamada

Interest in network activities Interested in networking and collaboration through project proposals (food security and sustainable development) and mobility programs (soil organic matter and organic farming)

E-mail hamada@cu.edu.eg

Country Finland

Affiliation and scientific activities Natural Resources Institute Finland Organic research and development projects in food system and value chain related issues such as interaction and power relations among the stakeholders, consumer behavior, quality of food and its production, public and private catering. Increasing amount of projects in developing countries.

Interest in network activities Projects and knowledge-sharing of organic food system and value chains with different approaches: ecological, economic, social, cultural…

E-mail jaakko.nuutila@luke.fi

Country France

Affiliation and scientific activities Senior Scientific Director at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) Associate Researcher at CIRAD (Center for international research on Agriculture, Food and Development) My research focuses on regulation and policies in the fields of agriculture and food. I have been studying French and European policies as well as food security policies in Africa, and global governance in this field. My work also deals with private regulation devices based on sustainability voluntary standards (third party certification versus participatory guarantee systems, and accreditation). My current research projects focus on organic farming and food, agroecology, bioeconomy and, more broadly “sustainable agriculture”.

Interest in network actitivites Interest in network activities regarding research on organic agriculture developments in Europe and in Africa (and in the rest of the world)

E-mail eve.fouilleux@cirad.fr

Country Germany

Affiliation and research activities University of Kassel, Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, Section of Organic Plant Breeding and Agrobiodiversity Interests and activities in Organic Plant Breeding, Genetic Resources, actual projects on barley, wheat, hemp, peas

Interest in network activities Common proposals and projects

E-mail gbackes@uni-kassel.de

Country Germany

Affiliation and research activities Agroecology, University of Bayreuth, www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/agroecology/ My research deals with environmental issues related to the function and use of agricultural ecosystems. The focus is on biogeochemical processes in the rhizosphere of crops and more specifically on rhizodeposition as the driving force for carbon turnover and nutrient fluxes in arable soils. Plants alter biological, chemical and physical processes in the soil surrounding their roots – in the rhizosphere. The release of organic compounds by living roots (rhizodeposition) plays a crucial role for carbon and nutrient turnover in the soil. My research concentrates on rhizodeposition as linkage of interactions between plants, soils and microorganisms. At different temporal and spatial scales, I am studying the importance of rhizodeposition for C and nutrient fluxes in soil. In climate chamber experiments, the small-scale distribution of C compounds along the roots (hotspots) is measured. Through the availability of C, hotspots create preferred habitats for microbes. The microbial activity is here much higher than in the adjacent soil. The roots of living plants can thereby strongly influence the intensity of soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient mobilization. Rhizosphere effects are, therefore, crucial for the availability of nutrients in soil. This ecological function is particularly important with regard to sustainable and organic agriculture. For agricultural ecosystems, the total amount of rhizodeposition is largely unknown. Our field trials, therefore, focus on the separation of different sources of soil CO2 and on the quantification of gross and net rhizodeposition. The aim of my research is to learn more about rhizosphere effects and to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these effects on carbon and nutrient fluxes in agroecosystems.

Interest in network activities Projects and proposals on long-term field trials, networking and knowledge-sharing

E-mail johanna.pausch@uni-bayreuth.de

Country Germany

Affiliation and research activities Senior expert for organic horticulture

Interest in network activities Knowledge-sharing, extension

E-mail pv_fragstein@web.de pvf@uni-kassel.de

Country India

Affiliation and research activities Dr. Mahesh Chander, PhD (Agricultural Extension Education), is Principal Scientist with Indian Council of Agricultural Research, currently serving as Head, Division of Extension Education at ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute. He did a certificate course and a Master Class on Organic Leadership from IFOAM Academy, Germany. He has been actively associated with Research & Development activities concerning organic agriculture since early 1990s and presented a paper on organic agriculture in the 11th IFOAM Scientific Conference in Copenhagen in 1996. He has been member of the International Standards Committee IFOAM and Sustainable Agriculture Network of Rainforest Alliance. He has published and presented papers on organic farming in national and international conferences including writing books and manuals on organic agriculture. Out of the 30 Masters and Doctoral students guided by him, 3 students completed theses on organic livestock farming topics. He has been a Board Member of ISOFAR since 2014. He organized the National workshop on Organic Animal Husbandry Standards at Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar in 2002, and also organized ICAR sponsored short courses on Organic animal husbandry in 2006 and 2016. He was one among the Programme Committee members, when 1st & 2nd IFOAM International Conferences on organic animal husbandry were organized in 2006 & 2012, respectively. He received Bharat Ratna Dr C Subramaniam Award for Outstanding Teachers-2010 from ICAR and ISEE Young Scientist award from Indian Society of Extension Education in 2005. More recently, he was the organizing Committee member of the IFOAM Pre-conference on Organic Animal Husbandry held in India during 19th Organic World Congress. He has been serving several Government of India bodies concerned with organic agriculture including course curriculum development for organic Agriculture.

Interest in network activities He is active in Social Media including FB, Twitter, WhatsApp, written blogs including organic agriculture for international forums like GFAR, CABI, CFS of FAO for knowledge sharing.

E-mail mchanderivri@gmail.com

Country India

Affiliation and research activities Working as Assistant Professor in Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India. Presently working in a project on isolation and identification of ACC Deaminase producing bacteria. ACC Deaminase is involved in breakdown of ethylene and concentration of ethylene increases in plants growing in stress conditions. So isolation, formulation and application of ACC deaminase producers in crops grown organically will help in increasing productivity and beating the stress simultaneously.

Interest in network activities Interested in networking through project proposal on sustainable crop production and food security.

E-mail spandey5@amity.edu sangeetamicro@gmail.com

Country India

Affiliation and research activities Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Allahabad, India Elucidation of role of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) in organic agroecosystems

Interest in network activities Knowledge sharing

E-mail pramod.ramteke@shiats.edu.in ; pwramteke@gmail.com

Country India

Affiliation and research activities Former director at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Yashwantrao Chavan Aharashtra Open University, Nashik - 422 222. Maharashtra, India. Actively engaged in training of farmers in organic agriculture in Maharashtra.

E-mail SURYAGUN@HOTMAIL.COM

Country Indonesia

Affiliation and research activities Universitas Bakrie, Indonesia Dr. Wahyudi David is a researcher and lecturer at Universitas Bakrie, Indonesia. He also serves as managing editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture Food and Energy. In 2013, together with other universities in the region, he initiated Sustainable Agriculture Food and Energy (SAFE) Network that consists of 10 countries and 34 Universities in the Asia Pacific region. He is a member of the Indonesia Association of Food Technologist (IAFT), International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) and Indonesia Society for Functional Food and Nutraceutical (ISFFN). Recently, he is appointed as technical committee for Indonesia National Standard chamber and Scientific advisor for Indonesia Organic Alliance. He has focused his research on organic food quality, organic diet, food culture, and food consumption behavior. He frequently contributes to international training programs in agriculture and organic food quality. He received his MSc and PhD from the University of Kassel, Germany.

Interest in network activities Ongoing project “Analysis of Organic rice quality : from production to consumption” under organic food system program (OFSP)( https://organicfoodsystem.net/ )

E-mail wahyudi.david@bakrie.ac.id , wahyudidavid@yahoo.co.id

Country Iran

Affiliation and research activities Central Research Institute/IAU Iran Evaluation of forage production and increasing mixture rates of vetch (Vicia dasycarpa) with sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) under rainfed conditions.

Interest in network activities Organic agriculture / Sustainable agriculture

E-mail ahmadreza.farzin@yahoo.com

Country Iran

Affiliation and research activities I am currently pursuing my Ph.D in Agronomy at Azad University in Tehran. I’m doing my PhD thesis in collaboration with seed and plant development institute to introduce new and cold resistant canola genotypes to Iranian farmers. Besides the college academics I am actively involved in the extra-curricular activities. I have participated in Fifth Organic leadership course by IFOAM in Germany and Croatia.

Interest in network activities Participating in different and various world conferences, workshops, courses gave me an opportunity to be part of organic movement and learn how organic knowledge is distributing across the world. Organic World Congress 2017, Organic Leadership Course 2018, organic inspection training course are part of my knowledge sharing and network activities. Personally I am too much interested to do research on biofertilizer in different plants.

E-mail Aliakbarshafighi@gmail.com

Country Iran

Affiliation and research activities Full Professor, Azad University, Karaj, Iran ISOFAR World Board, 2014-2017; 2017-2020 Director, IFOAM-IRAN Associate Editor, Journal of Organic Agriculture, Springer

Interest in network activities Organic Production of Medicinal and Ornamental Plants, Organic Food Systems, Plant – Microbe Interactions, Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

E-mail mreza.ardakani@gmail.com

Country Iran

Affiliation and research activities Researcher, Research Institute of Tobacco, Iran

Interest in network activities Crop production using bio fertilizers, organic tobacco production

E-mail rm1355@yahoo.com

Country Iraq

Affiliation and research activities 1) Oral presentation, "vegetablebudding as aspect of organic agriculture" 9th international for geometrics of middle east and north Africa,aqaba,Jordan,2016 2)Reviewers Guide,JournalofDynamicsin Agricultural research(JDAR), 2016. 3) Oral presentation, "Organic Agriculture and its impact on the environment"10th International of water Resourceswatersecurityin the Middle East and NorthAfrica, Istanbul,Turkey, 2016. 4) Lecturer, College of Agriculture and Forestry, MosulUniversity,and Karkuk Agriculture college, Iraq :2017/2018. 5) Oral presentation,19th Organic world Congress, 9-11 November2017, New Delhi, India 6) Oralpresentation,"Effect of spraying with some plantaqueous extracts on grafted water melon plant"at the 4th International Conference on Agriculture and Forestry,2017,Colombo, Srilanka. 7)Presentation on"Effectofspraying with humic acid on grafted water melon plant"at the International Conference on Organic Agriculture in theTropics (OrgaTrop 2017), Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 8) Researchon "Effect of soil application of Seaweed and Foliarfertilizer on growth yield and quality of broad bean during the growing season 2017/2018. 9) Research on "Response of onion plant the humic acid application and spraying with Liquid fertilizer ongrowth,Yield of green onion" during the grow thing season 2017/2018.

Interest in network activities Research projects

E-mail dr_albedri53@yahoo.com

Country Italy

Affiliation and research activities Researcher at CREA (Agricultural Research Council – Research Centre on Agriculture and Environment), she’s involved in research activities on: diversified organic cropping systems; effect of agroecological service crops on belowground root–microbiota interactions; etilphosphonate/phosphonate dynamic in horticultural and tree crops. She coordinated the AB-F project "Data-base on fertilizers in organic farming", the RizoSem project "Rhizosphere interaction and crop-weeds interference in organic horticultural systems" and from Feb 2017, the BIOFOSF project "Strategies for solving the phosphites emergency in organic vegetable and fruit products", all funded by the PQAI I Office "Organic Farming" - Italian Ministry of Agriculture. From May 17, she is Regional Coordinator for North Mediterranean Region and the National Responsible for communication activities within the DIVERFARMING project “Crop diversification and low-input farming across Europe: from practitioners engagement and ecosystems services to increased revenues and chain organisation”. H2020 - Call: RUR 2016-2. She is the leader of the Task “Belowground functional biodiversity” and IT Contact Person in SUREVEG project “Strip-cropping and recycling of waste for biodiverse and resoURce-Efficient intensive VEGetable production” (CORE Organic Cofund Call) from January 2018. She is Consultant of the Office PQA I (Organic agriculture), Office DISR III (Rural development) and DISR V (Fertilizers and plant protection products) of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (Mipaaf).

Interest in network activities Research projects on: - the effect of diversification on nutrient cycling and belowground functional biodiversity in organic cropping systems; - the dynamics of phosphite/phosphate in soil/plant system; - fertilizers and biostimulants in organic farming. As Responsible of "External communication" for RIRAB - Italian Network for Organic Food and Farming Research – she is interested in sharing information on ISOFAR research initiatives (meetings, congress, workshops, etc.).

E-mail alessandra.trinchera@crea.gov.it

Country Italy

Affiliation and research activities Research centre for animal production and aquaculture, Council for agriculture research and economics (CREA) My work is focused on dairy and beef production, with special attention on environmental issues. Currently, I am working on strategy to increase organic dairy production and to find new solutions to increase level of environmental sustainability and animal welfare in organic dairy farms. The project VaLatteBio, funded by the Italian Ministry of agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, has investigated the main characteristics of organic dairy farms in the Po Valley and has proposed some solutions to improve the level of commitment of organic farming. I am also working on improvement of environmental impact of beef farms, by using different tools to estimate several environmental impact categories, such as climate change, air quality, water quality, biodiversity and human health.

Interest in network activities I can share my knowledge about cattle intensive and organic production systems and about environmental issues and assessments. I am interested to find partners to find solutions for improving sustainability and animal welfare in organic dairy and beef systems.

E-mail giacomo.pirlo@crea.gov.it

Country Japan

Affiliation and research activities Specializes in economic and empirical analysis of organic food market and consumption. Fields of interest include: specialized organic food retailing, consumer behavior, organic food policy, and local/ traditional food culture. Senior Assistant Professor at School of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Miyagi University. Board member of the Japanese Society of Organic Agriculture Science. Board member of Miyagi Environmental Life Outreach Network. Member of Miyagi Environmental Council.

Interest in network activities I’m interested in collaborating studies on international harmonization of organic market data, international comparison on organic food retailing/ distribution system and consumer behavior.

Country South Korea

Affiliation and research activities Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark My current research focuses on determining the architecture and function of plant deep roots that can unlock the hidden soil resources in arable subsoil.

Interest in network activities Scientific projects and organic movements

E-mail eusun.han@plen.ku.dk

Country Morocco

Affiliation and scientific activities I am a horticulture engineer with a Master degree in Mediterranean Organic Agriculture from the CIHEAM-Bari (2003-2005). Currently I am a researcher since 2007 in "Organic Horticulture and Composting optimization" at the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA). I’m a coordinator of two research projects and member of a Moroccan professional stakeholder organization (FIMABIO). I have some others duties in consultancy and member of organic regulation committee in morocco. Actually, I have a research program on composting optimization of greenhouse organic wastes and the integrated organic fertilization of organic vegetables under greenhouse and open field in arid zone.

Interest in network activities: Integrated rural development; Biological pest management; Composting; Soil fertility improvement; organic vegetable production, quality systems; medicinal and aromatic plant valorization Onfarm research project, proposals…

E-mail azim.khalid@yahoo.fr

Country Nepal

Affiliation and research activities Mewar University, Rajasthan, India. Research on the effect of organic agriculture on the livelihood of smallholders in Nepal

E-mail rkb.ktm@gmail.com

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Affiliation: Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Management, Osun State University, P.M.B. 4494, Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria. My research interest is fisheries Ecology and Biodiversity Management. I am currently studying the effects of climate change on the fisheries resources of a prominent river in my country. Over the years, fisheries resources have been reported to be on the decline as a result of various human activities altering the composition of green house gases in the atmosphere. It has also been reported that my country is vulnerable to these effects and therefore studying the extent of the effects on the resources and how to adapt to these changes.

Interest in network activitites Networking, Research groups, Projects, conferences and workshops.

E-mail adams.ovie.iyiola@gmail.com; adams.iyiola@uniosun.edu.ng

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro Delta State, Nigeria. Ongoing research on the efficacy of different mulching materials in weed control. 2. Trial of different organic manure on the yield of sweet pepper and growth / palatability of water melon.

Interest in network activities Knowledge sharing

E-mail nwacharity1211@gmail.com

Position Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Department of Agronomy, Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Involved in development of cropping systems to enhance productivity among peasant farmers using organic agriculture practices including agro-ecology, allelopathy and pests and diseases control with botanicals. Practices include the clipping/thinning management of legumes for green manure production and incorporation to complement soil fertility with animal manures; the production of compost using crop residues from farms and markets and applying it to farms to reduce the nutrient loses due to farming activities. Tropical agriculture is subjected to harsh environmental conditions for crop growth, thus requiring fertility practices that will preserve biodiversity and encourage soil moisture retention instead of reducing organic matter levels. I have also successfully used aqueous solution of African bush tea (Hyptis suaveolens L. (Poit.)); that has shown allelopathic properties for weed control, for the control of pests and diseases of major crops in pure and mixed stands. Chemicals are harsh to the environment and eradicate the soil’s fauna and flora, as well pollinators; exacerbating the poor growing condition in the tropics. Eliminating the use of chemicals will thus preserve biodiversity for improved production. Bioactive components of plants, which are relatively safe, can be used in place of chemicals to control diseases and pests of crops. Pests can be repelled through the masking of familiar smell of cultivated crop by spraying or intercropping a pungent plant like the African bush tea.

Interest in network activities Considering the food production environment and the need to upscale production among small-scale producers in the Tropics, I am interested in opportunities to acquire and share knowledge in organic soil fertility improvement practices, and mechanization that will enhance productivity. I will love to collaborate and share knowledge in the use of organic methods for the control of pests and diseases outside the use of Hyptis plant.

E-mail ecodion@yahoo.co.uk ; ecodion72@gmail.com

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities University of Ibadan, Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Food and Nutrition Security. Investigation of the determinants of post- harvest losses among farmers and marketers along the distribution chain in selected states of Northern Nigeria.

Interest in network activities I have interest in youth and women activities in Agriculture projects. Proposal on training needs of youths and women on organic agriculture principles and practices. Belongs to an NGO- Healthy Foods for Consumers Initiatives that creates awareness on healthy food production and consumption through training and radio awareness creation. A member of the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioner of Nigeria, Anambra State Organic Agriculture, Stirring Committee on Ecological Organic, IFOAM, ISOFAR

E-mail nkiru_m@yahoo.com

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Lecturer at the Federal University Oye Ekiti, Nigeria. Former Head of Horticulture Department, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Memberships: Horticultural Society of Nigeria (HORTSON), Nigerian Organic Agriculture Network (NOAN), Nigerian Institute of Landscape Horticulturist (NILH), International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR), and International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). Research activities on Horticultural crops such as cucumber, carrot, celery, moringer, celosia, okra, tomato, watermelon and pepper. I have trained farmers, several youths, women and retirees. I facilitated the establishment of organic farmers market in Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State (EOA Initiative in Nigeria) and the initiation of the Organic Farm in Federal University Oye, Oye-Ekiti. Consultant to Wealth Creation Agency, Akure, Ondo State in selecting and training of Agro-Preneurs. Co-Managing Cherish farm; a subsidiary of King’s Rejoice Multiventures, owns and maintains an experimental herbal farm at Peace and Unity Community, Idi-Omo, Ojoo-Arulogun Road, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria.

Interest in network activities Postharvest handling of Horticultural crops, Organic fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants production. Farmers, women and youth training and mentoring.

E-mail yinkadewoyin@gmail.com

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Production, College of Plant Science and Crop Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Interest in network activities Organic system, agronomy, crop physiology and value chain

E-mail elawob_ass@hotmail.com; soremipas@funaab.edu.ng

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. My research areas are Crop Protection, Organic Agriculture, Plant Nematology, Climate Change and Bio-pesticide Technology. At the moment, I have over 70 publications in both local and international reputable journals.

Interest in network activities I have interest in networking and collaborating in projects, proposals, knowledge sharing, workshops/ symposia/ conferences in the areas of Crop Protection, Organic Agriculture, Plant Nematology, Climate Change and Bio-pesticide Technology.

Email tiolabiyi@lautech.edu.ng

Country Nigeria

Affiliation and research activities Umeh Ogechi Jubilant studied agricultural extension and administration, a lecturer at Michael Okpara University of agriculture Umudike, Nigeria with the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension. A farmer field school (FFS) Master trainer and frontline Extensionist with Agricultural Development Program Abia State Nigeria. Presently, a Doctoral student at Michael Okpara University of agriculture Umudike, Nigeria. Have over 45 journals, conference proceedings and technical paper publications. Currently into research, farm establishment and capacity building in organic farming, climate change and gender. Some of the research projects carried out among others are “Gender analysis of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies among rural farm households in Southeast, Nigeria”, “Assessment of behavioural approaches of rural women farmers to mitigation and adaptation measures of climate change in Abia state Nigeria” and “entrepreneurship training and establishment of organic mushroom farms for youths and farmers”. She belongs to many professional bodies including ISOFAR, NOAN, NIFAAS, AFAAS, GFAAS, AESON and SCCDR.

Interst in network activities Interest in network activities within: 1.Organic research projects, 2.proposals 3.Gender 4.Climate change 5.knowledge-sharing

E-mail umehogechi2@yahoo.com

Country Norway

Affiliation and scientific activities Senior researcher at Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK), Tingvoll, Norway. Coordinated/ing several projects about organic residues as soil amendments and how to integrate this in the value chains for food and feed. Examples: Animal manure (including effects of anaerobic digestion), chopped laying hens, residues from protein hydrolysis, marine residues (seaweed, fish). Some experience in interdisciplinary research and social science, e.g. farmer’s (lack of) motivation for certified organic farming, how to increase organic consumption by public procurement (school meals). Assistant editor of Organic Agriculture, board member of ISOFAR since 2008.

Interest in network activities: Interested in participation in (more) Horizon 2020-projects, and to develop a network for organic agriculture research in the Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and more).

E-mail anne-kristin.loes@norsok.no

Country Philippines

Affiliation and research activities AGRICULTURAL CENTER CHIEF IV AT BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY-LOS BAÑOS NATIONAL CROP RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION SUPPORT CENTER (BPI-LBNCRDPSC) Currently involve in the following research, development and production projects in BPI-LBNCRDPSC : Project leader: Documentation and Evaluation of Microbials and Botanicals for Organic Agriculture in Support to Organic Stakeholders in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Bicol Region Project leader: Development of Organic Seed Production System of Lowland Vegetables and Field Legumes at BPI-LBNCRDC and Strengthening Partnership in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Bicol Region (Phase2). Project leader: Technology Demonstration and Capacity Building for Lowland Vegetable Production Project leader: Production of Quality Planting Materials of Selected Vegetables, Legumes, Herbs and Fruit Trees Project Leader: Action Project on Enhancing the Productivity and Quality of Black Pepper In The Philippines Towards Gap Certification

Interst in network activities PROJECTS AND PROPOSALS RELATED TO VEGETABLE AND SEED PRODUCTION KNOWLEDGE-SHARING ON VEGETABLE PRODUCTION PRACTICES AND OTHER RELEVANT TOPICS

E-mail hagabertan@gmail.com

Country Philippines

Affiliation and research activities I am a researcher in the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) under the Seed Science and Technology Laboratory, Postharvest and Seed Sciences Division, Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science. My research interests are on crop and seed physiology, organic agriculture, climate change adaptation, plant genetic resources conservation and management, and indigenous knowledge systems. I am presently involved in the implementation a two-year government-funded research project on the documentation and assessment of local/indigenous knowledge for climate change adaptation of agrifisheries communities. This research is being implemented by a multi-disciplinary team composed of agronomists, fisheries experts, anthropologists, taxonomists, and development communication experts. I am a member of government technical working groups for the (a) validation of organic farms and establishments, (b) development of ASEAN guide for organic certification, and (c) seed certification and standards. I am also a member of the National Research Council of the Philippines, the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture, and the Crop Science Society of the Philippines. In UPLB, I have taught laboratory classes on the fundamentals of crop science and the fundamentals of seed technology, as well as lecture classes on ecological agriculture. I am also a resource person on various topics on seed technology, organic agriculture, climate change adaptation, among others, on the local and national levels. I have published several articles, both in ISI and non-ISI journals. I also authored and co-authored several other publications, e.g., book chapters, non-refereed articles, papers, training manuals, research project terminal reports, brochures, comics, etc.

Interest in network activities Research projects, knowledge sharing, review of papers for publication

E-mail lpdeguzman1@up.edu.ph

Country Poland

Affiliation and research activities Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Organic Food Division at the Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Poland. Prof. Rembiałkowska in her research activity deals with the nutritional value of organic and conventional crops, and the influence of organic food on human and animal health. Prof. Rembiałkowska is an author of many papers, in that 25 published in the impact factor journals. She has proved together with her team that the raw materials from the organic production (vegetables, potatoes, herbs and fruits) contain significantly more bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols and carotenoids, than raw materials from conventional production. This is mainly because of different soil fertilization and plant protection in organic and conventional systems. It has been proven by her team that plant extracts from organic vegetables had a stronger hampering effect on the growth of cancer cells than conventionally produced plant extracts. It has been shown that rats who consumed organic feed presented different physiological profile and more active immune system than those fed with conventionally produced feed. Prof. Rembiałkowska deals professionally with organic farming and food for many years, leading a number of Polish and international scientific and didactic projects in the area of organic food and farming.

Interest in network activities Interested in common projects in the above mentioned topics, both scientific and implementation ones. Knowledge sharing via workshops and conferences is very appreciated.

E-mail Ewa_rembialkowska@sggw.pl

Country Poland

Affiliation and research activities She is professor in Institute of Plant Protection (IOR-PIB, Poland) where she is head of Department of Biological Methods and Organic Farming. She has a broad experience in biological methods, including employ of EPNs for biological control of soil pests, and natural (among others botanicals, basic substances and plants originated) products which have direct or indirect effects on plants/pathogens/insect pests. Beneficial microorganisms and strategies of using them in order to increasing of healthy of plants is one among interests. Also compatible using of chemical products in lower dose with biological products is developed. Protection of biodiversity as element of natural and biological control of pests is included in the research. She is member of the national Council of Organic Farming in the Polish Ministry, board member for the Polish agriculture journal.

Interest in network activities She is a leader of national research projects addressed to organic and integrated methods of protection, she participated in “CO-FREE” project within 7PF. She participated in the project (2009-2014) under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy, she was head of the task "Enrichment of selected microbial pesticides allowed for organic fruit crops" in the subject "Development of innovative products and technologies for organic cultivation of fruit plants" (EkoTechProduct), co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund as part of OPIE. She was also external expert in the field of protection and cultivation of agricultural crops in organic farming, Polish representative in the project in the years 2015 - 2018 within program Horizon 2020, the area of ​​EIP-AGRI "OK-Net Arable” for more knowledge exchange in organic farming", the project leader is IFOAM. Additionally she participated in the twinning project funded by the EU “Further strengthening of capacities of phytosanitary sector in the fields of plant protection products, plant health and seeds and seedlings, including phytosanitary laboratories and phytosanitary inspections” “EU-FITO-BiH”

E-mail J.Kowalska@iorpib.poznan.pl jolak26@wp.pl

Country Spain

Affiliation and research activities During last 18 years I’ve been affiliated with Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad. Currently I work as associated professor of Agroecology, Basics of Crop Production, Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture at the Department of Field and Vegetable crops. My work at the Department comprises of: work with students (teaching laboratory classes and lecturing), research, field trips, maintenance of the long-term experiment and extension. The focus of my research was effects of different crop rotation on soil properties (physical and chemical) and its relation to crop yield, also evaluation of common management practices in temperate conditions. The focus of my research are methods which can be used for improving soil and crops, by balancing the values of agro-ecosystems, and utilization of methods and technique which can assure safe and healthy food and reduce undesirable (side)effects on the environment.

Interest in network activities Project, field experiment, research, knowledge sharing

E-mail srdjan.seremesic@polj.uns.ac.rs

Country Sri Lanka

Affiliation and research activities Consultant (CABI Associate), CABI Plantwise, Sri Lanka I am an advisor and a trainer on ICM and have over eight years of working experience both in academic and non-academic sectors. Currently I am working as Consultant (CABI Associate) for Plantwise program (www.plantwise.org) and this principally involves with national plant health system in Sri Lanka. I am delivering trainings to agricultural extension officials on ICM to become them as plant doctors. Also, I play a key role in developing extension materials such as Pest Management Decision Guide, which is widely used to implement ICM practices. I am also an active member of advisory committee of Green Visva Lanka Farm Developers (Gte) Ltd. It is a local NGO promoting organic farming in Northern Sri Lanka.

Interest in network activities I am highly interested in working projects for bio control and in knowledge sharing

E-mail avakeesh@gmail.com

Country Tunesia

Affiliation and research activities CEO of a startup specialized on biological control : first Tunisian unit of benefit insects mass-rearing

Interest in network activities Biological control/R&D/Entomology

E-mail Faten.hamdi@gmail.com

Country Tunesia

Affiliation and research activities - I am a PhD student (since 2014 till now) at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation-Dept. Agroecology & Organic Farming- University Bonn- Germany. - I have been working as a Research Assistant (2014-2016) for the project (Optimization of Grain legumes for Organic farming under reduced tillage and direct seeding: weed control and inline fertilization with phosphorus and sulfur ) at the Institute für Organischen Landbau IOL, Uni-Bonn. - Organic Agriculture has always been my area of interest and hence I did during my studies; starting by intending advanced courses in Biology-Geology cycle then enrolling in an National Engineer program specialized in Horticulture-Organic farming (5 years) at the High Agronomic Institute of Chott Meriem- Sousse. - Consequently, following by my Master’s degree in Agricultural sciences (Mediterranean Organic Agriculture) at CIHEAM-Bari Institute, Italy in Octobre 2013. My master thesis was focusing on identifying and clustering the profile of the organic food consumers in Developing countries (case study: Tunisia).

Interest in network activities Interest in common proposals, scientific projects and network activities regarding research on organic agriculture developments all over the world.

E-mail sbrahim@uni-bonn.de; Sahar-bio@hotmail.fr

Country Turkey

Affiliation and research activities Researcher at Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MFAL), General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Politics (GDAR) (1996-continuing) and was head of the Organic Farming (OF) Department of Aegean Agricultural Research Institute (AARI, Izmir-Turkey) (2006-2017), being responsible for three current vegetable and legume research projects in the national organic farming program of Turkey and COBRA (Coordinating Organic Plant Breeding Activities for Diversity) Project financially supported by Core Organic II of Turkey’s activities. She leads the institution’s organic research, on-farm projects since 1999 and has been working at Olive Research Institute (ORI) of GDAR. She has worked on a Plant Genetic Research (PGR) project for ‘Screening of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) landraces of Turkey’ for drought tolerance of 350 landraces surveyed and collected from different parts of Turkey and agro-morphologically identified. She is agronomist and particularly focused on soil fertility and plant nutrition, fertilization of organic open field vegetables, survey, collection, agro-morphologically characterization and utilization of vegetable and legume plant genetic resources under sustainable management systems (OF and GAP). She has an agricultural engineering degree and BSc and PhD in Philosophy from Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. She has Member of ISOFAR (International Society of Organic Agriculture Research) and Association for Ecological Agriculture Organizations (ETO) of Turkey and representative of MFAL-GDAR at TP ORGANICS. She was sit on OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Green Growth and Sustainable Development Group (2012-2017), Soil Science Association of Turkey (2000-2010), and ANADOLU (Journal of AARI) Editorial Board (2006-2017). She attended “Conservation of Soil” (Department of Land, Air and Water Resources -UC Davis, CA USA), “The Technologies of Input Development on Organic Vegetables, Fruits and Ornamentals” (The Organic Research Centre -Elm Farm-ORC Newbury, Berkshire, UK), “Collection, Conservation, Characterization, Documentation, Evaluation of Plant Genetic Resources and International Gene Bank Management” (ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) Aleppo Syria), and Vegetable Production and Organic Farming (IAC (International Agriculture Center) Wageningen, The Netherlands) thematic scientific programs as study visitor.

Interest in network activities *organic farming production on olive, vegetables, legumes *innovative inputs on plant nutrition under organic management, *bio-energy *soil fertility improvement *bio dynamic compost *Plant Genetic Resources

E-mail alev.kir.etae@gmail.com , alev.kir@tarim.gov.tr

Country United Kingdom

Affiliation and research activities I am a general agronomist covering all aspects of sustainable / organic crop production, from soils, through crop management, pests & diseases, machinery and mechanisation. My key speciality is non-chemical weed management, with a deep speciality in thermal weeding. I am currently the head of the BHU Future Farming center which is dedicated to the science and extension of permanent and whole-system agricultures and horticultures, such as organic agriculture, ecological agriculture, agroecology, and biological farming, coupled with a strong focus on extension / tech transfer to get scientific information out to, and for the benefit of, all farmers and growers. Having started my career as an organic vegetable farmer, and with extensive experience of agriculture and horticulture in Europe, the Americas and New Zealand I also specialise in acting as a bridge between farmers and scientists to help both sides understand each others domains and ensure that practical farming projects are will yield positive results for producers and also meet the needs of scientists.

Interest in network activities I am always interested in collaborative research, especially as I am a generalist and need to team up with specialists when high levels of technical expertise is require in specific disciplines. With my international experience, especially of the EU and NZ I can also bridge the cultural and historical divides to help ensure international projects don’t get lost in translation.

E-mail charles@merfield.com and charles.merfield@bhu.org.nz

Country United Kingdom

Affiliation and research activities Senior Research Fellow, Agroecological Futures, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University. 30 years experience in international organic farming development in S America, Asia, Africa and EU. Currently heading research programme on Quantum Thinking for Agroecology.

Interest in network activities Everything on quantum agriculture

E-mail j.wright@coventry.ac.uk

Country USA

Affiliation and research activities Cornell University—Minimum Risk Pesticides Oregon State University— Developing Multi-use Naked Barley for Organic Farming Systems

Interest in network activities Organizer of the Organic Agriculture Research Symposium, 2015, 2016. Co-organizer of Science Day at BioFach, 2013, 2014, 2015. Vice-Chair of the Technology Innovation Platform of IFOAM.

E-mail Bpb33@cornell.edu

Country USA

Affiliation and research activities Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center The Organic Center is a non-profit based in Washington DC in the United States with the mission of convening and conducting credible, evidence-based science on the environmental and health benefits of organic food and farming and communicating them to the public. The Center communicates up-to-date studies on sustainable agriculture and health, and collaborates with academic and governmental institutions to fill gaps in knowledge about organic. Identifying gaps in our knowledge One of the most important things that the Center does is identify areas where there are gaps in knowledge about organic. The Organic Center does this through many channels: by holding discussions at grower meetings, meeting regularly with their scientific advisory board, and conducting an annual survey. Put together a research team The Center finds research teams by identifying labs that are working on cutting edge issues, and by reading papers to find people who are publishing in the most impactful journals. Develop a project and funding Project development is important, because the research needs to be directly impactful to organic stakeholders and have meaning to the target audience. The Organic Center engages stakeholders throughout the process, and starts by putting together a diverse advisory board. Project management and communication The Organic Center does project management throughout the lifespan of the research, and when it comes to Communication the Organic Center is the main outreach entity for organic science in the United States. They use extensive networks, put on webinars and workshops at regional and national meetings, newsletters, press releases, social media, develop web pages for each project, and more. Leverage results The Center leverages the research results into actionable next steps. They use the findings not only to solve the initial challenge areas that the project addressed, but also to identify new gaps in knowledge, which starts the cyclical process over again.

Interest in network activities I am interested in multiple projects, including collaborative studies, conferences, and knowledge-sharing across nations. As the Director of Science Programs for the Organic Center, I have collaborated on a number of diverse research programs ranging from applied solutions to on-farm challenges to methods for improving environmental impacts of agriculture. Some of my most recent collaborations include projects aimed at finding organic solutions for citrus greening, analyzing pathogens in animal-based soil amendments, investigating agricultural contributions to reactive nitrogen in the environment, measuring on-farm sequestered carbon, and building a biodiversity calculator to allow growers to manage biodiversity for maximum ecosystem services.

E-mail jshade@organic-center.org