Preambel
Environment / initial situation
Worldwide, the cultivation of crops is dominated by hybrid varieties and varieties that have been modified using genetic engineering methods. This serves the uniformity of the harvest and the high yield expectations of producers. Typically, however, the commercially available varieties have a low adaptability to locations and environmental conditions, which has to be compensated for with chemical fertilisers and plant protection products. As a result, producers have become increasingly dependent on multinational suppliers who offer fertilisers and pesticides in addition to seeds. Up to now, politics has supported this system – with massive negative consequences for farmers as well as for the environment and society.
bioverita – an alternative
The basis for an alternative are varieties from organic breeding. bioverita recognises and certifies new, robust and high-performance crop varieties that are optimally adapted to the conditions of organic agriculture. bioverita wants to increase the use of these varieties and make them better known in cultivation and marketing. In this way, farmers will once again be more involved in their original task. bioverita’s non-profit purpose is to promote organic/ecological and biodynamic plant breeding (organic breeding) as a cultural task within the framework of a long-term, cross-association, organic/ecological agriculture and food economy (purpose article 2 from the statutes).
1. Vision
bioverita is the international organisation for the promotion and quality assurance of organic breeding, open to all organic breeders.
- From breeding to the final product. We make varieties from organic breeding visible along the value chain.
- Visibility is achieved by labelling varieties or products from organic breeding.
1.1 bioverita wants …
- … knowledge about organic breeding increases.
- … transparency is created in the production of organic food and thus special trust is created in food from varieties from organic breeding.
- … the use of organically bred varieties is increasing and accounts for a high proportion of total consumption.
- … there is a high level of knowledge about organic breeding along the entire value chain.
- … those involved in the value chain implement this knowledge.
- … the majority of organic products are produced with varieties from certified organic breeding. (cultivation and processing)
- … consumers can recognise that the products come from varieties from organic breeding and thus offer added value.
1.2 bioverita’s position in the organic sector
BREEDING
All organic plant breeders1 are members of bioverita. All varieties of these plant breeders are registered with bioverita and are certified by bioverita.
SEED COMPANIES
All seed companies that propagate bioverita-certified varieties are active members of bioverita and label these varieties.
CULTIVATION
All organic farmers and organic horticulturists know bioverita, know what bioverita stands for and use bioverita-certified varieties.
PRODUCTION
The relevant processors/manufacturers want to process bioverita-certified varieties and label the end products accordingly.
TRADE
All organic wholesalers and retailers know bioverita, know what bioverita stands for, and want to carry the bioverita-certified products of the respective manufacturers in their assortment.
CONSUME
All consumers know bioverita, know what bioverita stands for and want to buy these products.
To this end, bioverita wants good framework conditions for organic breeding (e.g. through compulsory use and labelling) and is committed to this. In order to achieve its objectives, bioverita needs a powerful organisation.
2. Mission
2.1 bioverita provides information along the value chain and …
- … educates about organic breeding, collects knowledge and anchors this in the entire value chain.
- … awards the bioverita label to breeders and their varieties if the high quality standards are met.
- … provides information about the certified farms and their varieties.
- … promotes the use of varieties from organic breeding and thus increases their market share.
- … cooperates with organic associations such as Bio Suisse, Demeter, Bioland, Naturland and others in order to increase the use of organic varieties.
2.2 bioverita is a platform for organic breeding, and …
- … provides growers with information on what is happening in the market.
- … communicates the information from the breeders to the value chain.
- … enables joint marketing for organic breeding and the varieties of the breeders.
2.3 bioverita facilitates and promotes market partnerships. Within these partnerships …
- … we network and support the members of the value chain.
- … we ensure the dissemination of information on organic breeding.
- … we are in constant exchange with the contact persons, thus ensuring positive reporting and supporting the market partners in their communication.
2.4 bioverita raises public awareness and ensures information dissemination about organic breeding by providing …
- … enable organic breeding to be present at events and trade fairs.
- … serve media distributors with the important information.
- … inform about organic breeding through various media channels.
- … create trust through transparency.
2.5 bioverita raises the necessary funds for its activities through …
- … annual contributions from members
- … Support contributions from members and other stakeholders.
- … contributions from companies, associations, foundations and other organisations.
bioverita: Organic from the beginning. From breeding to the final product!
1) Organic plant breeders must undergo a recognition process at bioverita, which ensures that they meet the requirements set by bioverita.
Here you can download our vision and mission.
Here you can find further information for download: