New Organic Educational Gardens in Key Governmental and Historical Locations
This spring a portion of the grounds that surround the USDA Whitten Building in Washington, DC, was dug up to plant an organic garden named “The People’s Garden.” A truckload of compost from Rodale Institute was brought to the site and spread by leaders of the National Organic Program, The National Organic Standards Board, and other notable figures in the organic industry. The garden will be in transition to organic certification under inspection by Pennsylvania Certified Organic. Signs will be posted that tell the story of the organic garden and the requirements of NOP certified organic. Raised beds and pots with compost and certified organic transplants are part of the garden plan. Next time you are in Washington, DC, visit the People’s Garden—it’s much more accessible than the White House garden!

In addition, another organic garden is under way at Stratford Hall, home to the Lee family of Virginia including two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. This program will contrast 18th- and 21st-century agriculture practices, thereby exploring the significant issues of agriculture and its societal effects. By contrasting the history of organic farming practices, Stratford Hall will be able to make a significant contribution to public understanding of the evolution of agriculture and its impact on the economy, environment and diet. 

Wolf, DiMatteo + Associates is working to design and implement this program and create an integrated organic farming system. Over 35,000 people visit Stratford Hall each year and will have the opportunity to observe the process of restoring soil health using organic methods.


Project to Help African Farming Villages Seeks Partners
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and the United States, the deserts are expanding at alarming rates, relentlessly consuming once-fertile agricultural lands and entire communities. This urgent global issue, “desertification,” has been called “the greatest environmental challenge of our time” by the United Nations University, which projects that it will soon affect close to one-third of the earth’s land surface.

In regions of Northern Africa, once forested areas are now deserts, and with no trees to act as windbreaks, the sand is submerging acres of nutrient-rich agricultural land—taking away millions of rural villagers’ homes and livelihoods. The Village Reforestation and Advancement Initiative (VRAI) was created to reverse this desert creep, reestablish arable land and create vibrant local economies. The first step is to recreate a forest belt with 30,000 indigenous trees. After this, organic agricultural practices and solar irrigation will be used to grow a variety of products to supply organic processors and consumers around the world and create a better quality of life for these villagers. Some of the products that will be cultivated in this area include hibiscus, tamarind, caraway, dates, anise and coriander as well as honey. The project is also helping build a solar-powered learning center for farmers and children in these villages.

VRAI is currently looking for companies and organizations to partner with on this project on many levels, from providing expertise on sustainable farming, marketing or product development, to committing to source products from these farmers or provide financial support. Sumbody Organic Skincare has already got involved, and is creating a product line made from materials grown by VRAI farmers to help fund the project. “This is an opportunity for companies to work together to create a dramatic change by helping develop a sustainable economy and environment in these villages,” said Debbi Burnes, founder of Sumbody.

VRAI is a partnership between Christie Communications, the U.S.-based nonprofit Aid Still Required, and local community-based organizations in Sudan. You can see the project video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUCxVSJ4nYY. For more information, contact Alissa Sears at alissa@christiecomm.com.


Organic Fiber Walking Tour At All Things Organic Show
While at ATO, don’t miss the Organic Fiber Walking Tour of the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s world famous shopping district, Tuesday, June, 16. The tour will stop at stores large and small that are selling a wide variety of organic cotton products including Gap, H&M, Levi Strauss and Skinstinct. Attendees will see the latest styles and learn from retailers, all the while networking with one another and getting the chance to shop with substantial discounts! Cost per registrant is $50 and lunch is included. For more information visit the ATO website: www.organicexpo.com, and click on “store tours.”


International Updates
The U.S. and Canada are very close to completing an equivalency agreement on organic regulations. National Organic Program Director Barbara Robinson announced at the OTA Policy Conference on March 25th that there are only a few particulars left to work out to reach an agreement. Canadian officials have sent this message about the meetings with the U.S. on equivalency: “Recent discussions were productive and significant progress was made in the technical evaluations of our respective national organic programs. 

Both Canada and the U.S. are optimistic that an arrangement recognizing our national organic systems as equivalent could be concluded prior to the implementation of the Canadian program on June 30, 2009.” This would be momentous for the organic industry—a precedent that will keep trade in organic products and ingredients flowing smoothly without additional certifications or major changes in farm or processing operations. 

On March 18, 2009 Taiwan officially added the United States to its list of recognized countries with equivalent organic standards for fresh and processed crop and livestock products. Also, the USDA National Organic Program’s approved certification agencies are now recognized by the Taiwan Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) to certify products as organic in Taiwan.

Adapted from Wolf, DiMatteo + Associates’ “News & Policy Updates for the Organic Industry.” For more details, contact the company at info@organicspecialists.com. 


Washable Organic Wool Wins Award
Vermont Organic Fiber Company’s (VTOF) new O-Wool Washable fabrics were a key element in the design that won the People’s Choice Award in Outdoor Retailer’s (OR) “Project OR” competition. These fabrics are the nation’s first washable Merino wool textiles made with wool grown and certified to the USDA organic standard. Project OR hand-picked five design students to produce a garment prototype that was an innovative use of performance and eco-friendly materials. Curt Sousa, from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA, used VTOF’s new organic washable wool fabric to make the leggings for his design. The fabric is made in three outdoor apparel weights, (150g/m2, 220g/m2, and 250g/m2), and uses a proprietary process to prevent shrinking and “felting” during washing. The process uses hydrogen peroxide and mechanical action instead of chlorine and uses one-third of the water used by traditional treatments. It also meets the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which tests textile products to ensure they are free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances known to be detrimental to human health.


Global Organic Cotton Market Hits $3.2 Billion
Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products reached an estimated $3.2 billion in 2008, according to the Organic Cotton Market Report 2007-2008 released by the nonprofit organization Organic Exchange. This represents a 63 percent increase from the $1.9 billion market in 2007. The top 10 organic cotton-using brands and retailers globally were Wal-Mart, C&A, Nike, H&M, Zara, Anvil, Coop Switzerland, Pottery Barn, Greensource, and Hess Natur.

Despite the global retail outlook, most brands and retailers selling organic cotton products remain committed to their sustainability plans and upbeat about market growth, with plans to expand their product lines 24 and 33 percent in 2009 and 2010, respectively, to result in an estimated $4 billion market in 2009 and a $5.3 billion market in 2010.

In addition, the number of organic cotton farmers grew worldwide in 2007/08 increased 152 percent, according to OE’s Organic Cotton Farm and Fiber Report 2008, organic cotton production increased to 145,872 metric tons (MT) (668,581 bales) grown on 161,000 hectares in 22 countries worldwide from 57,932 MT (265,517 bales) produced in 2006/07).