PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
More than any other European geographical cluster, the agricultural sector in Southern Europe has been adversely affected by a number of serious climate change impacts (reduced annual rainfall, increased temperatures, unexpected floods and prolonged heat waves) resulting in a reduction of crop productivity, degradation of soil and biodiversity as well as increased risk of food safety and biodiversity of natural resources.
It is widely acceptable that organic farming promotes environmental sustainability but there is no clear evidence of climate change improvement (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions). Also, there is no clear scientific evidence that eating organic foods is associated with better human health. Several studies have been published on the nutritional value of organic foods, but there is a need to translate nutritional value into potential positive effects on human health using randomised clinical trials, which, to date, are scarce.
OBJECTIVES
The ORGANIKO LIFE+ project’s main aim was to showcase the comparative advantages of organic farming and its products over those of conventional farming. The following indicators were used to showcase these advantages: 1. Effectiveness of climate change mitigation 2. Agronomic and environmental quality 3. Pesticide exposure and oxidative stress/inflammation biomarkers in relation to the systematic consumption of organic foods by primary school children.
RESULTS
The LIFE+ ORGANIKO project beneficiaries evaluated the situation in Cyprus regarding the organic farming sector, including farmer practices and stakeholders’ technical bottlenecks. They conducted a study using questionnaires and field visits to organic farmers while educational meetings with farmers interested in organic farming were held in various villages of Cyprus. Field greenhouse gas emission measurements were carried out for organic and conventional crops. Two consumer surveys were conducted using a representative sample of the Cypriot population in all Cyprus cities both at the beginning and at the end of the project, aiming at assessing the magnitude of changes in public's attitude towards organic foods. A cluster-randomised clinical trial entitled “Organic diet and children’s health” was conducted in primary school children in Cyprus. A large number of dissemination activities took place in order to maximise the impact and sustainability of the project, including an international conference and a presentation at the European Parliament. In terms of outcomes, the project created a number of high added-value outputs for promoting organic farming in Cyprus. The project team developed the Strategic National Plan, which proposes sustainable actions and measures for the development of organic farming in Cyprus based on the findings of the project and by taking in account the views of all relevant stakeholders. The Strategic National Plan was successfully submitted to the competent Ministry of Agriculture. Tailored organic farming protocols were created for barley and apple growers. Field measurements on crops for 3 consecutive years indicated that the magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural ecosystems in Cyprus has been overestimated, leading to higher annual costs for the Republic of Cyprus. The application of composted materials and the appropriate crop rotation design resulted in a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in organic farming systems without reducing productivity. The findings showed that the timing of applications of manure in organic farming should be optimised, since the release of nitrogen from manure was not always synchronised with crop uptake. The project’s “Report for environmental metrics regarding the impact of agricultural systems” summarises the comparison between organic and conventional farming systems. For this, the carbon sequestration model ICBM (Introductory Carbon Balance Model) was selected and calibrated to Cypriot conditions using local meteorological data.
The ORGANIKO LIFE+ children’s health trial results showed: i) the clear benefit of an organic dietary treatment in significantly reducing the body burden of pesticides (pyrethroids and neonicotinoids), and ii) significantly lower levels of oxidative stress biomarkers as the likely result of the pesticides’ body burden reduction in healthy children aged 10-12 years old in Cyprus. Around 150 children followed their regular diet for 40 days and an organic diet for another 40 days, which was provided by an accredited organic restaurant.
The project also supported green public procurement in Cyprus. The project team contributed to the discussions on integrating organic products in the recently revised Green Public Procurement Plan for Cyprus, in particular with regards to canteens in schools, by integrating a new rule requiring from the authorities of primary schools to include specific organic products in the school canteens menu. The project consortium promoted the use of organic snacks and fruits and vegetables in the school environment.
The first consumer survey conducted in 2016 showed that consumers were interested in organic products, but they were sceptical about their quality and genuineness. In comparison to the first survey in 2016, the second consumer survey conducted in 2019 showed an increase in the percentage of consumers buying organic foods and in the intention to pay more for organic foods. Nevertheless, it seems that there is a slow, yet dynamic development, probably due to European and national policies on the promotion of organic farming as well as the significant role of the ORGANIKO LIFE+ project in organising numerous events and campaigns.
Social benefits arising from the project are related to the dissemination activities, which reached a large number of people (around 25000). Increasing demand for local organic products is expected to drive indirect employment.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
