Today’s most significant organic industry topics will be discussed June 25-27, 2008, in Boulder, Colo., at The Organic Summit, a leader-level working forum for all stakeholders in the organic industry.

This year’s theme is “Cultivating Innovation and Transparency in the Organic Community.” The Organic Summit, produced by New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media, in partnership with the nonprofit Organic Farming Research Foundation, will be held at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa.

While certified organic products are increasingly finding their way into the mainstream, they represent only 3.5 percent of the total food economy in the U.S. The organic community is challenged with the impact that agro-industrial globalization is having on our food supply, the prolonged delay of the farm bill and the ongoing debate between organic stakeholders on the nuances of organic standards and policy initiatives.

“Most would agree that our roots are planted in the progressive social, environmental and community movement, but how we interpret and implement our values in a rapidly changing and entrepreneurial business climate deserves, if not demands, further exploration,” said Bob Scowcroft, executive director of OFRF. “The Organic Summit program is designed to dig deep into the most significant organic topics,” Scowcroft said.

Jylle Lardaro, director of Organic Industry Alliances for New Hope Natural Media, believes the summit is an opportunity for candid conversations that encourage collaboration. “The environment of The Organic Summit facilitates action items and innovative solutions. It inspires an extraordinary group of manufacturers, producers, retailers and NGOs for the work that they do,” Lardaro said.

Among the timely issues to be discussed at the summit are:

· Food security.

· Who represents organic?

· The legal community’s work on behalf of organic integrity and transparency.

· Eco-labels and the demand for corporate accountability.

· Nano technology and its impact on agricultural systems.

· Venture philanthropy.

· Domestic fair trade.

The Organic Summit returns for a second year to downtown Boulder, with an invigorating agenda of keynote speakers, seminars and special events including the the 5th Annual OFRF Midsummer’s Eve Organic Benefit Reception & Dinner at Pastures of Plenty Farm in Longmont, Colo. To register, visit:
ORGANIC

To hear Benjamin Gisin, publisher of Touch The Soil magazine, who is a national lecturer on food security, sustainable agriculture and the nation’s financial system see:
GISIN

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 6:13 am and is filed under Global Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.