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East Africa: New regional cooperation project started

In November 2010, Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooepration Agency (www.sida.se) approved the project "Regional cooperation for organic standards and certification capacity in East Africa" (OSEA II project). The project aims at increasing income for rural communities through local, regional and international trade in organic products.

The project is a continuation of the successful project to establish a regional organic standard for East Africa. The East African Organic Products Standard (EAOPS) was adopted by the EAC Council in April 2007 and officially launched by the Prime Minister of Tanzania at the organic conference in Dar May 2007. An East African Organic Mark (EAOM) was also established. This has provided the fundaments for a further development of the local and regional markets.

The project will accomplish the following results:

  • Improved certification services in East Africa;
  • Appropriate conformity assessment systems for EA smallholders and local and regional organic marketing exist;
  • Market access to the EU is improved;
  • More comprehensive standard and standard revised according to practical experiences;
  • Operators understand and implement the standards;
    Improved local market opportunities;
  • The East African Organic Mark is well managed;
  • Increased intra-East African Country trade in organic products;
  • Better government policies and plans for the organic sector;
  • The sector in Rwanda and Burundi is further developed;
  • Existence of comprehensive information about the development in East Africa.

A regional partnership

The OSEA II Project is implemented by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (www.ifoam.org) and the National Organic Agriculture Movements in Burundi (BOAM), Kenya (KOAN), Rwanda (ROAM), Tanzania (TOAM) and Uganda (NOGAMU) in close cooperation with the organic stakeholders and governments in the East African countries.

It is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida.

IFOAM contracted Grolink (www.grolink.se) for the Project Management and Gunnar Rundgren is the Project Leader. The project started 1 November 2010 and will run up to 31 December 2013. The first meeting of the steering committee was held in January in Arusha.

Further information

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