Way forward: from vision to strategy

IFOAM EU launched the vision 2030 process with the aim of providing direction and orientation to the organic sector. The results were presented at the 9th European Organic Congress (EOC) in Riga in June 2015. While the presentation in Riga is an important milestone, it is merely the starting point: the conference was the occasion to start the ball rolling on developing the strategies making our vision a reality.

An ambitious vision is a good starting point to make Europe more organic but we also need a clear and dynamic strategy – a roadmap for achieving the vision without compromising our values and principles. The process of strategic planning has already been prepared during the vision process by closely examining the external and internal environments of the organic movement.

The next steps will be:

• Discuss and develop goals and strategic options at the 9th EOC in Riga. Assess which options are successful only in certain circumstances and which ones are robust and future-proof in all the scenarios developed in this document.
• The findings of the Riga congress will be compiled and published after the EOC, providing strategic options for different parts of the organic sector, including concrete actions and activities to achieve our shared vision.
• IFOAM EU will further present the strategic options and actions at various national and sector meetings/events throughout Europe to discuss and encourage practical implementation, uptake and fine-tuning of the strategies.
• The results will be actively integrated into the global process of developing and defining what Organic 3.0 will look like, in close collaboration with IFOAM – Organics International.

The result will be robust strategies to help the organic sector bring our common vision to reality and ensure that organic food and farming will remain a driver of change in decades to come.