Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organisations
INOFO is an autonomous self-organised structure within IFOAM - Organics International. INOFO is the minimal infrastructure that belongs specifically to organic farmers organisations, that can facilitate a relationship allowing them to consult, cooperate and, eventually, to speak with a legitimate common voice on matters of common concern.
INOFO Objectives
- The organisations establish their own network of convenors and deputy convenors from the grass roots upwards, that is, mandated by the full consent of existing organisations in each convenorship.
- Convenors facilitate a relationship, specifically between organic farmers organisations within each continent in the first instance.
- Each organisation mandates a farmer and a staff member to be commonly responsible for external relations, thus relating to the network via the convenors mandated by the farmers organisations in each country.
Having identified all organisations and understood their exact nature and activities, the convenors will be informed of what is wanted on the agenda, can circulate reports, statements and proceedings and can facilitate internal and external consultations. Each convenorship organises its own translation services where necessary.
Thus, the organic farmers organisations can be clearly represented within IFOAM - Organics International and beyond, and can cooperate in pursuing their common objectives as they relate to food sovereignty in general and, in particular, to public policy and land rights, climatic adaptation, production standards and guarantee systems, marketing and pricing negotiations, participatory research, technical exchanges, education and other farmers concerns.
Each convenor, with a deputy from another farmers organisation, facilitates occasional or annual consultations at national or regional level, and helps to organise the inter-continental assembly every three years. The INOFO General Assembly 2014 in Turkey brought together 54 delegates from 48 farmers organisations in 29 countries, representing about 2.5 million farming families. The Assembly set the organisational and thematic agenda and elected a Convenors Council to look after the inter-continental network for the following 3-year period.
The following Convenorships have been formally established: Latin America & Caribbean, Africa (West, East, Southern), Europe and Asia (South, South-East). Any OFO that is not yet in touch with the network can mandate a farmer or staff person to keep in contact with the nearest convenor.
Enquiries can be sent to the INOFO Council at info@inofo.bio.
Between 2014 and 2016 IFOAM - Organics International implemented a project to strengthen INOFO and to define and manifest farmers’ strategic priorities, contributing to the empowerment of organic smallholding family famers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
INOFO Strategy Seminar, September 2018, Philippines
From left to right: Karina Gonclave (Brazil), Charles Mubanga (Zambia), Lucil Ortiz (Philippines), Marco (Germany), Thales Mendonça (Brazil), Virginia Nazareno (Philippines), Julie Matovu (Uganda), Famara Diédhiou (Senegal), Mag (Taiwan), Rowena Weng (Philippines), Purvi Shah-Paulini (Trainer, Germany), Shamika Mone (India), Athula Priyantha (SriLanka), Ate Pie (Admin staff at MASIPAG, Philippines), Pham Minh Duc (Vietnam).
Contact
INOFO Council
info@inofo.bio
http://www.inofo.org/
