India has been the largest organic cotton growing country for many years, but organic farmers have had great difficulty in accessing high-quality, GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)-free seeds that are particularly suited to organic conditions. On the one hand, the efforts of the commercial seed sector are focused on GM cotton, as this accounts for 95% of seed demand, on the other hand, public research institutions do little research on GMO-free cotton and no research under organic conditions.
The “bioRe organic training HUB for sustainable livelihoods” focuses on expanding training activities and ensuring the dissemination of knowledge, technologies and innovations. The knowledge about organic and biodynamic cultivation methods comes from the many years of experience of the bioRe Stiftung and the farmers, as well as from three research programs that are carried out at bioRe in India.
All this knowledge and the experiences of the farmers are to be summarized in a structured training program for organic farming as part of the “The organic HUB” project.
Taking gender aspects into account, women in particular are a key group for overcoming current and future challenges. In agriculture in rural India, many of the field activities are carried out by women. Training them and increasing their capacity, knowledge and general understanding is intended to promote acceptance of ecological methods in the field. Young farmers and farmers with few resources are particularly favored in mentoring.
Project sponsor: bioRe Stiftung
Project partner: bioRe® Association India
Funding year: since 2021
Project No.: 124-21 A