European Union

On 17-18 September 2010 Astana will hold the 3rd International Conference "Development of the organic sector in Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia".

More than 100 experts from 25 countries of the world will gather in Kazakhstan's capital to discuss sustainable development in the region, in particular the sector of organic farming and its connection with cultural development, environmental protection, eco-tourism and bio-diversity. Participants in the Conference will be represented by non-governmental environmental organizations and agricultural development organizations, university staff, office-holders of the regional and national governments, farmers and consumers' associations, organic farming experts, consultants, marketing experts, farmers and sellers, including those of organic products.

This Conference will enable participants from different parts of the world not only to exchange available experience but also to lay the groundwork for the future, as the Central Asian region possesses a huge potential for organic farming development and joint efforts will allow to achieving results much more rapidly.

This event is scheduled under the project "Economic development based on organic agriculture in (South) Kazakhstan". This project is financed by the European Union to the amount of 499,525 Euros and is implemented by the Environmental Culture Integration Fund in association with the Louis Bolk Institute Foundation (Netherlands).

Media representatives are kindly invited to participate in the conference due on 17-18 September 2010 in the Ramada Plaza Astana Hotel, 47 Abay street, from 09.30 till 17.00.

In accordance with the terminology of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, organic farming is an "integrated system of production management which stimulates and strengthens the well-being of the agrarian eco-system, including biological diversity, biological cycles and biological activity of soil, made possible by the use of all available agronomic, biological and mechanical methods as opposed to the use of synthetic materials for specific functions inside the system".

For more information please contact Ms Marina Klimova, Project PR Manager, at: +7 (727) 255 27 11, snechka84@gmail.com, or Ms Karlygash Jamankulova, Press and Information Officer, EU Delegation, at: + 7 (7172) 97 11 48, Karlygash.Jamankulova@ec.europa.eu.

For more information on organic agriculture in the European Union, please visit the following website: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic.