Bina Swadaya Foundation together with Arla Indofood and the Biodiversity Foundation support the implementation of the 2021 Organic Asia Congress in collaboration between IFOAM Asia and the Indonesian Organic Alliance (AOI). This form of support was realized through the host event signing the agreement for the implementation of the Kick Off Organic Asia Congress (OAC) which was held on Friday, February 26, 2021, on the sidelines of the Healthy Living Expo at Trans Studio Mall Cibubur, Depok, West Java.
Awareness about the dangers posed by the use of chemicals in agriculture makes organic farming attracts attention from the producer to the consumer level. The trending benefits of organic farming have an impact on consumers who prefer food products that are safe for health and environmentally friendly, thus driving the increasing demand for organic products.
A healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle is now a new trend and has been institutionalized internationally which requires guarantees that agricultural products must be safe for consumption, have high nutritional content, and be environmentally friendly.
For this reason, Indonesia is trusted to host the 2021 Organic Asia Congress by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM Asia) on 22-27 November 2021. This Asian organic congress is an honor for the Indonesian people to receive Asian and even world guests to support organic farming. The mandate carries the message that Indonesia with abundant natural resources has a great opportunity to develop organic agriculture and derivative products.
President of IFOAM Asia, Zhou Zhejiang on the occasion of the Kick Off Organic Asia Congress 2021 stated, his party is very happy to collaborate with Indonesia as the host of the Organic Asia Congress 2021.
“I support Indonesia to make the Organic Asia Congress 2021 a success. I appreciate Indonesia as the host of the event, IOA, which is supported by the Bina Swadaya Foundation, and the Biodiversity Foundation,” he said.
On the same occasion, the Chairman of the Bina Swadaya Foundation Bayu Krisnamurthi expressed his gratitude to IFOAM Asia and the Indonesian Organic Alliance for trusting Bina Swadaya for organizing the 2021 Organic Asia Congress.
“We (Indonesia) planned to participate in the Organic Asia Congress in 2020, everything was prepared in Semarang, Central Java, but because 2020 the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic so we had to change our plans this year. Currently, Indonesia and other Asian countries are focusing on administering the Covid-19 vaccine and we hope that the Organic Asia Congress 2021 will not only be held online but can be done in person in November in Jakarta. This congress is very important not only for the agricultural sector but also for humans, including how to encourage the decline of Covid-19,” he said.
Meanwhile, Emilia Tri Setyowati representing the Indonesian Organic Alliance revealed that the appointment of Indonesia as the host of the Organic Asia Congress shows that Indonesian organic agriculture has a very important role in Asia and the world.
“Although in the Indonesian organic agriculture arena, Indonesia is only ranked 21st in the world, Indonesian organic products are in great demand,” said Emilia.
He also emphasized that awareness of the importance of organic products has increased with the Covid-19 pandemic, even increasing by almost 300 percent, especially for vegetables, herbs, and honey. The increase and the production and consumption of organic agriculture and its derivative products cannot be separated from the work of the Indonesian Organic Alliance.
The Indonesian Organic Alliance aims to strengthen and advance the agricultural movement throughout Indonesia as well as strengthen smallholders throughout Indonesia.
