How to Convince your Policy-Maker to Support Organic Agriculture
In 2017, we launched the ‘Global Policy Toolkit on Public Support to Organic Agriculture’, an overview of policies supporting organic agriculture along with tips and tools for advocates and policy-makers.
As for any advocacy activity, it is important to know the local administration and political landscape, the political alliances that are in place, the attitudes of different parties and administration units toward environmental issues in general.
Most politicians dealing with agricultural issues will have some idea of what organic agriculture is, and its multiple benefits, but might be unsure of how best to support it.
Position Organic Agriculture
It is therefore important to think about how to position organic agriculture in political discourse. For example, in a country where environmental/health issues are very low on the agenda of the political majority, organic agriculture can be positioned as a promising high value market. Linking organic agriculture to economic benefits for local communities in terms of poverty alleviation, employment rate and/or increasing income can also be an appealing argument to politicians. The US organic Trade Association highlighted how this can work in their research and report on “Organic Hotspots” which shows that organic food and crop production and the business activities accompanying organic agriculture, can create real and long-lasting regional economic opportunities.
