The early days of IFOAM

Summary

Around the early 1970s, there was a foreign publicity manager at a famous French weekly magazine [L’Express] who, in the course of her duties, voyaged all over the world visiting clients. This person happened also to be a friend of the Organic agriculture movement in general and of the French association Nature et Progrès in particular. Her favourite sport was hunting down the pioneers of Organic agriculture who had for decades, usually unknown to each other, been doing original work in their very different countries. Karin Mundt was this intrepid hunter; if any obscure pioneers were anywhere near her flight path, she would track them down. Over several years, contacts were made all over the world. Already in Europe, the necessity was evident, if only to try overcoming the language [and cultural] barriers. During discussions about the name of a projected new organisation, the president of N&P, Roland Chevriot, insisted it should federate movements, as a clear signal that, in all their diversity, these movements own the concept of Organic agriculture. Try telling that to legislators today!