Dutch stakeholders set the organic research agenda

Summary

Organic research in the Netherlands is strongly demand/market driven. The Ministry provides most of the necessary funds and the organic sector decides on how and where to spend it, with the restriction that the generated knowledge has to contribute to government policy objectives.
The organic stakeholders are convinced that an intensive interaction between funding body, research institutes and the organic sector is necessary and essential for providing research results that are truly useful for farmers, trade and retail. This interaction is formalised in a network called Bioconnect.
The ultimate aim is that each project is initiated, assessed, prioritized, and supervised with representatives of the organic sector. Decision making on research subjects and priority setting takes place at two levels: a detailed level with 15 working groups and a board level with the Knowledge committee for organic farming and food.