Deliverable 1.1: Assessment of the knowledge and innovation systems for organic agriculture, aquaculture and value chain actors

Summary in the original language of the document

This report describes the current state of play and the future actions to be taken to effectively upscale the knowledge and innovation systems in these countries. The following key actions are identified:
(i) For organic agriculture the most important actions to be taken are the establishment of a systematic policy framework at national level in support of AKIS for organic, the provision of funding and capacities for research, knowledge creation and exchange among actors in AKIS and the food supply chain.
(ii) For organic aquaculture, an institutional start-up mechanism is needed to support this relatively young sector. This includes the development of a clear vision for the sector supported by all value value chain actors, which can stand as a basis to the sectoral strategies, action plans and funding systems.
(iii) For organic processing and retailing, and more generally for a successful organic market development, it emerges the need for independent, qualified, and affordable support mechanisms. This refers to several levels: access to already existing knowledge and experts; involvement of public policy institutions facilitating support; research institutions to foster innovation; consolidation of cooperation among organisations, actors involved and regional clusters. This is especially important in countries with a less-developed support system.