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Update on FiBL’s work in Ukraine

[Translate to Englisch:] We stand with Ukraine

Since the invasion of Ukraine, we – the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and our project partners IFOAM – Organics International, Helvetas and IFOAM Organics Europe – have been regularly in touch with our project partners and local stakeholders in the organic sector to assess their needs and support them as much as possible. We are currently working on a response plan to help the organic sector of Ukraine mitigate the effects of recent events.

The four organizations mentioned above are implementing the Organic Trade for Development (OT4D) program in Ukraine, Albania and Serbia. In Ukraine, they are additionally working closely with the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value-Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP) implemented by FiBL in partnership with SAFOSO AG. Both programs are funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). 

Ukraine is a leading global supplier of agricultural products and exports a large amount of organic produce to different countries in Europe. At the moment, FiBL and its partners are looking into how they can adjust their project activities in Ukraine to meet the current needs of the Ukrainian organic sector. This is important to ensure that people of Ukraine have access to healthy nutritious food grown sustainably and that (organic) farmers do not lose their livelihoods. We are currently working with Ukrainian organic stakeholders and partners to ensure they can continue to grow and supply food & feed – now and in the future.

The “Organic Initiative” multi-stakeholder platform – our main implementing partner in Ukraine – has issued a call for donations which will be managed through its member “Information Center Green Dossier”. Through the link below (organicinfo.ua) you can find more information about how to support organic producers and organic stakeholders in Ukraine during these critical times.

FiBL, IFOAM – Organics International, Helvetas and IFOAM Organics Europe kindly ask you to share this with your network and thank you for your support.

We will keep you updated about our projects in the Ukraine and the development of the Ukrainian organic sector during these terrible times on this site.

Help for Ukraine

March 4, 2022

We are shocked and appalled by the war in Ukraine and the suffering it is causing and condemn this blatant violation of international law.

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL has been active in research and advisory projects in Ukraine since 2005. SAFOSO has been supporting the Ukrainian dairy industry since 2015. At the moment, FiBL and SAFOSO AG are involved in the area of organic agriculture and dairy farming. The current Quality Food Trade Program project started in 2019 and will last until 2023. It is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. FiBL and SAFOSO are working on the ground with various ministries as well as hundreds of local partners: organic and dairy associations, farms and processors, organic shops, supermarkets, consultants, etc. Since the invasion of Russian troops on the 24th of February, the situation has changed dramatically. The top priority now is the safety of the twelve local employees on the ground. FiBL and SAFOSO are in daily contact with them and are trying to support them as best they can.

We – FiBL and SAFOSO – have jointly decided to support the people in Ukraine and in particular our partners and the stakeholders in the Ukrainian dairy and organic sector. If you would also like to provide support, we encourage you to donate to organizations you know or to the NGOs listed below that we know are active on the ground and that have been recommended to us by our partners. 

Further information

Contacts

Links