Feeding theWorld – The Contribution of IFOAM Principles - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 93

and information, supports the access to local markets and eventually international
markets, and contributes to food access for consumers by strengthening local market
development (see Sect. 13.2 ) .
The relatively weak integration of consumers in the IFOAM Norms reduces the
potential and options of the organic agrofood chain to contribute as a whole to the
food security issue. An example can be made of high-income countries, in that if
a regional, seasonal and less meat oriented production (Halberg et al. 2006b )is
not “honored” through corresponding consumer food habits, the agro-ecological
approach of organic is not efficient enough to feed the world (Erb et al. 2009 ), a
statement which simply cannot be ignored.
The future relevance of the IFOAM Principles for food security and food
sovereignty will depend on their awareness from the whole organic agrofood chain.
The IFOAM Principles provide an ethical orientation to Health and Ecology that
contribute to food security and are reflected in the IFOAM Standards and part of
a certification system. To meet the goal of food security and food sovereignty and
if the food issue is seen as a common societal challenge, there is need for more
exposure of the IFOAM Principles to processors, traders and specifically consumers.
Bringing social and economic justice into the center of the IFOAM agenda
and specifically of the IFOAM Standards is a further precondition for organics
serious contribution for feeding the world, specifically when it comes to food
sovereignty.
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