Links

IOTA - The Institute of Organic Training and Advice

IOTA is a professional body for trainers, advisers and other extension workers involved in organic food and farming. It has been born out of a need for recognised standards of professional conduct on the one hand and better access to information, training and support for extension workers on the other.

Website: http://www.organicadvice.org.uk/

Abacus Organic Asociates

Independent organic advice that counts, via a personal and professional service

Website: http://www.abacusorganic.co.uk/main.html

ADAS

Consultancy and research organization for agriculture and food, rural development and environment in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Website: http://www.adas.co.uk/home/

The Organic Advisory Service

Since 1985, EFRC's Organic Advisory Service (OAS) has been, and continues to be, the leading UK organic consultancy service. It offers a full range of technical and management services to farmers and landowners as well as providing advice throughout the industry, including researchers, policy makers, retailers, processors and government.

Website: http://www.efrc.com/?go=Education%20and%20Training&page=Consultancy

The Soil Association

Website: http://www.soilassociation.org

Organic farmers and growers

Website: http://www.organicfarmers.org.uk/

Organic Food Federation

Website: http://www.orgfoodfed.com/index.htm

Bio-dynamic Agricultural Association (BDAA)

Website: http://www.biodynamic.org.uk/

SOPA - Scottish Organic Producers Association

Website: http://www.sopa.org.uk/

Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association

Website: http://www.irishorganic.ie/

The Organic Trust

Website: http://www.iol.ie/~organic/trust.html

CMi Certification

Website: http://www.cmi-plc.com

Quality Welsh Food Certification Ltd

Contact details on the defra website

Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic/certbodies/approved.htm

Ascisco Ltd

Details on the Defra website

Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic/certbodies/approved.htm

DEFRA Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS)

Defra have announced that the Organic Conversion Information Service

Organic Farming at SAC

Website: http://www.sac.ac.uk/consultancy/services/organicservices/

DEFRA Organic Entry Level Stewardship

Website for details about the DEFRA Organic Entry Level Stewardship Scheme

Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/oels/default.htm

HDRA Organic weed management

This website aims to be a primary resource on weed management for organic farms, reporting on the latest weed research and techniques and acting as a focal point for farmers and researchers to share their experiences.

Website: http://www.organicweeds.org.uk

COSI - the centre for organic seed information

At COSI you can search for organic and non-organic seed suppliers and variety performance data, get the latest news and find out how standards are developing in the UK and Europe.

Website: http://www.cosi.org.uk/

HDC pest bulletin

Updated on a weekly basis throughout the growing season, this web-based service to HDC Members is run by Rosemary Collier at Warwick HRI and focuses on the predicted and actual appearance of key pests on a regional basis.

Website: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/hri2/hdcpestbulletin/

Fight Against Blight 2005

Blight mapping is a service from the British Potato Council which enables you, the industry, to track blight outbreaks in your area throughout the season.

Website: http://www.potato.org.uk/blight05.asp?sec=1023&con=2110

Central Science Laboratory

CSL offers diagnostic services for pest and disease ID and kits.

Website: http://www.csl.diagnostics.co.uk

Organic Soil Fertility Project

The development of improved guidance on the use of fertility building crops in organic farming. A defra project led by ADAS

Website: http://www.organicsoilfertility.co.uk

The Soil Management Initiative

SMI is an independent organisation that aims to promote the adoption of cultivation systems designed to protect and enhance soil quality, and to minimise soil erosion and water pollution, whilst maintaining or enhancing farm economic returns.

Website: http://www.smi.org.uk/

NIAB

The National Institute for Agricultural Botany

Website: http://www.niab.com/

Organic-X-Seeds

The official UK database of organic seed availability

Website: http://www.organicxseeds.co.uk

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

This useful website is part of the appropriate technology for rural areas (ATTRA) project of the US department of agriculture (USDA)

Website: http://www.attra.org/organic.html

Environment Sensitive Farming

Practical Advice For Land Managers

Website: http://www.environmentsensitivefarming.co.uk/

Horticultural Products and Services for Growers

Buyers Guide from the Commercial Horticultural Association

Website: http://www.cha-hort.com/Buyers-guide/

Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming

Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity. They represent over 100 national public interest organisations working at international, national, regional and local level.

Website: http://www.sustainweb.org/

WWOOF WORLD WIDE OPPORTUNITIES ON ORGANIC FARMS

WWOOF is a world wide exchange network where bed, board and practical experience are given in return for help on organic farms. Stays of varied length are possible. WWOOF provides excellent opportunities for organic training, changing to a rural life, cultural exchange and being part of the organic movement.

Website: http://www.wwoof.org/wwoof_uk/

LANTRA

The Sector Skills Council for the Environmental and Land-based Sector

Website: http://www.lantra.co.uk/

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

Information about the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme from the Home Office

Website: http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage/work_permits/saws.html?

The Rodale Institute

Organic research from the US, including New Farm - online magazine

Website: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org

Soil Association Producer Services

Access to technical information for producer members of the Soil Association.

Website: http://www.soilassociation.org/ps

Organic Inform

Organic Inform is a new service being developed by the Organic Research Centre - Elm Farm to provide farmers, growers and producers with up-to-date, independent and reliable research.

Website: http://www.organicinform.org/

Tomorrow's climate today's challenge

'Communicating climate change to farmers' is a new project involving the NFU, CLA, Applied Research Forum (on behalf of all the levy boards) and Forum for the Future. Over the next year we'll be using different channels to communicate the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change to farmers and growers. We've created a website for all of our news, research, case studies, links and events, which will be updated throughout the year.

Website: http://www.farmingfutures.org.uk/

The Organic Growers Alliance (OGA)

The OGA is a membership organisation open to all who are actively engaged in commercial organic growing. The aims of the OGA are to bring growers together so that growers have the ability to promote their own interests, and to benefit from shared experience of organic growing. The OGA has a quarterly journal and a programme of events.

Website: http://www.newoga.org.uk/

National Association of Farmers Markets

This site contains lists of markets, guidelines and advice on getting started.

Website: http://www.farmersmarkets.net/

Organic Monitor

Organic Monitor provides business intelligence on the international organic products industry

Website: http://www.organicmonitor.com/

Community supported agriculture

A website for all those interested in making closer links between farmers and communities.

Website: http://www.soilassociation.org/csa

Cultivating Communities

This website is a resource for all community based local food initiatives.

Website: http://www.cuco.org.uk/

Why Organic?

This Soil Association site offers information on a variety of organic issues over non-organic food. Contains a directory listing to locate organic organisations and retail outlets.

Website: http://www.whyorganic.org/

Food Chain Centre

The Food Chain Centre aims to help everybody involved in food production to benefit from changes occuring in the food and farming industry. The website contains information on all the FCC projects, in particular a collection of data from research companies in the 'Consumer Library' section.

Website: http://www.foodchaincentre.com

Organic Studies Centre

Based at Duchy College, the Organic Studies Centre serves organic producers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with trials and a demonstration programme.

Website: http://www.organicstudiescornwall.co.uk/

Organic South West

Soil Association managed project for organic food and farming in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Website: http://www.organicsouthwest.org/

North West Organic Centre

Soil Association project supporting the development of organic food and farming in the North West region . This site contains a comprehensive directory of organic farmers and food processors in the Northwest region, as well as a noticeboard where goods and stock can be advertised for sale or as wanted.

Website: http://www.nworganiccentre.org

Yorkshire Organic Centre

Soil Association project supporting the development of organic food and farming in Yorkshire and the Humber region

Website: http://www.yorkshireorganiccentre.org

Soil Association Scotland

Soil Association Scotland is the devolved national office of the Soil Association.

Website: http://www.soilassociationscotland.org

North East Organic Programme

The North East Organic Programme (NEOP) has been developed by the Soil Association working closely with the Northumbria Organic Producer Group (NOP) with support from Defra and One North East.

Website: http://www.northeastorganic.org

Organic research database

This organic research abstracting and indexing database is run by CABI.

Website: http://www.organic-research.com/index.asp

Elm Farm Research Centre

"The business of Elm Farm Research Centre is to develop and support sustainable land-use, agriculture and food systems, primarily within local economies, which build on organic principles to ensure the health and well-being of soil, plant, animal, man and his environment."

Website: http://www.efrc.com/

Horticulture Development Council

HDC fund a number of research projects that members can access information about online.

Website: http://www.hdc.org.uk/

The Stockless Arable Organic Project

The aim of the Defra-funded project at ADAS Terrington is to assess the sustainability of arable organic production with particular focus on a stockless rotation on a fertile soil

Website: http://www.stocklessorganic.co.uk/stockless/

Nafferton Ecological Farming Group

Organic Research from Newcastle University

Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/tcoa/producers/

FIBL

Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture

Website: http://www.fibl.org/english/index.php

Warwick HRI

Warwick HRI, a devolved department of The University of Warwick, is the principal UK organisation tasked with carrying out horticultural research and development (R&D) and transferring the results to industry.

Website: http://www2.hri.ac.uk/

Blight - MOP

The overall aim of the Blight-MOP project is to develop a systems approach to control potato late blight that maintains yield and quality and hence commercial viability of organic potato crops without the use of copper fungicides.

Website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/tcoa/producers/research/blightmop/

Organic Eprints

Organic Eprints is an international open access archive for papers related to research in organic agriculture. The archive contains full-text papers in electronic form together with bibliographic information, abstracts and other metadata.

Website: http://www.orgprints.org