Developing an awareness of the social-ecological benefits of organic farming, thereby creating appreciation and generating regional added value – this is the aim of the regiosöl project partners, composed of researchers and practitioners. At the kick-off meeting on March 18th, 2020 the Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS/ project coordination), the Centre for Organic Agriculture e.V. (ZÖL), Regionalwert AG Rheinland (RWAG) and the project management agency Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE), set the course for a successful project start. It goes without saying that the meeting was virtually implemented at short notice.
The aim of the regiosöl project is to work out previously missing approaches for assessing the social and ecological services (SÖL) of organic farming and their effects at regional level. The aim is to make the services more visible through transparent assessment and to increase their appropriate renumeration through political and market-based instruments. It should be possible for various organisations such as organic model regions, regional organic farming associations and other regional initiatives to apply the assessment and renumeration approaches.
The transdisciplinary research approach is essential for the successful implementation of the regiosöl project, which is carried out on behalf of the Federal Programme for Organic Agriculture and Other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture (BÖLN). The project team defines the questions together and integrates all relevant groups of actors in the knowledge building process. The practical test is carried out in two real-world laboratories, the pilot regions Rhineland and North Hesse, coordinated by the project partners ZÖL and RWAG.
Contact persons at IfLS: Simone Sterly (sterly[at]ifls.de) and Dr. Marie Sophie Schmidt (schmidt[at]ifls.de)
