The IFOAM Academy for Organic Excellence

Cultivating Organic Leadership

The organic pioneers who initiated Organic Agriculture in the early 20th century were impressive personalities. Drivers of the organic development today are committed and competent leaders in the organic sector, advanced in their thinking and inspiring in their actions. They are farmers, activists, scientists, teachers, advisors, networkers, advocates, processors, traders, communicators, certifiers or consumers.

Their roles are diverse, but they share a vision of a more sustainable, a healthier and a fairer organic world. Organic development in our current dynamic times, in which the world urgently needs organic solutions to address its environmental and social challenges, is in the hands of our leaders worldwide.

Organic people can be organic leaders. Leadership needs talent, vision and commitment, but it needs also learning and interaction with likeminded people.

In order to support organic leadership, IFOAM offers a course for people assuming present or future responsibilities in the organic world. Through the Organic Leadership Course, IFOAM provides a space for learning and experience, and for developing innovative strategies and strong networks.

The course is targeted at present and future leaders of the organic movement. During the course of one year, it will provide an intensive, on-the-job learning process that empowers them to actively assume greater responsibility in pushing the world towards increased sustainability.

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General Information

Eligibility
Elegible participants are women and men, committed to the principles of Organic Agriculture, who wish to achieve personal development and leadership within the Organic Agriculture movement. Typical participants may have their background in:

• Farmers' organizations or national organic movements;
• Organic companies;
• Organic producers, processors, traders or retailers;
• Organic certification bodies;
• Consumers' organisations;
• Organizations campaigning for sustainable rural development;
• Research, extension, education or rural development institutions;
• Government institutions (e.g. ministries of agriculture, development or environment);
• Development agencies.

Learning Objectives
The training will broaden participants' knowledge and develop their skills. After the course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze situations holistically and draw conclusions in line with the principles of Organic Agriculture;
• Design strategies and lead people and organizations in an effective and ethical way;
• Develop organizations and manage projects - this includes planning, fundraising, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Build relationships, networks and cross-sector alliances;
• Master convincing communication inside and outside of their institutions and influence organic advocacy targets;
• Make their value chains more sustainable and competitive;
• Use services from the organic sector, including the IFOAM Organic Guarantee System to develop the organic movement;
• Access research, advise and train.

Core Competencies Acquired by Participants

The Organic Leadership Course is organized on a regional level. It follows a holistic approach, allowing participants to develop:

1. Knowledge, e.g. facts about Organic Agriculture,

2. Skills, e.g. sound management know-how;

3. Attitude, e.g. a leader's personality.

It is geared towards enabling and supporting concrete action. A variety of methods are used to facilitate learning at different levels (action, reflection and theory), as well as learning with and from each other.

Tuition

Two highly intensive residential modules are complemented by periods of online learning. During these periods, the trainees study the materials provided on the learning platform at their own pace and meet on a regular basis in webinars (web-based seminars), consisting of lectures and discussions with subject experts. In this phase, trainees have the opportunity to apply the lessons from the first intensive course to a project of their own choosing, on which they then report and receive feedback from the group.

In total, the course offers 150 hours of intensive training, 16 days in person in a class of 20-25 participants and 10 half day webinars in the same group.

Required Input

Participants are expected to actively engage in all residential trainings, webinars and individual tasks. They will have to implement a project of their own and perform a public appearance (e.g. as a conference speaker or in an interview in the mass media).

Learning success depends on the trainee's attitude - readiness to share experiences and openness to build relationships with peers and other learning process stakeholders is vital to achieve the course objectives.

Participants will need access to a computer and internet. For the duration of the course they are expected to invest on average half to one day per week. It is also anticipated that in the course of the training the participants' organizations become IFOAM Affiliates.

Fees

The tuition fee includes training; teaching materials; excursions; board, lodging and internet access (during the residential training); access to the e-learning software; certification and access to the alumni network. It excludes travels to the residential training, participants' equipment and pocket money. IFOAM may assist candidates in obtaining scholarships.

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South Asia Course 2012

The first IFOAM Leadership Development Course will be held in India in 2012. The maximum number of participants is 25. While the contents of the course will focus on South Asia, applicants from other parts of the world are welcome to apply. The language of instruction is English.

Dates

The course will run from February 1 to November 30, with two full-time residential modules of 10 and 6 days each (March and November) and a part-time e-learning phase that includes 10 webinars.

Location

The course will be held in a location that provides an inspiring learning space through its connections to Indian Organic Agriculture.

Cost

3.200 Euros, including the training, all training materials, accommodation (shared double room) and food during the residential training. Not included are travel costs to the training venue.

Scholarship

IFOAM may support finding scholarships to cover (part of) some participants' course fees. These scholarships are limited to committed participants from the global South with limited means.

Information and registration

Please download the course brochure for further course details, and submit the application form to academy@ifoam.org .