GUELPH – The Organic Council of Ontario (OCO) is returning again with its Guelph Organic Conference at the University of Guelph (U of G) from Jan. 24 to 27.
The conference is open to people interested in organic agriculture, the sector and related industries. Officials say it will include a diverse range of workshops, expert speakers and networking opportunities.
“It [started out] as a little gathering event for people who were interested in organic food and organic farming, and then it grew into its own organization,” said OCO communications coordinator Stephanie Brunet.
Main benefits
As someone who did not often purchase organic goods prior to working with OCO, Brunet said there are several benefits to doing so.
Brunet noted organic farming is oriented toward being more environmentally friendly and also supports local farms and businesses.
“It’s not better than conventional [and] we don’t want to put down conventional; our call is just to say that organic production is designed to respect the environment,” said Brunet.
She added organic farming will often use soil in a way that leaves it healthier than it was before.
“It minimizes agricultural pollution such as erosion and degradation,” she said.
Organic advocacy
Brunet told the Advertiser OCO is an advocacy organization for organics in Ontario, advocating for organic operators and businesses.
“We’re promoting the benefits of organic, like [how it is] better for biodiversity, better for the environment and it mitigates climate change,” she said.
If an organic farmer is looking for organic inputs such as fertilizer, Brunet said they can go to the OCO directory to find other organic businesses in Ontario.
“We are a member-based organization, so we rely on memberships to operate. And that’s what lets us keep doing our services for people, for farmers and other organic operators,” she explained.
Organic conference
The Guelph Organic Conference grew from an organic seminar created by graduate students at U of G in 1982.
“Last year was the first year that the OCO … acquired the Organic Conference,” said Brunet.
“We hosted our 2023 Guelph Organic Council in January and it was a great hit. There were lots of farms and businesses that came out, and it’s really an event for people to come learn about organics, learn about the agricultural side of it and how it impacts the agri-food sector.”
The conference, currently Canada’s longest-running organic marketing event, will also hold an organic trade show on Jan. 26 and 27 from 9am to 5pm.
There will be two guest speakers at the conference, both be focussing on market gardening and the socio economic and environmental impacts of it.
Jean-Martin Fournier is a farmer, author, educator and advocate for regenerative, human-scale, profitable agriculture. He will be joining as a speaker along with Catherine Sylvestre.
She is director of vegetable production at la Ferme des Quatre-Temps – a collaborative farm project inspired by the principles of ecological polyculture and regenerative agriculture.
For more information about the conference, including dates, times, programming and registration, visit guelphorganicconf.ca.
