International

In addition to international outreach and collaboration for the Agricultural Justice Project's standards development, there are other aspects of the project's work that are international in scope.

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)

In reviewing existing social standards at the outset of the project, the AJP team discovered that while there were some inspiring examples from other countries, they could not find a complete and detailed practical model. Throughout its thirty-plus year history, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) had recognized social justice as a basic principle of organic agriculture, but included only brief guidelines on social standards in its Basic Standards for Organic Agriculture. Influencing the further development of the IFOAM social guidelines became an important goal for the AJP.

IFOAM engagement has remained an active component of AJP's work. Through IFOAM, the AJP team hopes to present a functional, adoptable, and adaptable model of a socially-just food system to the international organic community.

Participants of the 2003 AJP stakeholder meeting in Bangkok, Thailand are addressed by Vitoon Panyakul of Green Net Foundation during a tour of an organic farmers' group.

AJP to lead workshops at June 2008 IFOAM World Congress in Modena, Italy

The Agricultural Justice Project will be leading several workshops and co-sponsoring a half-day open forum on Social Justice in Organic Agriculture at IFOAM's 2008 World Congress.

RENACE

Fundación RENACE (La Red Nacional de Acción Ecológica) represents indigenous communities throughout Bolivia, from the Andean highlands to the lowlands of the Amazon basin, engaged in traditional, organic farming practices.

AJP's relationship with Fundación RENACE began in 2002, when Oscar Mendieta attended the AJP stakeholder meeting in Washington, D.C. and offered to draft standards for indigenous peoples' rights. This section of the AJP standards has undergone several revisions and is still under development.

AJP is currently exploring ways to deepen the relationship with RENACE, including the future possibility of piloting social standards in Bolivia in partnership with local indigenous community groups.