| The Technical Institute for Organic Agriculture (ITAB), founded in 1982 by organic farmers, has 2 main missions: co-ordination of experimentation and research for organic farming in France and diffusing knowledge and the results of research in organic farming.
Structured in 1997 by the French Ministry of Agriculture as specialised institute in organic farming and as the national co-ordinator for research in this field, ITAB is used to work in partnership with several
networks: national Research centers (INRA, CEMAGREF, CNRS, INSERM), Universities and High
Schools in agronomy and agriculture, national and regional Technical Institutes (specialised in each main agricultural productions, such as ITV for viticulture and wines), agricultural development organisms, ecology and organic farming associations. As a network head, ITAB tries to organise an efficient collaboration between organic farming and conventional agriculture research and development activities.
ITAB's Technical Commissions such as agronomy, fruit & vegetables, animal husbandry etc play a central part in activity management of the institute. They bring together expertise on technical aspects of organic farming in view of identifying and analysing technical and technico-economic problems, initiate research programmes insuring methodological support and concerting with other structures wanting to develop research programmes. ITAB also has the role of expertise in collecting/ validating results and diffusing the results by publishing technical documents or by organising symposia, conferences and technical days
mixing lectures, questions and ground visits for instance The wine/vine commission organises each year a two days of debate, presentation of research results and farm visits on organic viticulture. |
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