Medicinal plant trade highlighted at Organic Marketing Forum, Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland, June 2013—Participants at the Organic Marketing Forum (OMF) European East-West Organic Trade Exhibition held earlier this month in Warsaw, Poland, learned about use of the FairWild Standard for sustainable collection and fair trade in wild plant ingredients and heard some recent highlights from the Traditional and Wild project focusing on the use of medicinal plants in Central Europe.

The Organic Marketing Forum is an annual international business to business exhibition and networking and training event for those involved in organic trade, including the trade in wild plant products and ingredients—producers, manufacturers, traders, NGOs, standard-setters, certifiers alike from Eastern and Western Europe. This year, participants from 28 countries attended.

The networking event focused on strengthening co-operation between organic businesses in Central and Eastern Europe and promoting innovative solutions for sustainable marketing strategies in the organic sector.

Kristina Rodina, TRAFFIC’s Medicinal Plant Officer spoke about the FairWild Standard and certification system for the sustainable management and collection of wild plants. She explained how following the Standard had helped shape the Traditional and Wild project in Central Europe, including trainings on plant collection and use, building up entrepreneurial skills and employment opportunities for local people.

Rodina took the opportunity to launch a new booklet on common useful wild plants in Central Europe (PDF, 1.5 MB). The booklet contains descriptions of the traditional harvest and use of selected wild plants in the region including Common Juniper Juniperus communis, European Blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus, Black Elder Sambucus nigra, Walnut Juglans regia and more.

“The Organic Marketing Forum was an important event for introducing the FairWild Standard to the organic business sector in Central Europe and demonstrating the Standard’s practical utility,” said Rodina.

The Organic Marketing Forum was organized by EkoConnect, the International Centre for Organic Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe. EkoConnect is a non-profit organization that supports the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences in the field of organic agriculture.