IAHA - Animal Husbandry Alliance

IAHA is an informal network of individuals and organizations interested in inspiring, supporting and strengthening the development of organic animal husbandry. It is the animal husbandry 'think tank' of the IFOAM - Organics International Action Group.

History

The General Assembly of IFOAM - Organics International in Korea in October 2011 recommended that animal husbandry be given more emphasis in IFOAM-Organics International through a worldwide platform to address animal health and welfare, breeding techniques, feeding (e.g. roughage versus concentrates) and related issues.

A group of interested individuals, supported by the IFOAM World Board, then began to organize and, at the end of November 2012, the IFOAM Animal Husbandry Alliance (IAHA) became approved by the IFOAM World Board.

Activities

IAHA allows IFOAM Affiliates to share organic animal husbandry knowledge, concerns, positions, and issues and integrate them into the work of IFOAM - Organics International and the organic movement. Its contributions include, but are not limited to:

Inputs for IFOAM norms developments and the position papers of IFOAM - Organics international;
Contributions to the advocacy of IFOAM - Organics International for organic livestock and livestock keepers;
Inputs for the stakeholders of the organic movement, e.g. national organizations, certification bodies, research institutions, communicators, policy setters etc.
Facilitation of learning for national organic sectors and actors that want to improve their organic animal husbandry development.
Recommendations and policies for stakeholders of the organic movement, e.g. national organizations, certification bodies, research institutions, communicators, policy setters, etc. how to support and develop animal husbandry

Want to get involved?

Simply fill out the IAHA-Questionnaire to join the community and receive IAHA's newsletters.

NEWS

New deadline for abstracts for 3rd IAHA Organic Animal Husbandry Conference on 7-8 November 2017 - prolonged to 10th of May 2017

The 3rd world-wide Organic Animal Husbandry Conference on 7-8 November 2017 is organised as Pre-conference before the 19th Organic World Congress (OWC2017) of IFOAM and ISOFAR in Delhi, India 9-11 November 2017. The IFOAM Animal Husbandry Alliance (IAHA) invites you to participate in the above-mentioned Conference. The venue will be the National Centre of Organic Farming at Ghaziabad (close to New Delhi) in India.

Co-organiser of this event are the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI), the National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF) in India, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI under ICAR), the Indian livestock development & ethno-veterinary group ANTHRA and IFOAM - Organics International.

The IAHA conference offers an opportunity for exchange of information and experiences on managing organic livestock to researchers, farmers, advisors and development professionals.

The programme will include keynote speaks & plenary sessions, technical & scientific sessions, workshops, farm-visits, exhibitions & displays as well as stalls for different products of livestock origin.

On the 6th of November 2017 there will be a workshop on medicinal plants and Ayurveda in animal care. 2-5th of November farm excursions are foreseen (detailed programme will follow soon).

Papers for contributions can be sent until 10th of May 2017. Please use the template, which can be downloaded here: iaha-pc2017_example_paper_as_template.docx

More information are in the brochure on this conference:

Brochure on 3rd IAHA Organic Animal Husbandry Conference on 7-8 November 2017 linked to IFOAM 19th Organic World Congress in India

Participation and activities of IAHA at IFOAM conferences in the past

The inaugural meeting of what became the IAHA occurred during the IFOAM Animal Husbandry Conference, September 2012, in Hamburg. At the conference, a questionnaire was distributed to participants

to gather animal husbandry concerns in different parts of the world. See the results of the first IAHA questionnaire.

IAHA organized several activities during the 18th IFOAM Organic World Congress OWC in Istanbul, October 12-15 2014. Below IAHA Board members (from left to right): Chris Atkinson (UK), Mahesh Chander (India), Angela Escosteguy (Brazil), Otto Schmid (Switzerland) and François Labelle (Canada):

IAHA organized an OWC pre-conference on organic animal husbandry and a workshop session, where the focus was on drafting an International Action Plan for the development and strengthening of Organic Animal Husbandry from 2014-2017. The proceedings and outcomes of the IAHA Pre-conference and workshop session at OWC can be downloaded from here: