About the project in general
Academic/Professor
Prof. Dr. Gebhard Rusch
Details
Project, 5 semester periods per week
Field of study
WPF MPEB D9 (D10)
Requirements/ Organizational
As a prominent organization partner we were able to win IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements) for our project, whose Head Quarter in Bonn (department for public relations) is cooperating with us. The IFOAM is the international umbrella organization of the Organic-Farming-Association and observes an ecologically, socially and economically balanced and responsible policy. In this capacity the IFOAM gives advice to governments, the EU and the United Nations. The IFOAM leads worldwide congresses and presentations with different topics of the organic agriculture. In addition the IFOAM has a relevant interest in the development of the international quality standards (QM Systems, certifications) and the National and European legislation (EU-Agriculture Reform). Another co-operation partner who concerns itself with the subject matter “Global Organic Economy” is the development and research office for organic farming, Lindenberg. In cooperation with the development and research office a team of a media study course already made shots in February and March of 2006 about the situation of organic farming in Costa Rica. This had already been edited and finished throughout the project phase of the first project.
The IFOAM is – despite of her increasing international and political importance– practically unknown in the German-speaking public. The organic discussion is – as well as the last debate about the Seehofer plans shows – primary not seen within a global scope. A picture of the organic economy and organic farming as a smallholder niche production is even presented in Schools, but there reality is definitely often denied As far as possible, not only the operational reality and – next to the guarantee of food – the socio economical chances of organic economy are mostly unknown in the public, but also the global network of the organic economy of production and trade and the international cooperation on the level of organization (FAO, IFOAM etc.) and, for example, their part in the context of verifications, are not present. Therefore every commitment in the public for the encouragement of the organic farming (particularly with the EU agricultural subsidies in mind) is often perceived as a privilege of a niche production and as a disadvantage of the conventional cultivation within a national range. Therefore there is a necessity and need for a presentation of the concerns and benefits of the IFOAM in the German-speaking public. The project seminar addresses itself to the task of “public relations and communication management in NPOs/NGOs.” An image campaign and a conception for public relations as well as corresponding communication instruments in cooperation with the IFOAM and their special interests and concerns of the organization had been developed in the first project and are going to be developed or edited in this second project. The IFOAM, as a co-operation partner, provides – as far as it is necessary – an insight to their activities, structures and strategies. The seminar participants are supported with information and international contacts, to produce a campaign and to design it to the point of proposition of concrete arrangements. The results of the first project were available at the end of the project in February 2007 (brochures, flyer, website, poster, dvd, video, movie).
The seminar arranges the thematic adjustment on “Global organic economy” in alliance with the development and research office for organic farming. In March 2006 a film team of the media study course, of the University of Siegen, and Hartmut Wöllner went to Costa Rica to visit organic farms, political representatives and international organizations. The film results were the basis for the seminar which took place in the summer 2006 and winter 2006/2007.