Dear ISOFAR members,
2020 comes to an end, and I can say: “I am happy about this”. It was an extraordinary difficult year without traveling, no meetings and hurdles for any action. I guess, all of you have experienced the same problems. Nevertheless, if was a year of reflexion and focusing. I am still positive and optimistic about Organic Agriculture and the role of science to make it even stronger. ISOFAR has an important international role to bring scientist together and make joint actions. I like to give you some outline of the coming year.
In September 2021 we will have the Organic World Congress and ISOFAR General Assembly (GA). Both are planned from 6th to 10th of September in Rennes, France (https://owc.ifoam.bio/2021/en). I hope to see you all at that event in healthy condition and a good mood.
The scientific forum of the OWC 2021 will be done with the accepted papers from 2020, because most of the authors have accepted the one year later presentation for their contributions (oral and poster). The OWC scientific forum board has decided not to allow changes in the papers, because it will cost more money (already now is a financial deficit a problem for the French organizers). Updated information can be presented in the forum. ISOFAR has produced a special issue for our Journal of Organic Agriculture from accepted, selected and invited papers of OWC scientific forum with 18 accepted papers. It will be published in the next months, and you can see and download them already on Organic Agriculture (https://link.springer.com/journal/13165/online-first). As member of ISOFAR you can download the full papers via our ISOFAR webpage member area (https://www.isofar.online/).
Our Journal of Organic Agriculture will get a new Editor-in-Chief. After 7 years I have decided not to continue another term and to give it in new hands. Prof. Dr. Raffaele Zanoli from Italy, well experienced in the development of the Journal and the needs for a scientific publication, will take over from January 2021 onwards. The Journal has developed fine since launch in 2011. In 2020, we received 260 papers (plus 200% compared to 2014) and have no problem to fill our 4 annual regular issues with high qualified and accepted papers. 50,000 downloads (2019) show a good recognition and increasing impact factors (1.08 CiteScore). Springer publisher is happy with the collaboration with ISOFAR and we will renew our contract in 2021 with a good mutual appreciation. ISOFAR board member Dr. Daniel Neuhoff will be the representative of ISOFAR for negotiations.
Our next regular and 3-annual obligatory ISOFAR General Assembly will take place on the 7th September 2021 in the afternoon (13-17 o’Clock). The venue place will be announced in spring, but it is planned in the conference facilities of the OWC in Rennes, France. If CoVid-19 will not allow us to have it in the real world, we will held it in a virtual world. To allow all members a participation, a hybrid general assembly was discussed by the board. This option has advantages (all can join, even if travelling is not possible) and disadvantages (we need personal communication and decisions).
The board has agreed to have an online virtual ISOFAR member meeting at the beginning of 2021. We will use the meeting for a discussion of the ISOFAR board report 2017-2020 (you will find on our website in the member area), discuss about the coming General Assembly, call for board member candidates, the procedure of the board elections and other issues. This meeting will allow all members to raise questions to the board. The virtual ISOFAR member meeting will be held on Wednesday, 27th January 2021 from 12 14 o’clock Central Europe Time zone CET), held via Zoom platform (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89570821463?pwd=OVh5akxCMDFXdThodUZleTZ6SG01UT09 , Meeting-ID: 895 7082 1463, code: 483461). If you have any question regarding this meeting, just ask me.
I wish you a good shift into 2021, stay healthy and be happy and hopeful for a good organic future, backed with science.
Regards
Prof. Dr. Gerold Rahmann
ISOFAR president