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The Colloquium of Organic Researchers "Colloquium: Speaking together or a mutual discourse" Elm Farm Research Centre (EFRC)
organised and hosted an organic farming research colloquium in October 1999.
This meeting was attended by a group of leading European researchers of
organic farming systems. This group
established that there was a need
to provide a forum where unresolved issues concerning systems of organic
research
could be aired. The colloquium of organic researchers (COR)
was born out of these discussions. The initial group, and by definition
those who will attend COR, are interested parties who believe in the whole
systems approach to research and/or organic production systems.
They may be economists, ecologists, food
scientists, physicists, statisticians or from other disciplines. The aim
of the group is to improve the science being undertaken within this complex and
varied field, to develop new or improved methodologies and statistics and to
better the flow of knowledge between researchers, policy makers and the end user
of the information (farmers, growers, processors etc). The inaugural meeting of COR was held at Elm Farm Research Centre on 11 April 2000 and discussed the concept of the ‘whole farm system’, identifying areas where ‘whole systems research’ is currently lacking. Since then, about two meetings have been held per year, looking at specific issues such as food quality and on-farm research. COR is to hold its first UK research conference on 27-28th March 2002 in Aberystwyth.
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