Full project title: Enhancing sustainable biogas production in organic farming

Acronym: Sustaingas

Contract  number: IEE/11/838

Duration: 01/04/2012 - 31/03/2015

Project leader: STUDIA-Schlierbach Studienzentrum für internationale Analysen, Austria

Main funder: EU contribution: 75%

Contact staff at IFOAM EU Group: Andrzej Szeremeta, Josefine Johansson

Project aims

The project will set a sustainable impetus to improve the market access and to increase the share of biogas plants in organic farming.

Results

A market study, based on a detailed definition of organic biogas, will be carried out. A tool to describe the economic interaction between biogas and organic food production will be established and made available (online, Excel-based); the results will be used to develop strategies for improving the economic situation of biogas in organic farmers and to promote these strategies at political and business stakeholders.

Sustainability criteria for organic biogas production will be developed. Recommendations, strategies and guidelines on standards for sustainable biogas production in Europe will be established.

·Criteria for selection of best case examples within the field of biogas production in organic farming will be elaborated, best practise examples in different European will be searched, and presented to the target groups.

·A handbook will assemble the knowledge on sustainable biogas production on organic farms The handbook will be pretested, translated, announced and distributed. It aims at transferring the manageable conclusion to the target groups.

·Six regional workshops on biogas in organic farming will be organized. An online training module for organic farmers, their representatives, biogas consultants and associations, green electricity companies and interested consumers will be implemented. 12 live webinars on biogas in organic farming will be provided. Project information materials will be produced and communicated to stakeholders at EU level (by a round table, participation at events/fairs, and a final workshop …).

IFOAM EU Group role

IFOAM EU Group will be responsible of communicate project progress (via website, emails) and disseminate final outputs to ensure that deliverables of a project are available to the stakeholders and to the wider audience. Within the framework of this project a round table and a conference on the topic will be organize.

Project leader and partners

·STUDIA-Schlierbach Studienzentrum für internationale Analysen, Austria (project leader)

·International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements European Union Re (IFOAMEU), Belgium

·Foundation for Environment and Agriculture, Bulgaria

·Organic Denmark (ORGANDK), Denmark

·Ecofys Germany GmbH, Germany

·FIBL (FIBL Projekte GmbH), Germany

·Renwables Academy AG (RENAC), Germany

·FUNDEKO Korbel (FUNDEKO), Poland

·PROTECMA, ENERGÍA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE, S.L., Spain