How Avalon works

Avalon’s vision
Avalon believes that economic, social and biological diversity jointly form the basis of sustainable rural development. The interlinked instruments of organic farming, agri-environmental policy and market development can make a fundamental contribution towards the maintenance and development of this diversity. Organic and multifunctional agriculture can also contribute to the improvement of the farmers' income and the quality of the environment, meanwhile offering safe food for the consumers.

Avalon’s mission
It is Avalon's mission to contribute to an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable agriculture and rural development in the countries in the Central and Eastern European region and beyond. Avalon’s operations are on the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture and nature conservation.

Avalon's role
Avalon aims to play an inspiring, empowering and catalyst role in the preparation and execution of projects and the development of ideas, that stimulate substantial growth in the dissemination of sustainable rural development in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.

Within this framework the development and management of the vast organic network that includes organisations, universities, governmental organisations and professionals throughout the CEE region and other countries in Europe and Central Asia is a crucial activity.

The exchange of ideas, material and information between all the participating actors provides the fertile soil for the further promotion of organic agriculture and sustainable rural development in the CEE region.

Avalon at work

In bringing its mission into practice, Avalon employs a two-fold strategy.

One track is to develop, strengthen and manage the Avalon Network, actively linking actors in the field of sustainable rural development.

The other is a wide range of activities and instruments that are being applied. These can be grouped in three programmes.

1. Sustainable Rural Development

In this programme various roads are followed to realise sustainable rural development in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond:

Avalon stimulates the development, implementation and exchange of innovative ideas on sustainable rural development and organic agriculture
Avalon stimulates Governmental and Non Governmental Organisations as well as the private sector to put sustainable rural development into practice and assists them on all levels, from policymaking to the production and marketing of organic products
Avalon assists beneficiaries, mainly farmers and their organisations, in strengthening their capacity to develop and implement rural innovations based on organic agriculture and agricultural nature management

2. Agri-Environmental Policy

Avalon influences and assists governments to formulate and introduce viable agri-environment policies. This is necessary to secure a stable sustainable countryside
Avalon uses and strengthens its network to stress the importance of sustainable rural development and to give greater publicity to its activities

3. Knowledge and Capacity Building

Development and exchange of knowledge and capacity building on sustainable rural development and organic agriculture are vital features of Avalon’s tasks and activities. They are indispensable in keeping the process going and form the basis of agri-environmental policies and programmes. The Network of institutions and individuals, that Avalon has built up over the years, plays an important instrumental role within this programme.