Organic Center Science Advisory Board Member Presents in Iran
Organic Center Science Advisory Board Member, Jim Riddle, meets with Vandana Shiva
On August 25, 2015, Jim Riddle, a Science Advisory Board member of the Organic Center, spoke at the 3rd International Conference on Trade and Market Development of Organic Products in Tehran, Iran. Riddle spoke on the “Environmental and Health Impacts of GMOs.” The daylong conference was attended by 600 persons, with extensive media coverage. Other speakers included Dr. Vandana Shiva and Andre Leu, President of IFOAM.
Mr. Riddle, Dr. Shiva and Mr. Leu met with Iran’s Vice President for the Environment, Massoumeh Ebtekar, where they discussed organic research and development needs to support the expansion of organic agriculture in Iran, along with environmental concerns related to the cultivation of genetically engineered crops.
“Iran has a long history of agricultural production and is a center of biodiversity for many domestica
ted crops and animals. It is good to see interest in organic production growing in Iran, since organic has much to offer in terms of protecting biodiversity, building soil health, better water use efficiency, cutting pesticide use, and producing healthy foods,” commented Riddle on his return.
