IBOAA -Israel Bio-Organic Agriculture Association brings together and fosters organic practitioners and stakeholders, leads professionalism, policy and consumption, with the aim of promoting organic agriculture and industry in Israel.
The organization was established as a cooperative association in 1982 and since then has been the leading organic agriculture and industry in Israel. We bring together hundreds of farmers, producers, and traders from all organic production, and are the official representative organization of the entire organic field while working with the Ministry of Agriculture and all other institutes and organizations.
We are driven by the mission to promote a sustainable and healthy agricultural-food system in Israel. We believe that organic agriculture is the engine that drives the environmental agriculture train in the world, and we act according to the four principles of the global organic movement: health, ecology, fairness and care.
We promote agriculture and production that is friendly to people, animals and the environment, which maintains social and economic sustainability and is based on a combination of business entrepreneurship, personal excellence and technological progress. We are driven by our responsibility to ensure sustainability and the ability to preserve the natural resources for future generations as well.
We believe in connections and work to create them: between traders and institutional bodies, between traders and consumers, between traditional and new agriculture, between global and local perception, between knowledge and practice and between consumers and organic farmers and traders.
We work to raise awareness of the organic field while promoting policy, regulation and resource allocation. We represent the organic practitioners while working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Health and Education, and are the professional institute that provides knowledge to the legislator in the different aspects of the organic field.
as science and agriculture are advancing we are committed to keeping organic agriculture a source of innovation and inspiration. We offer guidance and support to organic farmers and industrialists, as well as to those who are interested in joining the field. We hold professional courses and seminars, work to find solutions for professional challenges, create knowledge and make existing knowledge accessible.
sustainability is not only measured in the agricultural practices, but also in the economic aspect of every organic business. We work to support businesses by reducing costs in the organic production process, legal coordination of prices, export promotion, business collaborations and more.
we nurture clusters of organic practitioners by region and field of activity, through direct and indirect contact between the organization's employees and our members. We believe that cooperation and the sense of belonging strengthens us as a movement in both economic, professional and social aspects. We create connections between practitioners, between experienced and young farmers, and encourage collaborations by region and field of activity. In addition, we serve as the source of professional knowledge for organic consumers, build consumer communities and connect them to organic producers and farmers.
In order to make organic food accessible to a wide audience and to support our farmers and producers, we are working to increase consumption on two levels: 1. promoting organic nutrition in government nutrition programs, and working directly with consumers: 2. promoting and maintaining the credibility of the organic brand, raising public awareness, and representation in both conventional and social media
we represent the Israeli agriculture and organic industry at international exhibitions and cooperate with different allies within the global organic movement.
The organization is mostly financed by the annual membership fees of the Israeli organic practitioners and annual support of the different farmers organizations.
Organic practitioners from the entire organic supply chain: farmers, wholesalers, retailers, marketers, importers, manufacturers, input suppliers and more. The members and societies are spread throughout different regions of our country and represent the diverse Israeli population: members of the working settlement and residents of urban settlements, Jews and non-Jews, and members from the entire political spectrum.
We take part in the global organic movement as active members in IFOAM, the global organic organization. We are also members of the Israel Farmers Association, and work in full cooperation with the various farming organizations. As an environmental organization, we are members of 'Haim Ve Sviva' (life and environment), the top organization of all environmental organizations in Israel. We also cooperate with professional organizations and associations in our field.
The organization was founded in the late 1970s as a cooperative society Ltd. by a number of members from Kibbutz Yodafat and Sde Eliyahu, including Mario Levy, a farmer from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu who is considered the 'father of organic agriculture in Israel'. At that time, the Israeli farmer believed that by using chemical fertilizers and spraying chemical pesticides they could overcome all the problems and reach high-quality crops. At the same time, there were only a few who believed in the growing methods of organic agriculture. These were guided by two main principles, which accompany us to this day: the production of healthy food and care for the environment.
These growers united and started working to spread their idea. In the beginning, they went through difficult struggles for the recognition of the traditional farmers and the agricultural establishment. It was difficult to explain that the principles they believe in are not just an ideology, but a practical and profitable agriculture can be based on them. A true belief in their path and a concern for preserving the soil of the Land of Israel, led the organization to be the first one in the "green transformation” of agriculture in Israel.
