5 Minutes With IFOAM Organics International President, Karen Mapusua
Karen Mapusua is President of IFOAM Organics International, a global organisation leading change organically.
Karen, based in Fiji, is also the Director of the Land Resources Division of Pacific Community (SPC), providing scientific and technical support in agricultural development, serving 22 Pacific Island states. Karen has a background in NGO capacity building and management, focusing on organic agriculture as a path to social and economic development.
Karen co-founded the Pacific Organic & Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) and was extensively involved in developing the Pacific Organic Guarantee Scheme and developing alternative forms of certification that empower farmers.
We recently caught up with Karen to learn more about what makes her get out of bed in the morning.
What motivates you in the morning?
This depends a bit on what time of the morning. If it’s a 1 or 2 am IFOAM zoom call, it’s because there is a global organic movement working in so many ways to transform our food system based on principles, not profit. This movement focuses on living and breathing the organic principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care and demonstrating these through their farming practices, businesses, buying habits and lives - and feeling part of that makes getting out of bed pretty easy.
Suppose it’s 6 am and a work day. In that case, it’s knowing that I’m heading to work with a team of talented Pacific Island scientists, all so committed to the sustainable development of our region and to ensure that our agriculture practice contributes positively to that - and approaching the task with great humour!
App/technology you couldn't live without?
I recognise this will date me, but Facebook - I’ve lived in 5 countries and have friends all over the place, it’s allowed me to stay in touch with people that otherwise I probably would have completely lost touch with. If I can have another one, World Clock, arranging meetings across so many timezones is not something my brain can manage unassisted, and that app is a lifesaver, and one more, Mindfulness Bell!
What are you most thankful for today?
I’m thankful that we can be together again – in person. The technology is amazing, and no doubt it has helped us keep a form of the community over the past couple of very strange and difficult years. Still, there is nothing like being able to sit with people and talk, break bread, and feel the energy and spirit of people around you. I’m endlessly thankful for that.
Name a book you think everyone should read.
The Nutmeg’s Curse - Parables for a Planet in Crisis by Amitav Ghosh. Ghosh uses the story of the nutmeg as a parable for our environmental crisis and illustrates how the current crisis is ultimately the result of a mechanistic view of the earth, where nature exists only as a resource for humans to use for our own ends. Which is a depressing but not unfamiliar narrative, then he demonstrates how nature is a force of its own, full of agency and meaning. I loved the idea of nature having its own agency; it turns so much of the standard worldview on its head – and it is simply a beautiful read.
What are you working on right now?
There are a few balls in the air at the moment – working on a project design with the governments of Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu for Green Climate Fund support to convert important commercial crops where management practices are currently not sustainable or even damaging to regenerative organic practices – the idea came from farmers, so I am excited the governments all got on board. With IFOAM Organics International, we are in the process of consultations for a new Strategic Plan. IFOAM celebrates its 50th anniversary this year; it’s an important time for reflection and reset so we can better support the development of organics in a world with so many pressing challenges, and one thing I need to be working on is my kūmara needs harvesting. I desperately need a weekend in the garden!
The World feels pretty crazy with wars raging, the global pandemic and climate change. What are you most hopeful for in the future?
I recently had the chance to sit down and talanoa with a group of about 20 young people from all over Asia participating in an IFOAM leadership course - it was so inspiring and hopeful. They were young researchers, early childhood educators, farmers, entrepreneurs, activists and public servants with such a clear vision of the future they want for themselves and their communities, and it was organic, caring, creative and with people and the planet equally in the centre, that gave me hope. I hope they achieve their goals because young people like this will change the world.
What is the most significant change you have encountered during your years working in the Organic Sector?
Hard question – there have been many, but the most significant is the ongoing shift from agriculture being ‘the problem’ that creates environmental damage to the recognition that while that is true, agriculture can equally be a solution. This is playing out through the growth of the regenerative agriculture movement, the increasing recognition of the power of indigenous agricultural science and practice, and also major policy shifts like the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy, which has targets of 25% of agriculture production to be organic and major reductions in pesticide use - all connected to their emission reduction, biodiversity and even ocean protection targets.
You were elected as the International President of IFOAM last year, and this is the first time someone from the Pacific has held this role. What are you hoping to achieve?
To serve as best as I can. Organic farmers were regenerating soils and ecosystems long before the term was coined as a movement, and to contribute to that is my aim. I hope to find ways to connect our part of the world into the global discussion; there is value in sharing and connection, so I hope that having someone from the Pacific in this role will facilitate that. I also think the world is shifting; we all know the potential of Asia and the Oceania region, including the Organic Sector. I want to highlight that potential and support that shift so farmers and the sector get the support needed to explore that potential.
Name one thing you’d like to see change in the Pacific/Oceania region, just one thing that would make it better for everyone.
Only one - negotiating for 2, but very practical ones!
1. Ban glyphosate, including supporting farmers to transition away from it, and
2. Strengthen our GMO legislation across the region because change will sneak up on us.
Karen Mapusua is a guest speaker at OANZ’s Organic Action Day on 23rd September in Wellington.
Join us and help plan and grow the future of organics in Aotearoa, featuring presentations from sector leaders, panel discussions, guest speakers, lunch and an opportunity to network with Aotearoa's organic community.
Tickets are on sale now!