The objective of the study visit to Kenya and Uganda in April 2004, sponsored by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and focusing on organic agriculture, was: ‘Improved information and communication in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on best practices and added value production and certification of organic products (including medicinal plants)’. The 20 participants in the visit were stakeholders in the production and certification of organic products, including medicinal plants, in Uganda and Kenya. The expected results were: • Exchange of information among participants; • Analysis of best practices observed in the field; • Recommendations for follow-up actions. The participants were drawn from eight ACP countries (Grenada, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe) and one European Union (EU) country (Austria) (see Annex 2). At the opening meeting in Kampala, Uganda on 19 April, the participants were briefed on the study visit programme, aims and objectives and given information on the agricultural sector in Uganda, particularly the organic subsector. In Uganda, the participants visited projects involving rural farmers who had adopted organic agriculture, a university’s organic agriculture neighbourhood schools outreach programme, and enterprises focusing on honey production, processing and marketing, medicinal grass processing, and sweet banana and pineapple processing. In Kenya, field visits were made to organic agriculture training institutes and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), organic farms, and small honey and medicinal plant processing enterprises. At the end of each day the participants discussed and synthesised their experiences and observations. The final group synthesis session was held in Nairobi, Kenya on 29 April. The study visit programme is reproduced in Annex 3. The main issues affecting organic agriculture in developing countries, as identified by the study visit participants, are given here.

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