This UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development (CBTF) initiative on integrated assessment of organic agricultural production and trade aims to enhance the capacities of Government Ministries and national institutions in participating countries to apply integrated assessment methodologies to maximise the potential benefits from production and trade in organic agricultural products.

This initiative has been developed in response to needs identified during CBTF stakeholder consultations, and international declarations and recommendations calling for the development of capacity-building activities to support organic agricultural initiatives.

This integrated assessment initiative in Tanzania is one component of the larger CBTF project "Promoting Production and Trading Opportunities for Organic Agricultural Products in East Africa", which includes capacity-building studies, integrated assessments in two other countries, and a regional cooperation component.

A multistakeholder national workshop is being organised on 25 October 2005 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At this launch the implementation team will share the background paper with a wide group of organic agriculture stakeholders and discuss current assessment activities and future directions.