The Italian Association for Organic Farming (AIAB) is a non-profit association that was officially established in 1988. It brings together farmers, practitioners, experts, researchers and consumers and is organized in regional chapters (18) coordinated by a Federal Office located in Rome. AIAB promotes organic farming to producers and consumers as a model of rural development and, together with local administrations, supports the development of services to producers and consumers of organic products. The association promotes information on correct nutritional education; AIAB represents and protects its associates at local, national and international level. The staff of AIAB participate in ministerial committees on organic farming and in IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) regional groups.

AIAB is involved in various campaigns to promote organic farming at national level, publishes a bi-monthly magazine, a weekly newsletter and has a regularly updated web-site. It organizes workshops and seminars and has several farms networks. The association founded the FIRAB (Italian Foundation for the Research in Organic Farming) and created the “Garanzia AIAB” label.

AIAB conducts painstaking and intense activity on social agriculture. It has carried out several projects supported by the Ministry of Labour and Justice promoting the employment of prison detainees in the agriculture sector. Furthermore, it has implemented severalother projects aimed at promoting the products of organic social farming.

(source: maie-project.org)