Europe’s best organic district in the Portuguese countryside – the story of Idanha-a-Nova 

*** Applications for the EU Organics Awards 2024 are open, visit our website for more info and apply by 12 May! *** 

The 2023 European Organic Award for “best organic bio-district” was awarded to the Portuguese municipality of Idanha-a-Nova for its remarkable efforts in expanding organic production. 

Idanha-a-Nova, located in eastern Portugal, has focused on strengthening its organic value chain and increasing the offer of organic products, which allowed it to become the Portuguese municipality with the largest area of agricultural land under organic farming. The municipality has a long agricultural tradition which is being preserved thanks to the work and dedication of its inhabitants, whose innovative spirit fostered its development into a thriving organic bio-district.  

Idanha-a-Nova’s blooming organic sector is supported by a rich network that includes both producers and consumers, and which aims to develop and cooperate with other bio-districts around Europe. Their efforts are aided by the work of research centers and associations such as the Food4Sustainability Collaborative Laboratories, which were founded with the aim of creating and sharing knowledge focused on the sustainability, regeneration, and circularity of agri-food production. 

Want to learn more about the other winners of the EU Organic Awards 2023? Read our dedicated article. 

The annual European Organic Awards reward the most excellent and innovative actors in the organic value chain. Jointly organized by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe, they aim to stimulate organic production by sharing the inspiring stories of actors who achieved excellence in this field. Organic production combines the best environmental and climate practices and enhances biodiversity and the health of soil and plants. Its fundamental role has also been recognized by the EU, which identified organic production as playing a key role in the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy and the Biodiversity strategy. 

Want to be the next winner of the EU Organic Awards? Applications for the 2024 edition are open until 12 May! Read more on our website and apply today!