News

The final report of the first European meeting on Community Supported Agriculture and Emerging Distribution Systems for Food Sovereignty has been released. The Urgenci-Europe Umbrella is launched! The first European meeting on Community Supported Agriculture and Emerging Distribution Systems for Food Sovereignty was held over three daysfrom 10-12 October 2012, in Milan.

How people, communities and others gain access to land, fisheries and forests is defined and regulated by societies through systems of tenure. The rules of tenure determine who can use which resources, for how long, and under what conditions.

This meeting held last week (October 10-12) resulted in the creation of an European CSA Platform, designed to foster exchange between local initiatives and to facilitate advocacy at the European Union level. This important meeting took place in response to the desire expressed during the Nyeleni-Europe forum, and should be considered as a concrete step to achieving Food Sovereignty now.

Today, it is one year since the beautiful week we spent in Austria at the first European Forum for Food Sovereignty. We worked together towards realising Food Sovereignty. We decided collectively to TRANSFORM our food system in Europe, and reclaim community control; RESIST the expansion of the agro-industrial food system; and BUILD our movement for Food Sovereignty in Europe.

Good food is a powerful experience and is something we care about. This year the future of our food and farming will be set by the European Parliament and national Governments as they decide over Europe’s Agriculture Policy (CAP) for the seven coming years, each of them worth about 60 billion Euro.

This summer, you are invited to collectively bring your demands for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy directly to the EU institutions. Starting in August and ending on the 19th September 2012, the Good Food March will see actions and events across Europe, before a final day of activities in Brussels bringing together all those actors who want to raise their voice for a change and call for a major rethink of our national, European, and international food and farming policies.

On the 7th March 2012, European Coordination Via Campesina and Nyéléni Europe organized a public conference in Brussels. The conference, entitled “More Farmers, Better Food” focused on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy and Food Sovereignty. The event was co-financed by the European Commission, aiming to present and to share the results of the Nyéléni Europe Forum (held in Krems, Austria in August 2011) with a larger public and also with the representatives of the European institutions.

The following list presents all concrete activities prepared by farmers' organisations, civil  society  organizations  and  movements for the event. This week provides possibilities to recognise the importance of peasant struggles and the to raise awareness of  Food Sovereignty. Don't hesitate to join  public discussions, film screenings, street actions, garden and farm visits or demonstrations in your area.

April 17 is the International Day of Peasant Struggle, commemorating the massacre of 19 peasants struggling for land and justice in Brazil in 1996. Every year on that day actions take place around the world in defence of peasants and small-scale farmers struggling for their rights.

Over 400 delegates from 34 Countries are meeting in Krems, Austria to shape a new food system. They are participating in the first European Forum for Food Sovereignty named after the legendary Malian woman "Nyéléni", whose spirit inspired the international food sovereignty forum held in Mali in 2007.