Publications

Illustration : Rosine Nsimire (Alliance pour la vie), Alessandro Musetta – Agathe, the matriarch above the water is a mixed-media digital publication documenting the experiences of artisanal fisherwomen from Lake Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a rapidly changing world, beset by war and billionaire oligarchs, fishing livelihoods remain ignored in policy discussions. US President Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’ agenda, worldwide extractivism, neo-protectionist nature enclosure through 30by30 (Global Biodiversity Framework), government-backed aquaculture expansion, and profit-driven mega projects continue eroding fisher peoples’ territories and livelihoods.

The rise of the radical right has led some governments to reduce or eliminate development aid,  and philanthropy holds greater sway in determining what and who gets support, further deteriorating the funding landscape. As NGOs and fisher movements increasingly rely on funding from philanthropy, this can lead to co-optation of some organizations’ political agendas and create division between those maintaining food sovereignty principles and those following funder-directed focuses like 30by30, ‘blue foods’ and ‘blue transformations’[1].

Fisher movements must unite to discuss political positions and tactics. Following the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty’s (IPC) decision to avoid endorsing the UN Food Systems Summit, similar positions may be needed on other imposed agendas. Fisher movements need to set their own agenda, and actively shape the direction of the larger food sovereignty movement. The Nyéléni Global Forum in September 2025 in Sri Lanka offers such an opportunity: to put fisheries on the agenda, build solidarity with other small food producers, food workers and climate movements, and advance the food sovereignty struggle.

FIAN International, GRAIN, IPC working group on fisheries, TNI, WFF, WFFP

The Nyéléni ECA Regional Meeting 2024, held in the vibrant city of Istanbul, brought together diverse representatives  from across Europe and Central Asia to discuss and strategize on food sovereignty and agroecology. This comprehensive report captures the essence of the meeting, highlighting key discussions, insights, and outcomes. It serves as a valuable resource for participants  providing an overview of the collaborative efforts and actionable steps agreed upon during the event.

A collective of organisations, coming together under the banner of the Nyéléni Europe Food Sovereignty Movement released a new report : “Roots of Resilience : Land Policy for an Agroecological Transition in Europe”. The report argues for an approach to land policy in Europe based on a model of land stewardship and agroecology as key components of a sustainable agriculture model and resilient food system in Europe. Various pathways are laid out for securing this at local, national and European levels, including through opportunities provided by the new CAP, the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork Strategy.

Land access issues, long since recognised in international and institutional spaces, are even more urgent in the current context: both due to the COVID-19 pandemic and with the release of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy, which have highlighted the importance of local food systems which can only be maintained and expanded if they have land they can use.

The Nyéléni Food Sovereignty Movement in Europe and Central Asia (Nyéléni ECA) therefore launched a practical tool to support and strengthen land struggles for small and medium-scale food producers and local communities.. “Your Land, My Land, Our Land: Grassroots Strategies to Preserve Farmland and Access to Land for Peasant Farming and Agroecology” brings together real-life stories, practical experiences, legal tools and more, to facilitate access to land for peasant and agroecological farmers, shepherds and mobile pastoralists, small-scale food producers, local residents, consumers, and environmentally-minded people and organisations, highlighting their crucial roles in building a more sustainable and fairer system.

Sustainable small farmers should be put at the core of EU agricultural policy, according to a new paper released today by the Nyeleni Europe and Central Asia Platform for Food Sovereignty. The strongly documented publication comes ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee in early April, and represents the position of a pan-European coalition of farmers, peasants, pastoralists, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples and environmental organizations in regards to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The Report of the Nyéléni Pan-European Forum 2016 (the second edition). It took place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania between 26 - 30 October 2016, gathering over 500 delegates from 43 countries, from the Urals and Caucasus, and from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. The aim of the forum was to share experiences, to develop a common understanding of food sovereignty, to share ideas for powerful joint actions, discuss strategies to relocalize Europe’s food systems, and explore how to influence key policies in Europe. The gathering was an important stepping stone for building a strong food sovereignty movement in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe, as well as in several other European countries where no food sovereignty platforms previously existed.

This is a mobilization call for participation for the 2nd Nyéléni Europe Forum for Food Sovereignty. The 2nd Nyéléni Europe Forum for Food Sovereignty will be held between 26-30th October 2016 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Some 700 - 1000 participants who work on food sovereignty from the entire pan-European area of 42 countries will take part in the forum. The second Nyéléni Europe Forum aims at amplifying our movement in Europe, and strengthening our vision of how to put the principles of Food Sovereignty into practice. 

This is the Synthesis Report & Action Plan of the Nyéléni Europe 2011 in Krems, Austria. It presents the results of the first Food Sovereignty Forum in Europe. Civil society and peasant farmers’ organizations & movements call for Europe‘s Common Agricultural Policy to be changed to adopt the Food Sovereignty framework. In recent years, collective land struggles, consumer-producer networks, community supported agriculture and other initiatives have emerged, are putting Food Sovereignty into practice at a local level.

Europe’s people are now experiencing the first structural adjustment policies which governments are imposing on their populations that until now have been imposed on peoples in other regions in particular the Global South; this with the sole interest of saving capitalism and those who benefit from it (private banks, investment groups and transnational corporations). All signs are that in the near future these antisocial policies will become more severe and extensive. 

We, over 500 representatives from more than 80 countries, of organizations of peasants / family farmers, artisanal fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, landless peoples, rural workers, migrants, pastoralists, forest communities, women, youth, consumers and environmental and urban movements have gathered together in the village of Nyéléni in Sélingué, Mali to strengthen a global movement for food sovereignty. We are doing this, as we live here in huts constructed by hand in the local tradition, and eat food that is produced and prepared by the Sélingué community. We give our collective endeavor the name “Nyéléni” as a tribute to the legendary Malian peasant woman who farmed and fed her peoples well.