ARC NEWSFLASH December 2014

December 1, 2014 ARC Newsflash
ARC NEWSFLASH December 2014
Save the date!
10 and 11th February 2015 Conference & Civil society gathering on GOOD FOOD and
GOOD FARMING
Renewing civil society’s agenda towards sustainable food and agriculture
on 
10 and 11th February 2015 in Brussels

Hello from Oliver and Luise, Arc2020’s Communication team!
Welcome to our December newsletter, this month we have some exciting news to share:The Agricultural and Rural Convention 2020 (ARC2020), Friends of the Earth Europe and IFOAM EU invite you to participate in a civil society gathering and conference on February 10/11 2015 in Brussels, hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Why you should attend?
People of all ages across Europe are hungry for change and want to see better agri-food policies based on agro-ecological principles. This conference and gathering will help develop a civil society agenda for the agroecological changes needed in the food system, including in Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Good food and farming practices already taking place across Europe will be highlighted.

This 2-day event brings together representatives from civil society, grassroots groups, researchers, national/regional authorities, policymakers and more to:

1. Assess the implementation of the reformed CAP 2014-2020, prospects of agricultural sustainability and of rural renaissance.
2. Identify milestones to support transition food and agriculture systems based on agroecological approaches.
This conference and gathering will include plenaries and workshop sessions to exchange:

·                     Information on experience of and strategies for implementing agroecological solutions in Member States and regions under the new CAP;
·                     Concepts for how to integrate agri-food policies  with related  health, trade and development policies;
·                     Vews on a common agenda for transforming food and agricultural systems by 2020.

Both high level speakers and participatory methodologies will be used to get the most from this important gathering. The results and outcomes will be used as basis for the development of a Roadmap for Change towards agricultural sustainability and rural renaissance.

Your participation is important, so SAVE THE DATE: February 10 and 11th 2015 in Brussels

A programme and registration details will be available at arc2020.eu in December 2014. For more information or if you have any queries: communication@arc2020.eu

Main working language will be English. Interpretation will be provided in at least German and French.
Good Food Good Farming partners:

The event is organised with the support of Slow Food, European Milk Board (EMB), Fundatia ADEPT Transylvania, Save Our Seeds, Foundation on Future Farming, European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), Groupe de Bruges.

Welcome to our December newsletter!
Dr. Oliver Moore – oliver@arc2020.eu
Communications Manager

Luise Körner – communication@arc2020.eu
Communications team

Land grabbing, still a huge problem in Eastern Europe

Finally, it appears, the phenomenon of land grabbing is officially on the European table. ARC2020 featured land grabbing in 3 articles this month from different perspectives within the ARC network:

Land Grabbing on EU Agenda
Attila Szocs reports on the own-initiative opinion on land grabbing in the EU by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Return of the Roman General: Land Grabbing in Western Romania
An Italian Insurance Company owns 5000 ha in Romania. Maria Rodriguez Beperet of Eco Ruralis explains the study case.

Land grabbing – a warning for Europe & a threat to family farming
Terra De Liens’s Veronique Rioufol reports from the EESC Committee on Land Grabbing’s Public Hearing

NGOs welcome Parliament’s vote on National GMO bans
“Thumbs up to the new Parliament for wanting to secure a GM-free agriculture and environment for Europeans. Parliamentarians have radically improved the text adopted by the Council, which was heavily influenced by the UK government pro-GM stance. Today’s vote would give European countries a legally solid right to ban GM cultivation in their territory, making it difficult for the biotech industry to challenge such bans in court.”, Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director welcomed the vote. The plan voted through by the Parliament’s environment committee allows member states to ban GM crops on environmental grounds. As well as reaffirming the right of a Member State to ban GM crops, the central role corporations would have had in the process has been abandoned.  The Parliament and Council will continue discussion into 20015, when final adoption is expected. More at our website.

Rural Development in Wales Targets High Ground

Welsh deputy farm minister Rebecca Evans has endeavoured to soften the impact of the new moorland boundary which takes effect in the new phase of the CAP. Wales classes nearly 60% of its land as upland, so the principality’s implementation of the CAP has been followed closely by the farming sector. The deputy minister considered introducing an Area of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme as part of the next Rural Development Programme (RDP), but decided not to proceed since current European regulations would not allow an ANC to target its support on agricultural activities with sufficient accuracy. Find our articlehere.

Upcoming Events and Policy Dates

Save The Date!
Februray 10-11 Conference & Civil society gathering on GOOD FOOD and GOOD FARMING Brussels, Belgium

Find all events listed on ARC2020 here.

Maghreb: food security, rural development & migration

“It’s not the European dream; – it’s the economic and political nightmare that makes young people jump into the Mediterranean Sea”

Sanaa Moussalim in an ARC2020 exclusive in situ interview with Hannes Lorenzen. Sanaa Moussalim is civil servant of the ministry of agriculture of Morocco, currently working on external service for the Driss Benzekri Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy. She is also secretary general of REMADEL, the civil society network of local rural development initiatives in the Maghreb countries Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauretania. Find the exclusive interview here.

 
Copyright © 2014 Agricultural and Rural Convention (ARC 2020), All rights reserved.