ARC in a nutshell

The Agricultural and Rural Convention (ARC) is an innovative process and a multi-stakeholder platform, open to all those interested or engaged in a profound reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) of the European Union. It aims to give civil society a strong voice and prepare powerful common actions pushing for a new European agricultural and rural policy. It aims to gather and mobilise people and their organisations beyond traditional stakeholder interests.

 

The ARC expanded the “Your Ideas Matter” initiative launched by the European Commission in April 2010, to create an initiative carried by European citizens. Via regional and thematic working groups it arrived at a “Communication of Civil Society“, delivered to the European institutions in November 2010.

It calls for a radical review of policies for both agriculture and rural development, setting down detailed principles for a sustainable reform.  The two headline messages that ARC proposes are that policies from 2014 onwards should achieve:

• a paradigm shift towards sustainable agriculture and in food systems
• an economic, social and environmental renaissance of rural areas

THE ARC NETWORK

The ARC is a common initiative of a European think tank working on agriculture policies called Groupe de Bruges, a European network of local projects in sustainable rural development called Forum Synergies, and the European School for Journalists called IHECS. The ARC is supported by the Foundation Charles Leopold Mayer Fondation pour le progress de l’homme and the MAVA Foundation.

To date, there are almost 150 signatories of our communication, from across Europe, and beyond.  A full list of signatories can be found here. The network includes a broad range of interests from the European civil society community. It can therefore rely upon a comprehensive, critical review of CAP reform proposals, and develop a common strategic framework for advocacy on a European level. Furthermore, the network organises Speakers Tours and public debates on the future of farming and food in the Member States.

AREAS OF WORK

The ARC and its members are now contributing actively to the continuing debate on the future of the CAP and believe that policies must change radically in the face of rising challenges. These include:

• Climate change and the EU commitment to reduce greenhouse gases
• Continuing severe loss of biodiversity, and the commitment to halt that loss
• Concerns about food and energy insecurity in a competitive, volatile and over-populated world
• Widespread poverty and inequality in Europe and the world.

These challenges demand a fresh look at policies for agriculture and rural development.

AGRICULTURE

In agriculture we believe that the period 2014 to 2020 must see a clear transition, a progressive shift, from industrial agriculture to sustainable farming everywhere.

This model of sustainable farming should:

• make far lighter use of non-renewable resources
• put good agronomic sense and agro-ecological innovation at the heart of farming decisions
• build upon the regional diversity of farming and economies
• respect animal welfare
• achieve a wide range of positive environmental, social and economic outcomes, linked to the vitality of rural areas

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

A future rural development policy should build upon the strength and diversity of communities, cultures and resources, linked effectively to regional development and honouring the EU’s commitment to social, economic and territorial cohesion. ARC calls for a rural renaissance, pursued through the second pillar, but with close links to other EU funds. The answer for successful targets and priorities in future RD programmes lies, for us, in the effective linking of the rural, regional, social, cohesion and fisheries funds. This renaissance can make a major cumulative contribution to the goals of EU 2020, by finding new sources of prosperity and creating new jobs.