Slow Food calls for crop rotation and support for small farms

In the lead up to the EU Parliament vote on the CAP reform on March 13th, key partners of ARC2020 Slow Food are making their position on the CAP reform clear. Today in an article posted on their website they have called for support for small farms over agribusiness. Yesterday in an article in La Republica, Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini expressed his support for crop rotation (translation coming soon). 

Carlo Petrini

Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is becoming a hot topic in the lead up to the vote next week. MEPs are coming under increasing pressure from both civil society and fellow politicians to vote for measures that ensure rotation in the CAP 2014 – 2020. Petrini’s article was published the same day that Dany Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms, Co-Presidents of the European Parliament Green Group, published a letter appealing to presidents of other political groups to set the record straight on the crop rotation versus crop diversification debate: a highly significant statement from Cohn-Bendit – a notorious agro-sceptic.

In his article, Petrini states: “…with companies year after year sowing the same things on the same soil, crop rotation seems like the plague.”

He also outlines the benefits of crop rotation as a simple and efficient way to maintain soil fertility. “Cultivating different plant species, on the same ground, alternating from year to year reduces diseases (which require chemical to be treated or prevented), increases yield and improves the overall environmental quality” he writes.

Farms instead of factories

Today’s article on the Slow Food site calls for support for small farms instead of factories. This is  also the focus of next week’s action in Strasbourg, supported by 27 organisations including Slow Food France and Slow Food Germany. The articles goes on to highlight the importance of the Go M.A.D. initiative (Go Meet A Deputy) which is encouraging citizens to meet with their MEPs in the run up to the vote next week. Slow Food is one of the more than 20 farmers’ and civil society networks from 10 countries which launched EU-wide action back in January.

If you are planning to meet your deputy, maybe crop rotation should be first on the list of topics to discuss...

Find the full article on the Slow Food website here: http://www.slowfood.com/sloweurope/eng/news/169183/cap-support-small-farms-not-agribusiness