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Food, farming and biodiversity at Friends of the Earth

Food, farming and biodiversity at Friends of the Earth. FoE International Food Sovereignty Programme FoE Europe Strategic Planning Process. FoEI Food Sovereignty Programme. First meeting in Jojakarta, Indonesia, April 2008 Decision that the programme be called “Food Sovereignty”

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Food, farming and biodiversity at Friends of the Earth

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  1. Food, farming and biodiversity at Friends of the Earth

  2. FoE International Food Sovereignty Programme • FoE Europe Strategic Planning Process

  3. FoEI Food Sovereignty Programme • First meeting in Jojakarta, Indonesia, April 2008 • Decision that the programme be called “Food Sovereignty” • Areas of work / important focus agreed (but too ambitious!)

  4. FoEI Food Sovereignty Programme • Food Sovereignty steering committee set up • Call for coordinators put out • Martin Drago from FoE Uruguay takes on the Southern coordinator role • Northern coordinator role still open • Framework approved at BGM

  5. We are building global food sovereignty which is based on diverse localised solutions. We define food sovereignty as: • Peoples right to determine and control their local, national, ecological, just, sovereign food and production systems • Peoples right to enough nutritious, healthy, ecologically produced, culturally sound food • Food produced through ecological traditional or indigenous / peasant / family agriculture / Artisanal fisheries/ Pastorals • In the urban context this means the ability to buy such food sourced locally and regionally from a network of diverse retail outlets and markets • Building the bridges between people and their food and between those who produce and consume food

  6. At the centre of food policies, those who produce and consume food take precedence over trade and corporate interests. Local and national economies are a priority • The recognition of peoples’ control over territories and seed, upholding land rights, and the right to water • The right to reclaim and defend seed diversity as peoples heritage at the service of humanity • The right to reproduce, exchange and breed seed varieties • Positive land conversion from intensive, large scale agriculture to ecologically compatible and diverse systems • Food Sovereignty rejects technologies which threaten, undermine and contaminate local food production and traditional wisdom • It also rejects the free trade system and the power of TNCs

  7. Key strategic areas for action: • Agribusiness vs agriculture for food sovereignty • Trade in agricultural commodities and food AND food miles vs local markets and • Fisheries and marine issues • Land and territory rights and integrity • Consumption (over and under consumption) and the right to access food • Food Aid and Hunger • Agrofuels • GMOs and other corporate driven technologies • Agriculture and climate

  8. Taking it forward: Amsterdam meeting, April 2009 • For the first time, with la Via Campesina and the World March of Women • FoE groups in Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Nigeria, Swaziland, Denmark, Latvia, England Wales and Northern Ireland, United States, Uruguay, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Mexico. • Representatives from FoEI Climate Justice and Energy Program, FoE Europe Food and Biodiversity Program, FoE Europe Economic Justice Program, Asia Pacific regional facilitation, and the FoEI International Secretariat.

  9. Amsterdam meeting, April 2009 • Three lines of action from the FoEI food sovereignty work-plan approved by the 2008 BGM: • GMOs, • land rights and agribusiness (link with Economic Justice – Resisting Neoliberalism program) • climate and agriculture. We brought in the • Also, the promotion of solutions and our positive our agenda as a cross-cutting theme • gender implications of our analysis and our activities

  10. For a GMO free world • Materials that kill the myth of GMOs and propose alternatives. This could be the next version of the “Who Benefits from GMOs” report, which would focus on myths and alternatives (for farmers – production without GMOs and for food aid – support local/regional products instead of external GM food aid). • Create solidarity for direct actions, build a network of direct actions and alert systems in response to repression of activists. • Capacity building for groups and communities: test kits for GMO, popular education, more information.

  11. Resisting land grabbing and agribusiness • Gathering and sharing up-to-date information about corporate actions. • Build understanding and support for our diverse strategies. • Track chain of custody for different products, target specific corporations. • Strengthen regional strategies and coordination. • Build visibility for victims of agribusiness.

  12. Opportunities around events: • International Forum of Victims of Agribusiness, Paraguay August 2009. • Conference on AGRA, Nigeria in September/October 2009: launch the results of the joint research between FoE Europe and groups in Africa regarding agrofuels. Exchange with groups in Asia that may have experience of resistance to “green revolution”. • EU/ Latin American summit in Madrid (May 2010), round of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal on European Corporations. • We can present cases related to the chain of custody of soy and other crops.

  13. Climate justice and agriculture • New area, important • Long distance transport of food • Land use change (deforestation, plantations for industries, monocultures, GMOs) • Industrial agriculture provokes climate change Agrofuel production (extends fossil fuel consumption - delays implementation of other energies) • Role of women, and importance of peasant farming as “cool farming”

  14. Climate justice and agriculture • UN climate negotiations • important to denounce false solutions – such as off-setting, agrofuels, forest carbon trading, and GMOs • more testimonials needed about who is affected by climate change • more technical and accessible information about how to advocate for compensation and reparation of ecological/climate debt • develop more popular education materials about the threats of false solutions • for example the danger of land grabbing from REDD or agrofuels, also “climate friendly” GM products.

  15. Climate justice and agriculture • Events / processes • Copenhagen, joint activities with VC and WMW • make use of other international spaces such as the Food and Agriculture Organization

  16. FS programme coordination • Steering committee made up of regional focal points plus alternates • ATALC: Carlos Murralles (Guatemala), ? • APAC: Basant Prasad Adhikari (until May) (Nepal) • Africa: Mariann Bassey (Nigeria), Sicelo Simelane (Swaziland) • Europe: Helen Holder (FoE Europe), Kirtana Chandrasekaran (FoE EWNI) • Coordination: 2 people? (North and South) • Details still to be agreed • Martin Drago, FoE Uruguay from South • focus on agribusiness? • Northern coordinator • focus on GMOs?

  17. Next steps • Minutes to be finalised and circulated • Steering group meeting to define steps and timeline • Working groups to proceed • Fundraising • Coordination questions to be decided, coordinator(s) to be recruited

  18. FoE Europe Strategic Planning Process • Prior to SPP, FoEE campaigns structured into programmes • GMOs, agrofuels and Feeding and Fuelling Europe become Food and Biodiversity Programme • EU agriculture policy (CAP) and biodiversity discussed at meeting with groups in February 2008, working groups set up.

  19. FoE Europe Strategic Planning Process • Planning process aims to define strategic aims and objectives for FoEE programmes • Strategic planning group set up after last years AGM: • Chair: FoEE director • Asad, FoE EWNI (contact point for FaB) • Evert, MD • Anne, FoE France • Paul, FoEE EJ coordinator • Stine, FoEE Events Manager • Klaus, Global 2000

  20. SP process • SP group recommendations • April consultation with groups • Changes being made following consultation • Consultation with FoEI • Final decision at AGM • Evaluation

  21. Aim: problems of European consumption and intensive agriculture on ecosystems, biodiversity and livelihoods • Objectives: • GMfree Europe and impacts in third countries (including soy monoculture and livestock) • Stopping agrofuels and impacts around the world • EU agriculture policy with focus on soy/plant protein/livestock • Biodiversity (in the EU and as a means of developing our network) Aims and tactics of FFE project WITHIN the objectives

  22. Who’s gonna do all this?!! YOU!  • Campaign coordination • GMOs: Helen • Agrofuels: Adrian • EU farming policy / CAP: Reinhild, Kirtana, Anne B, Helen • Biodiversity in EU: Friedrich Wulf (Pro Natura) and Nicola Uhde (BUND) • FFE team: Adrian, Gina, Suzan, Jeroen, Michiel, Kirtana, Helen • Fundraising needed to recruit third FoEE coordinator

  23. Food, farming and biodiversity at FoEE • Consistently voted top priority at AGMs • Last year, second after Climate and Energy • And second for resource allocation after Network Development • Good coherence with FoEI, including strategic partnership with Via Campesina • Thanks to you all for your hard work, support and great campaigning!

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