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”

Areas of work / important focus agreed (but too ambitious!)

FoEI Food Sovereignty Programme

Food Sovereignty steering committee set up

Call for coordinators put outMartin Drago from FoE Uruguay takes on the Southern coordinator role

Northern coordinator role still open

Framework approved at BGM

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Climate justice and agriculture

New area, importantLong 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”

Climate justice and agriculture

UN climate negotiationsimportant 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.

Climate justice and agriculture

Events / processesCopenhagen, joint activities with VC and WMW

make use of other international spaces such as the Food and Agriculture Organization

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?

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

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.

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

SP process

SP group recommendations

April consultation with groups

Changes being made following consultation

Consultation with FoEI

Final decision at AGM

Evaluation

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

Who’s gonna do all this?!!

YOU! Campaign coordination

GMOs: HelenAgrofuels: AdrianEU farming policy / CAP: Reinhild, Kirtana, Anne B, HelenBiodiversity in EU: Friedrich Wulf (Pro Natura) and Nicola Uhde (BUND)FFE team: Adrian, Gina, Suzan, Jeroen, Michiel, Kirtana, HelenFundraising needed to recruit third FoEE coordinator

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!