2010 - 2023

Did you know that in some countries EU farmers are criminalised for using and exchanging their seeds? And that the EU is opening the doors to new GMOs? Did you know that a group of NGOs - including the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) - has launched a petition against this opening, and that farmers can bring their governments to court in case of violation of the current GMO regulation?

We will try to answer…

Slash and burn is a real issue in the tropical rainforests as farmers look for fertile land. With the climate and ecological emergency, it is urgent we find real solutions to prevent rainforest destruction and biodiversity loss as well as supporting local people. Using the agroforestry system of inga alley cropping is producing amazing results. Regenerating soil by planting inga edulis in alleys and leaving the biomass to break down is showing an astounding increase…

To transform food systems we need to look beyond the problem’s symptoms, and even systems patterns and structures, at what fundamentally drives the systems. Consciousness and mental models are increasingly recognized as the key to unlock systems change, and regenerative agriculture calls for regenerative mindsets and cultures. This session presents an innovative approach to transforming food systems through the cultivation of inner capacities – our individual and collective awareness, mindsets, beliefs, values, worldviews, and associated…

 The industrial food system contributes over one third of global emissions. Without a fundamental restructuring of fossil fuel-dependent, global trade-based food systems, real climate resilience is unattainable. In this session, we will hear from grassroots advocates about how they advance agroecology with governments as a climate resilience strategy. Also from frontline advocacy networks about their experiences at the recent COP 27 climate deliberations in Egypt. What did they learn about how to focus attention on…

The Guarantee Flower System was created by the Seed Guardians Network in Ecuador in 2012 as a simple, visual and informative version that supports producers and makes visible their progress on the path of ecological and socially fair production. It deals with eight aspects of productive entrepreneurship, and actively involves the community in its management. In this session, we will present this innovative system and hear the responses of representatives and experts on other global…

Evoking past colonial practices, corporations are now using digital tools to entrench industrialised farming methods into the practices of small-scale farming and fishing communities. Current trends in digitalisation thus threaten biodiversity, the wider environment and human health. So far, few have challenged the tech industry’s hype about this ‘fourth industrial revolution’. This session will outline the issues, based on ETC’s recently-published report Food Barons, explore how we can assess the pros and cons of digital…

In the midst of a global, multiple crisis the global movement for food sovereignty - of which La Via Campesina is an active part - is organising a new moment of discussion to build a strong counter-response at different levels (local, national, global) in alliance with other movements fighting for climate justice and the rights of workers, youth, women, gender diverse. Twenty-five years after the concept of Food Sovereignty was shaped, the moment is now…

In this session, experts and activists promoting agroecology will share their experiences in advocating for public policies and initiatives that support these transitions from pesticide dependence to agroecology and initiatives that offer the opportunity to transform our food systems.

Indigenous food systems are the foundation of agroecology and yet are very much under threat by mining and other extractive industries, land-grabbing and an increasingly homogenised industrial food system. Indigenous food systems safeguard agrobiodiversity – which is essential for ecosystems and human communities alike. In this session,we will explore how Indigenous Peoples are organising to defend their territories and their food systems. What strategies are they using to preserve and strengthen their food systems, culture…