2010 - 2024

As food and agriculture became globalised, peasant organisations from the Global North and South came together and founded the global peasants’ movement, La Via Campesina (LVC), in 1993. La Via Campesina is now over 30 years old, unifies over 200 million peasants around the globe and comprises of over 180 member organisations. It continues amplifying the voices of peasants worldwide, fostering solidarity among diverse communities, inspiring hope and advocating for just and inclusive food systems.…

The Climate Change Committee has been clear that carbon dioxide removal will be key to reaching net zero. The way we approach this will have significant implications for our society – including for farmers, who are fundamentally important in helping achieve our climate targets. The challenge for farmers in this very busy space is to understand enough about the different greenhouse gas removal mechanisms available to ensure that they make the right decisions for their…

A model of low-intensive agriculture, sustainable, biodiverse, pluralistic: Has it, does it and can it feed islanders in the future? What can be drawn from crofting which could be applied wherever people have a corner of land. In this session you will hear from young crofters turning the tide by bringing crofting back to productivity in a contemporary context, drawing from the past and creating a good fit for the future. How does crofting sit…

We are always hearing that, when it comes to food, people only really care about price. But is this really true? Last summer and autumn, the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) began its National Conversation about Food. Working with partners, FFCC set out to talk to citizens about what they really want from food. Through rigorous in-depth sessions and national polling the project asked about food’s relationship with health, farming, land use, nature, and…

The Black Farmer’s Market CIC is supporting new businesses and food producers to grow, reach new customers and audiences, and to work with experienced traders and business experts to achieve success. Market trading is low cost, no boss, flexible and high return – we are giving ambitious black food growers, with an entrepreneurial flair, the chance to turn clever ideas and sustainably grown produce into sustainable businesses. The Black Farmers Market aims to empower the…

Hear from members of the Farming and Land Use Network (FLUN) on their thoughts regarding progress to date on a transformation in agriculture to regenerative practices and agroecological systems and what more still needs to be done to support farmers, particularly ahead of a general election, to help them deliver the UK’s commitment to meeting key environmental and biodiversity targets by 2030 while producing healthy and sustainable food.

Members of the Pasture for Life-led, four year, Innovative Farmers field lab on bale grazing come together to share their insights into this outwintering strategy, including costs, benefits, impacts and lessons learned after several years of testing the approach. If you're a farmer currently trialling this approach and needing assistance for this current season or someone planning for next year, this will be an in depth and informative session on the subject.

In 2018, the UN general assembly voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP). This was a major achievement for La Via Campesina, as the movement had been working for 17 years to get there. The adoption process of UNDROP proved the capacity of the global peasant movement to negotiate within UN spaces and with governments towards a new legal tool. Strengthened by…

This session will highlight the huge potential hidden in public procurement for delivering healthy and sustainable food to communities, creating routes to market for agroecological farmers as well as the role of food partnerships in joining the dots between procurement and other local agendas. The session will kick off with an outline of the opportunities as well as common barriers in sourcing more local and sustainable food in public procurement. It will be followed by…