Food security, sustainable transition and rural revival: exchange of views on Agroecology

Our first Greens rapporteur, Guillaume Cros from EELV Occitanie, presented his working document on Agroecology in the last NAT Commission meeting on Friday 18 September, where he stood firm on the crucial role of local and regional authorities in food security, sustainable transition and rural revival.

During his intervention, Mr Cros defined agroecology as the ‘integrated use of natural resources and mechanisms for agricultural production purposes, which combines ecological, social and economic dimensions and aims to make better use of the interactions between plants, animals, people and the environment’. He also acknowledged the ongoing negotiation on the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) reform as the opportunity for Member States and regions to support agroecology and rural development through concrete measures and instruments. As a final point, he insisted on the need to expand our knowledge on agroecology to assist the producers towards a necessary sustainable transition, in which local and regional authorities will play a crucial role.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of food security, local suppliers and the sustainable development of rural territories. It has highlighted the need for resilient food systems in which the economic viability of rural territories and the vitality of their land are essential.  For this, agroecology proposes the adoption of a circular mindset to respond to the global challenges that we are currently facing: to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture, support restoring natural and agricultural biodiversity, ensuring soil fertility, and to increases the economic resilience of developing farms, in particular short supply chains.

The 4th meeting of the NAT Commission was held remotely. Among the other topics discussed were the adoptions of five different opinions ranging from topics on Civil Protection to Rural Revival. Our members contributed actively to the discussions on the opinions and our amendments which were, in general, welcomed and accepted by the respective rapporteurs.

You can read more about the Agroecology working document here (COR-2020-03137-00-01-DT-TRA).