Europe : Recognition of the fundamental role of farmers on innovation and research

Innovation and research NEED family and small scale farming

^{Brussels, 12 March 2012}

European Coordination Via Campesina welcomes the recognition of the fundamental role of farmers on innovation and research, expressed by Dacian Ciolos in his opening speech at the Conference on “Enhancing innovation and the delivery of research in EU agriculture”; and *recall that, to respond to the current economic, environmental, social and health-related crisis, designing research that helps family and small scale farming to exist and expand must be a priority.

Small scale farmers are the backbone of European agriculture. Together with family farming, they contribute to food security, use production systems based on agro-ecology and fight unbalanced food systems that make people and the environment sick.

No other players other than family and small scale farmers can today support better local food production, whose positive impact is widely recognized both in balancing the food chain and in supplying healthy and sustainable food.

Europe needs family and small scale farming, and decision makers cannot continue to ignore the need for policies and measures, including research, to help them produce, transform and distribute better.

ECVC is ready to respond to the call of action on the question of agricultural research and innovation announced at the conference. However, ECVC will not sign a blank check to the European Commission, and asks to be involved from this moment on in the discussions on building a new agriculture research framework.

For more information please contact: Andrea Ferrante, member of the ECVC Coordination Committee, Mob:+393480189221