Rural Europe on the move English_E_version_all | Page 70

CHAPTER 5 ARC2020 The Agricultural and Rural Convention 2020 lively, informed debate on what good practices (ARC2020) is a European think tank and a food, are already happening and where further work is farming and rural development news platform. needed. It is an important way for all stakeholders The published content includes EU policy to remain up-to-date with the work being done in developments, the real-life stories of farmers, other parts of the continent, particularly concerning told by farmers, the following of developments the implementation of national and EU food, farming in agricultural technologies and the tracking and rural policy. It is also a way of learning from of national and international food sovereignty each other, a little like what Forum Synergies does movements. The core idea is to bring into in more personalised way. Incidentally, it is where conversation a wide range of food system actors, editors and writers Hannes Lorenzen and Helene from policymakers and academics to activists and Schulze met first, because ARC2020 is another one farmers. ARC2020 wants to support a European of Hannes’ passion projects and Helene is on the agroecological transition by providing a space for staff. 1 12. Christmas festivities with local community 13. Team involved in Tavira Med Diet Fair Resilience - livelihoods with limited resources only come when people know exactly what they want for their village and out on the big market.” “What can IN LOCO do for Europe, how they want to cooperate. Our fellow now that it is time for a new Agenda organisations from Minha Terra and 2030? It is our traditional lifestyle, Animar have a lot of experience in we are living in small communities, many more diverse projects now, that, and they try to focus on their own we have been surviving in very and programmes like LEADER have initiatives coming from villages and harsh climatic, economic and social really helped us to expand. But in communities, or from small farmers. conditions. We have been inventive in some cases these projects have also The bigger farmers do not need to get making our livelihood with very limited become mainstream in the negative involved as they mainly sell their raw resources based on mutual help sense. People do things because there material to the traders. But we need to between neighbours. is money offered. But it should be the make sure that we get a higher value Grounded on the seven LEADER other way around. The money should product locally so that we do not lose principles, IN LOCO has built upon “In fact we have grown, we have 66