Agroecology in the spotlight at the European Parliament

On the 20th of March, the European Parliamentary Alliance on the Fight Against Hunger, MEP Maria Heubuch and the FAO’s Liaison Office to the European Union and Belgium (FAOLOB) cohosted with the participation of the European Commission, a policy dialogue debate entitled “Agroecology: Opportunities and Challenges for European Development policy”.

In her introductory remarks, Ms. Heubuch highlighted the “importance and timeliness of the policy dialogue on agroecology,” which took place in the run-up to next month’s 2nd International Symposium on Agroecology that will be held at the FAO Headquarters on 3-5 April in Rome. 

Rodrigo de Lapuerta, FAO’s Director to the European Union and Belgium stressed that “agroecology could significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) on ending hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.”

Caterina Batello, FAO’s Team Leader on Ecosystem Management and Agroecology gave a presentation on FAO’s Scaling Up Agroecology initiative which offers a “platform for dialogue on agroecology and opportunity to build fruitful partnership with experts.”

Leonard Mizzi, Acting Director for Planet and Prosperity, European Commission DirectorateGeneral for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) emphasized that “sustainable agriculture practices aimed at enhancing soil fertility, maximizing biodiversity and improving water use efficiency is key.”

Other panelists consisted of representatives from the European Commission, EU Member States, academia and civil society.