The sixth European Union – African Union Summit will be held in Brussels on 17-18 February. On this occasion, as peasant farmers in Africa and Europe, we jointly express the urgent need to rebuild food sovereignty on our two continents.

Today, people in Europe and Africa are still fed by peasant and family farming. Our small and medium-sized farms create jobs and provide a living for rural areas.

When scientists agree on the urgency of a global agroecological transition to respond to the climate crisis and the collapse of biodiversity, it should be a shared priority to maintain large numbers of farmers practising diversified agriculture in all territories.

However, for decades, deregulation policies and the opening of agricultural markets have weakened our farms.