Policy Round Table “Family Farming and Market Access” in Portugal

CNA – Conferderação Nacional da Agricultura hosted a Policy Round Table under BOND Project on the topic “Family Farming and Market Access”, on 28 and 29 January 2020, at the Convent of San Francisco (Conventual room A) in Coimbra, Portugal.

This initiative aimed to analyze the challenges Family Farming faces in accessing markets, build positions, strengthen cooperation and alliances between organizations and strengthen collective action around commercial issues.

The analysis was based on a more comprehensive “international level” context, with an approach to the WTO and free trade agreements and their impacts; moving on to the “community level” discussing the relocation of production vs concentration in the European market. At the “local level”, the “Farm to Fork” strategy on sustainable food across the value chain, announced by the new European Commission under the “European Green Pact”, was also among the subjects debated by the participants.

With the debate and surrounding climate change on the agenda, environmental issues and family farming, more sustainable production models and the relocation of food consumption were aspects considered during the debate. Transversal was will also the social and economic dimensions, with approaches to the common agricultural policy (CAP), and to labor, environmental and health policies in the European Union.

Over 40 participants were present. Several agricultural organizations were represented, namely CNA and affiliates, and similar European Organizations, as well as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the University of Coventry (BOND coordination). An independent agricultural policy analyst, Gèrard Choplin, a PAC specialist on the EU Regions Committee, was also present for an exchange with the participants.

More details on the event and conclusions will soon be shared in this website.