On 8 and 9 July, the Italian city of Bari hosted the second edition of the Organics Europe Youth Event (OEYE). Organised by IFOAM Organics Europe and hosted by CIHEAM BARI, the event reached a full capacity and served as a platform for young people passionate about organic farming to meet, exchange ideas and deepen discussions on the opportunities and obstacles of food production and its role in promoting sustainable food systems.
The program started with the panel ‘Who’s who in sustainable food systems’, focusing on organic farming, agroecology, biodynamic and regenerative agriculture. Featuring Clara Bosch (Regeneration Academy Foundation), Karla Škorjanc (Krk Island Agricultural Cooperative), Marco Paravicini (FederBio) and Rudolfs Pulkstenis (CEJA), the session explained the different approaches to sustainable agriculture, highlighting their common principles and the importance of forging partnerships.
As part of the parallel sessions, in ‘Unlocking opportunities: young people and access to land’ by Jean-Marc Louvin (ICLEI Europe), participants learned how social, economic and environmental issues are interconnected and what their consequences are. Meanwhile, Hilde Straub (Bio-Musterregion Biberach) and Patrizia Pugliese (CIHEAM BARI) reflected on the role of biodistricts in regional and national agricultural legislation during their lecture ‘Sustainable communities: the potential of Biodistricts in nurturing rural vitality’.
Through ‘(Bio)diverse agriculture: bringing intersectionality and queerness to the land’, participants heard from Jessica Donham-Buratti (Agroecology Europe) and Natasha O. Ervilha (Queering Agriculture), exploring the intersection of feminism and queer in agriculture, and questioning existing heteropatriarchal agricultural structures. During ‘Growing forward: farming in the digital age’, Emre Gürdal (Arif Gurdal Dairy) and Vincenzo Verrastro (CIHEAM BARI) showed examples of the opportunities that digitalisation tools offer to the organic sector.
In addition, around 110 participants took part in a networking activity organised in the framework of the BEING organic In EU campaign.
The second day kicked off with the session ‘The role of organic in fair and healthy food systems’. In his speech, Ronald van Marlen (NaNa Bio BV) showed the need for sustainable, resilient and organic food systems, from an environmental and social point of view, and stressed the importance of being part of a larger ecological movement, as well as involving young people.
At the parallel sessions, participants learned how social media can amplify the voices of young organic farmers, broadening perception, from Marina Grölz (Naturland e.V.) and Boglárka Bozsogi (Agroecology Europe Association).
Examples of Open Innovation approaches were presented by Giusy Miuli and Ivana Cavoski (CIHEAM BARI). Lennart Bertels (Junges Bioland e.V.) and Cristina Laurenti (FiBL) organised a leadership workshop to create a cross-sectoral EU young organic leader’s network.
An interactive exercise to imagine future local food systems took place with Giampiero Mazzocchi (CREA) and Francesca Volpe (CIHEAM Bari). Dolinda Cavallo (European Network of Living Labs) presented the role of living labs as dynamic environments that foster innovation.
Through a dynamic and interactive role-play, public food procurement was addressed. There was also space for a debate on decent working conditions and systemic changes to achieve them and protect the dignity of agricultural workers, with Ernesto Gibba (La Bolina farm) and Angelo Cleopazzo (Diritti a Sud).
At the panel discussion ‘Growing Green: Ideas from Organic Entrepreneurs’, Giovanni Battista Girolomoni (Gino Girolomoni Cooperativa Agricola), Johan Frostrup (Debio), Josefine van Marlen (NaNa Bio BV) and Stephanie Painter (Painterland Sisters LLC) shared their experiences on growing an organic business.
The event closed with Dr. Vandana Shiva’s inspiring keynote lecture ‘From Earth Democracy to Rights to Nature: the role of the organic movement in organic activism’, which highlighted the power of people to create a resilient food movement and the need to empower young people to participate in the green movement.
The Organics Europe Youth Event concluded on Wednesday 10 July with two additional excursions to the organic pasta factory Andriani S.p.A. and the organic olive mill Azienda Agricola Biologica Cuonzo, organised in the framework of the BEING organic In EU campaign.
Further information at www.organicseurope.bio and on Instagram @OrganicsEurope
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