The governance of agroecological transition
Can agroecology transform the way we think of food and agriculture in the future? On November 27-28, the Netherlands Embassy in Budapest participated as a contributor at a two-day-long conference series held at the French Institute in Hungary. The theme of the conference was agroecologic transition.
An agriculture conference series late November was co-organized by the French Institute, the French Embassy, the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and various stakeholders in the domestic NGO and academic sectors as well as the Netherlands Embassy. The theme was agroecology, an approach that integrates ecological principles into agricultural development.
Challenges and opportunities
Agroecology as a structure and policy path can be a way for Europe to become more sustainable, more competitively viable, with an agriculture more in harmony with the ecological environment. In the context of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, agroecology has the potential of considerably boosting European environmental protection and performance.
At the conference series, possibilities of agroecological development in Hungary were explored. The focus was innovation, challenges, the governance of transitioning the agricultural sector and the role of local communities.
The event was attended by Hungarian agricultural NGOs as well as stakeholders and practitioners from the Hungarian civil society and agriculture industry.
Agroecology is very relevant to the Hungarian agricultural scene today. Hungary finds nature preservation critical – And there are also strong initiatives in the Hungarian NGO sphere for the fostering of nature-friendly environmental practices.
The Dutch perspective
The Netherlands were represented at the event by Henk Smith from the Dutch farmers’ collectives organization BoerenNatuur and Agricultural Counsellor Geert Kits Nieuwenkamp from the Netherlands Embassy in Budapest.
Mr. Smith talked about the importance of nature inclusive farming in the Netherlands – And how farmers are at the frontline of shaping the future through new approaches.
“It is time for the next step in agriculture,” highlighted Mr. Smith, who sees nature inclusive farming as the path forward that can change the way of farming.
Biodiversity and habitat protection, the minimization of disturbance and environmental stress are of paramount importance – Which is why the relationship between nature and agriculture is a cardinal element of the Dutch circular model. This is reflected in the policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands. Nature-friendly agricultural practices are a central pillar of the Dutch government’s policy vision, structured around the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Nature-inclusive farming requires education, research, and most importantly, a paradigm shift and the reevaluation of humanity’s place in the natural environment.