In our webinar on June 27, 2024, we heard first-hand from farmers about the the roots of discontent in Europe and the protests they're leading in their countries. While they have often been painted by media as “anti-regulation”, we aimed to set the record straight by hearing the true causes of these protests straight from French and Spanish farmers demanding farm policy reforms that support their livelihoods and communities.
If you weren't able to watch live, don't worry! The full webinar is now available to watch on Youtube!
This video is also available in French and Spanish:
Extra Credit
Learn more about the European farmer protests and their causes:
- Europe Protests Leave Small Farmers Disappointed
- American Farmers See Parallels in Europe's Agricultural Protests
- Rejection of free trade agreements and the demand for a decent income are at the heart of farmers’ mobilisations in Europe
- Farmers’ protests in Europe and the deadend of neoliberalism
- The world would starve without them. Now small farmers are fighting for their future.
- Why the global farmers’ protests matter
Follow for More Information
National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) - We are a member-based organization working to mobilize family farmers, fishers, and ranchers for fair prices, vibrant communities, and healthy foods free of corporate domination. Click here to read our policy priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill! If you'd like to receive NFFC's monthly e-newsletter for updates and more events, click here to sign-up.
La Via Campesina (LVC) - The largest global peasant and agrarian movement, bringing together more than 180 organizations across 81 countries to defend peasant agriculture for food sovereignty. Proudly, the National Family Farm Coalition(NFFC) was the first US member of LVC. Also follow the European Coordination of Via Campesina!
Disparity to Parity - The D2P project was founded by NFFC with allies to host and expand on conversations around the unifying call to food, farm, and food justice through reform policies that support independent farmers and their livelihoods. Don't miss the essay on the World’s Largest and Longest Protest: Parity as the Unifying Call!
Webinar Speakers
Florent Sebban
Florent Sebban is an organic farmer near Paris, France. He and his partner, Sylvie, founded their farm La ferme Sapousse 12 years ago on town-owned land. They produce vegetables, fruits, herbs and honey. Everything they produce is sold through a French-style CSA, known as AMAP (Association for the Maintenance of Peasant Agriculture). Florent is the spokesperson of the French CSA movement, Miramap (Inter-Regional Movement of AMAP).
Mathieu Courgeau
Mathieu Courgeau is a dairy farmer in the west of France. He has been involved in the French farmers union, Conféderation paysanne, for 10 years, particularly on the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform. He is also co-president of Collectif Nourrir, a French collective of civil society and farmers organizations aimed at implementing fair, democratic and ecological agricultural and food policies.
Javier Sánchez
Javier Sánchez is an organic dry land farmer growing wheat, barley, peas, and vetches in Spain, along with a small orchard. He is an active participant of Union of Farmers and Ranchers in the region of Aragón (UAGA) which is part of the Coordination of Farmers’ and Ranchers’ Organizations (COAG). Javier is also active within European Coordination Via Campesina and is part of the International Coordinating Committee of La Via Campesina (LVC). Currently, he is a member of the LVC working group on public policies related to the decade of family farming.
Raj Patel (Moderator)
Raj Patel is a Research Professor in the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. He has testified about the causes of the global food crisis to the US, UK and EU governments and is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems. He is the author, among others, of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System and The Value of Nothing.