ALPA participated in a European seminar
on Agriculture & Biodiversity
St. Martin de Londres, France, 4-6 November 2024
In the midst of the wild mountains and meandering gorges of the Hérault region in southern France, European actors on both nature conservation and agroecology came together in a seminar that focused on bridging these two interdependent domains.
Both Lars Veraart and Bori Lang from ALPA participated to the seminar to connect with European colleagues, learn about new practices and share about the strategies ALPA is using to bring biodiversity protection and agriculture ever closer.
For ALPA it was very important and inspiring to be present among so many European actors in the domain of agriculture and biodiversity as we recognize the urgent need to bring these worlds together. As the organizers of the seminar stated:
“At a time when the state of biodiversity is becoming more alarming by the day, and the number of farms is steadily declining, local experiments are demonstrating that bringing agriculture and biodiversity closer together can provide solutions both for the preservation of biodiversity and for the farming world, with renewed access to land being a key factor in this success.”
The seminar was part of the Biodiv’ Paysanne LIFE Project (2022-2027) for the preservation and the consideration of biodiversity and the services provided by ecosystems, in the natural and agricultural environments of the Occitanie region (France). The project focuses on the challenges of preserving biodiversity which is threatened by the artificialisation of environments and the intensification of agriculture. The project aims to improve the conservation status of 24 habitats (forests, ponds, etc.), and more than 80 species of community interest (insects, birds, amphibians, bats, plants, etc.). For the agricultural environments the project aims to strengthen the contribution of agriculture to the maintenance and improvements of biodiversity, through the commitment of farmers of the Occitane region in an agroecological transition process and the experimentation of economically viable practices that enhance natural resources.
Lars presenting the bioregional work of ALPA on integrating biodiversity and agriculture.
” I believe that we can produce food for all humans without harming the planet, and that with our agricultural practice we can even support the living world to thrive.”
During a workshop on territorial approaches, Lars gave a presentation on how ALPA is integrating agroecology and biodiversity protection in the concept of bioregional regeneration. Lars emphasized how ALPA focusses not only on the ecological aspects of regeneration, though also on the social, economical and cultural domains. Small scale ecological farms do have a real and huge impact on localized food systems, which directly reflects in healthier social structures and thriving local economies and communities. Big farms, large corporation, global food trade in contrast, do not keep money within the local community, nor do they tend to care for the health of the land, the air, the water and the people. Small ecological farms do. ALPA recognizes this interdependence of ecosystems and food systems, of local producers and consumers, of soil health and human health, of nature and culture. All these items piece together food systems which are referred to as regenerative or agroecological. These are the food systems which ALPA supports and believes are essential for a healthy future on and for a livable planet.
Many enriching presentations and workshops were given. Titus Bahner from Kulturland eg, a german land trust which secures land for agroecological farming, explained that the farmers who work on the land of Kulturland, devote 10% of that land to biodiversity protection and Hannes Gerlof who presented Ackercrowd, a german organization with the aim to build connections between nature conservation, agriculture and civil society.
Lars: “I have been very inspired by this seminar. It has shown me in new models how nature conservation can be integrated into agricultural lands and am eager to put them into practice in our region in Transylvania. Powerful examples were shown during workshops and field visits on how agroecological elements like hedgerows, ponds and pollinator fields can be created in farms, through fertile collaborations between farmers and nature conservationists. Also the presence of multiple members of the European Network for Access to Land showed that this subject is of such importance and interest in the movement we are part of. This gives me hope for a regenerative future as I see it being crucial and urgent that all farming becomes again nature-inclusive. I believe that we can produce food for all humans without harming the planet, and that with our agricultural practice we can even support the living world to thrive.
When leaving the seminar and walking to the busstop in the nearby village, I was positively surprised to see how nature is taken into account not only on the regional farms, but also within the villages, as is clearly visible on this sign which indicates that streetlights are turned off at night out of care for creatures other than human beings.”
We are very grateful for the organizers and hosts of this beautiful seminar and want to thank especially CEN (Conservatoires d’ espaces naturels), Terre des Liens and the European Network for Access to Land
In the flyer below you can read more about the Biodiv’Paysanne LIFE project.
