A must-see event on food in the world, the 13th edition of the ALIMENTERRE festival will be held throughout France and in 12 countries from October 15 to November 30, 2019. As more and more citizens become aware of the excesses of the globalized food system, the festival is going to meet those who are committed to sustainable food and solidarity here and around the world: citizens, elected officials, farmers, entrepreneurs, activists, teachers etc.... More than 70,000 people are sensitized and brought to question their responsibility as citizens.
While more and more citizens are becoming aware of the excesses of the increasingly globalised food system, a number of observations resonate once again this year: famines, an alarming decline in biodiversity, declining climate commitments, health scandals, farmers and stockbreeders in difficulty, concentration of the agri-food sector and the temptation to withdraw into oneself. Yet initiatives in favour of sustainable and solidarity-based agricultural and food systems abound here and elsewhere.
Last December, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas was adopted. French and European civil society is organising itself in particular for another Common Agricultural Policy. The battles of local consumption are taking place in West Africa, as shown in the book published by the CFSI (French Committee for International Solidarity) in partnership with the Roppa and the Jafowa program (promotion of family farming in West Africa). The actors of the milk sector in West Africa are mobilizing around the My Milk is Local Campaign The "Let's not export our problems" campaign was relayed in Europe under the slogan "Let's not export our problems" to denounce the overproduction of milk in Europe and its harmful consequences for West African and European breeders.
In France, many initiatives are contributing to the relocation of food and have been identified by an observatory led by Resolis. Since the law on the future of agriculture in 2014, territorial food projects led by local authorities and civil society are multiplying. Although a number of players are involved, international solidarity associations are not or only poorly represented.
Agricultural education accompanies "the transition to new, more sustainable production systems" with the "Teaching to produce differently" plan. As international cooperation is part of its missions, agricultural education has been involved in FOOD since its beginnings in 2000 with 15,000 future agricultural professionals sensitized each year.
By becoming aware of the interdependence and similarity of agricultural and food issues, actors in food systems may or may not contribute to the right to food here and elsewhere.
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Around a selection of 8 documentary films, the 2019 programming offers another view of the world around many debates: What place for women in agriculture here and there? What place for women in agriculture here and there? Citizen mobilization, a lever to advance the right to food? What is behind consumer products such as quinoa and chocolate? Can artisanal fishing feed the planet? Is sustainable and respectful animal husbandry really possible? Can collective catering be a lever to promote local consumption? What agricultural and commercial policies should be implemented to enable farmers in France and elsewhere to live with dignity?
In order to build a fairer and more sustainable world for all, the ALIMENTERRE network is also part of a wider approach of citizen mobilization in favour of a solidarity transition, such as the Festival of Solidarity, the Migrant'scène festival or the Festival of Possibilities.
To see the trailers, find out the dates and locations of the screenings: alimerre.org
Coordinated by the French Committee for International Solidarity since 2007, the festival ALIMENTERRE raises public awareness and proposes concrete actions to contribute to the right to food. The CFSI is a public utility association created in 1960. It brings together 24 member organisations (associations, unions, local authorities) committed in the field to fight against hunger, poverty and inequality. The ALIMENTERRE festival is the showcase for the actions carried out all year round by the ALIMENTERRE network, led by the CFSI.
