The campaign EuropAfrica, coordinated by Terra Nuova  and Centro Internazionale Crocevia,  was launched in 2005 in partnership with ROPPA (platform of farmers organizations and agricultural producers of West Africa), with the Belgian NGO CSA (Collectif Strategies Alimentaires) and with Terre Contadine ItaliAfrica (a network of agricultural and Italian civil society organizations). It was then extended to include the Belgian Vredeiselanden, the Czech Glopolis, the Practical Action from the United Kingdom, the Eastern African Farmer’s Federation (EAFF),  and PROPAC (Regional Platform of the Farmers Organizations of Central Africa).

Towards a new phase: the crisis as an opportunity to rethink an unsustainable model

The food price crisis, as well as the energy and the environment crises, have emphasized the limits of the dominant agricultural production model, as ruled by the agro industry corporations. New considerations about the role of agriculture as a solution to hunger and poverty have begun to establish,  whereas innovative forms of participation have proposed alternative and horizontal models of production and consumption. Back again at the top of the agenda for development cooperation in Africa, agriculture has been the key issue in many global forums:  the G20 , the WTO Doha Round,  the World Development Report in 2008. At the same time, Europe has reinforced its commitment to development with a new "policy framework" for food security. Too often, however, in contradiction to its own trade, energy and agriculture policies.

Europafrica today: a new opportunity for participation

In this context,  EuropAfrica undertakes monitoring of European and global policies which may directly or indirectly impact food security in Africa. Frequently, the European economic policies not only nullify the results achieved through the commitment to development, but are likely to perpetrate poverty. A new model of agriculture that is sustainable and ultimately detached from financial and commercial considerations is absolutely needed. But which model of agriculture is it? And who will benefit from the funds settled to build it? One possible answer could be agroecology, as well as the active participation of small farmers to global forums by means of representative organizations which  will directly address their concerns and proposal. This is exactly what happened in 2010, when the reformed CSF- the Committee On Food Security- became an open and inclusive forum.