AGROECOPOLIS - A young grassroots network for Agroecology, Food Sovereignty & Access to Land in Greece

Rural topic(s): Local food Chains, Access to land, Agroecology and agroforestry

Type: Narrative story

Date of writing: November 1, 2017

Author(s) of this page: Jenny Gkiougki

Organization(s): AGROECOPOLIS

Summary:

Agroecopolis, the Hellenic network for Agroecology Food Sovereignty and Access to Land is a grassroot organisation, formal representative for the country of Greece for the European Food Sovereignty Movement and for the Nyeleni Forum; it belongs to the European CSA movement and is member of the URGENCI kernel and the European CSA Research Group.

Text:

Description of activities

Background

Agroecopolis is a very young, grassroots non-profit, non-governmental organisation.

Activities

• Actively promoting different models of connecting consumers and producers -like CSA,

• Providing links with the social solidarity economy movement and alternative currencies; issues of inclusion for sensitive social groups, migrants and displaced people through the idea of food production, distribution and consumption.

• Acting as a hub for networking, experience sharing, training, facilitation and provision of resources.

• Promoting participatory action research, advocating for policy change on local, national and international levels, creation of food policy councils.

• Counselling and training on ethical solidarity economy and human relations.

• Safeguarding our commons and Greek agricultural land through practices of communal ownership and usage.

• We promote ethical consumption and a change of consumer habits especially with regards to our food.

Outlook

Challenges

Actually access to funds. The financial conditions in Greece make it difficult to crowdfund; institutions, local authorities etc. are overwhelmed with applications, we are in need of some starting capital.

Next steps for the next 2 years

• 3 Erasmus+ projects with major European partners;

• a pilot PGS (Participatory Guarantee Systems) in the extended area of Thessaloniki;

• networking of food initiatives with view to create the Thessaloniki Food Policy Council;

• hosting the 4th European CSA meeting and the 7th International CSA Symposium (Dec 2018);

• gardening project together with refugees;

• focus on consolidating CSA movement around the country; set up a national CSA association;

• bring together, empower small agroecological farmers;

• revive the Permaculture Caravan with new objectives

In the following interview, Jenny Gkiougki explains what is Community Supported Agriculture and why she presented as a solution to the current crisis in our past ERSG17.

Notes:

Information gathered at: the ERSG 2017 (European Rural Sustainability Gathering), Greece, Karditsa, 17-21 May 2017

Contact:

Contact: Jenny Gkiougki

E-mail: agroecopolis.hellas (a) gmail.com; bethechange (a) agroecopolis.org

Website: www.agroecopolis.org (under construction)

Download:

• fs_moi_ersg_2017_gr_jenny4.pdf

Informations:

Scale of intervention : European

Keywords: community supported agriculture - CSA, land access, social and solidarity economy, agroecology, food souvereignty, social inclusion, food

Places: Greece

Actors: NGO, farmer, consumer, volunteers

Methods: networking, advocacy, programme/project management