Forum Synergies

PRM Reform: Safeguarding Europe's Cultivated Plant Diversity

Simone — 2026-03-06T16:22:31Z

Plant Reproductive Material
A discussion on the future of Europe's seed legislation and the protection of cultivated plant diversity took place in the European Parliament on March 4th 2026 under the title “PRM Reform – Safeguarding Europe's Cultivated Plant Diversity.” The event brought together representatives of EU institutions, farmers, breeders and civil society organisations to exchange views on the proposed EU Regulation on the Production and Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM). The discussion was moderated by Hannes Lorenzen (ARC2020)
For more information see the press release of the European Coordination Via Campesina

PRM Reform: Safeguarding Europe's Cultivated Plant Diversity

Simone — 2026-03-06T16:08:30Z

A discussion on the future of Europe's seed legislation and the protection of cultivated plant diversity took place in the European Parliament under the title “PRM Reform – Safeguarding Europe's Cultivated Plant Diversity.” The event brought together representatives of EU institutions, farmers, breeders and civil society organisations to exchange views on the proposed EU Regulation on the Production and Marketing of Plant Reproductive Material (PRM). The discussion was moderated by Hannes Lorenzen (ARC2020).
Find more information here

APCNF agroecology caravan

Simone — 2026-02-12T10:15:16Z

Visit from India: Natural Farming: A women‘s agricultural revolution of diversity The APCNF agroecology caravan arrives in Belgium on 6–7 March!

We look forward to welcoming you in Brussels and at De Groentelaar Farm for an inspiring exchange with women farmers from India.
Get all information here

Organised by Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft (Weltacker), with the Belgian stop supported by ARC2020 and Seeds4All.
Shared and promoted by Forum Synergies.

Scholarship Programme 2026 - become a host!

Simone — 2026-02-12T09:50:11Z

Become a host
We invite rural initiatives, farms, community projects and local organisations to become hosts and share their everyday work, skills, culture, and values with young people.
Through your reflections and insights, you help shape the next phase of the Rural Experience Hubs — strengthening them as living spaces for intergenerational exchange and shared learning.

We welcome hosts who value meaningful exchange, involve trainees in practical work, and are open to reflecting on intergenerational cooperation, gender perspectives, and access to land.

By hosting a trainee, you join the Forum Synergies network and contribute your experience to the ongoing evolution of the Rural Experience Hubs and future programme activities.

register here

What happens next?
Once you register, we'll get in touch, arrange a short conversation, and share all relevant details with you.

Visit from India: Natural Farming: A women‘s agricultural revolution of diversity

Simone — 2026-02-10T16:05:01Z

The APCNF agroecology caravan arrives in Belgium on 6–7 March!
We look forward to welcoming you in Brussels and at De Groentelaar Farm for an inspiring exchange with women farmers from India.
Get all information here

Organised by Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft (Weltacker), with the Belgian stop supported by ARC2020 and Seeds4All.
Shared and promoted by Forum Synergies.

Visit from India

Simone — 2026-02-10T15:36:13Z

Visit from India:
Natural Farming: A women‘s agricultural revolution of diversity
Ursula von der Leyen recently referred to the trade agreement between India and the EU as the 'mother of all agreements', stating that two giants had chosen a win-win partnership. We would now like to introduce you to two mothers from India who are developing a win-win partnership between smallholder farmers, communities and microorganisms, from which agriculture and horticulture around the world can learn a great deal.
Their Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) initiative is arguably the world's largest and fastest-growing agroecological movement. It is based on cultivating diversity, the targeted stimulation of the soil microbiome without the use of chemicals or genetic engineering, and solidarity among the women of the participating communities.
Over the last 10 years, more than a million farms (in Germany, a total of 250,000 farms are left) have adopted the nine principles of APCNF. While these principles are similar to organic principles, they also go beyond them. APCNF is successful as it immediately increases income and food security, and clearly improves the health of both people and soil.
In the 1970s, Andhra Pradesh was the heartland of high-yield rice cultivation using artificial irrigation and chemicals. However, the productivity gains of this 'green revolution' have not overcome hunger, poverty and the excessive debt of small farmers, and they are causing ever greater damage.
Above all, 'chemical agriculture', as it is known locally, offers no solutions to the local consequences of climate change, such as extreme heat, droughts, cyclones and floods. In contrast, APCNF women farmers collaborate with scientists worldwide to develop grassroots innovations tested and optimised in practice. Their toolkit includes new seed mixtures and biological preparations, the use of drones, and data and knowledge management using mobile phones, as well as the introduction of an additional growing season.

Learn more about this inspiring garden and field revolution from Bobbili Jyothi and Narasamma Arika, two young women farmers who each cultivate half a hectare of land and an 'Anytime Money' kitchen garden. Incidentally, the United Nations has declared 2026 the Global Year of Women Farmers.

The tour is organised by the Weltacker (global field) coordination team at the Foundation on Future Farming (Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft).
Find all about the Tour on the global field Website
Contact: info@2000m2.eu

Organised by Zukunftsstiftung Landwirtschaft (Weltacker), with the Belgian stop supported by ARC2020 and Seeds4All.
Shared and promoted by Forum Synergies.

📅 Thursday, March 6 – Meeting in Brussels
The delegation will arrive on the morning of March 6 from Wageningen University (The Netherlands).

🕒 Time: 15:00 – 17:00
📍 Location: Mundo B
Rue d'Édimbourg 26
1050 Ixelles

📅 Friday, March 7 – Visit to De Groentelaar Farm

A full day of exchange is being organised with Belgian women and men farmers, as well as various grassroots actors.

📍 Location: De Groentelaar Farm
Pepingen
Huttestraat 46, Pepingen, Belgium

This meeting will be an opportunity to discover the experiences of APCNF, as well as the fieldwork carried out by women farmers and their applied research.

For organisational purposes, could you please confirm your interest and attendance for March 7 by replying to this email, so that we can estimate the number of participants?

The caravan will be accompanied by:

• Fazia Smail, peasant baker – Atelier du Pain Vivant
• Tijs Boelens, farmer – De Groentelaar Farm, Pepingen
• Adèle Pautrat, Seeds4all Coordinator, ARC2020
• Benny Haerlin, Coordinator of The World Field, Foundation on Future Farming
• Hannes Lorenzen, President of the Agricultural and Rural Convention (ARC2020), co-organiser of the tour

The visit in Belgium will take place in English and French.

You are warmly invited to join us.
Please feel free to share this invitation with others.

Sholarship Programme 2026

Simone — 2026-01-30T13:22:59Z

OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
The Forum Synergies' SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME - what it is about
We offer young people the possibility to spend some relevant time in a place of their choice to discover and learn from the experiences and practices of others working and living in and for the rural. Get your hands on!
Learn about suitable tools to realise your own projects or learn about constructive communication and advocacy. Get ready to become active!
Find mor info & application forms here

Sowing Renewal: Intergenerational Responsibility. Transmission is breaking down

Simone — 2026-01-27T16:23:10Z

Sowing Renewal: Intergenerational Responsibility. Transmission is breaking down
— of land, knowledge, and responsibility.

Forum Synergies was actively contributing to the Rural Resilience gathering organbised by ARC2020, 27-30 November 2025 in Plessé, FR.
Session 6 on Saturday 29th November concentrated on Intergenerational responsibility.

see the full programme ->

Rural Experience Hub - learning, connectin, moving forward

Simone — 2026-01-23T14:28:08Z

Join us for the webinar on Thursday, January 29th, 6pm CET. This webinar looks back at key moments and learnings, shares inputs from participants, and opens a joint conversation on how to create continuity and shape the next steps of the Rural Experience Hub. We invite you to share your impressions and reflections with usR Register here

Rural Experience Hub WEBINAR, 29.1.2026

Simone — 2026-01-20T11:13:51Z

Learning, Connecting, Moving Forward: Rural Experience Hub Follow up

Join us for the webinar on Thursday, January 29th, 6pm CET

Over the past years, we have brought together rural actors, hosts, trainees, practitioners, and professionals from across Europe to explore rural realities through lived experience.
As a rural development organisation, Forum Synergies feels a shared responsibility—towards ourselves and our wider movement—to support change and foster a more intergenerational approach to rural development. This commitment also led to the Rural Experience Kick-off event in Romania last year. and was further carried onto a broader European level, including the European Rural Parliament in October 2025.

This webinar looks back at key moments and learnings, shares inputs from participants, and opens a joint conversation on how to create continuity and shape the next steps of the Rural Experience Hub. We invite you to share your impressions and reflections with us.

Register here