Letter to Dutch Parliament: Sustainable agriculture is the future
Today, 800 million (almost 1 billion!) people around the world suffer from acute hunger. Add to that the almost two billion people who do not have access to even a minimum of healthy and nutritious food, and the way in which food production currently causes deforestation, erosion, pollution and climate change, and it’s clear why it’s time to do things differently! The Dutch government has set itself the goal of tackling this problem thoroughly and food security is one of the focus areas of the Netherlands’ development cooperation policy. Both ENDS shares that ambition, but feels that the government’s approach could be much better and more future-proof.
For this reason nine organisations,* including Both ENDS, have written a letter to the members of the House of Representatives. In the letter, we call on development minister Lilianne Ploumen and agriculture minister Martijn van Dam to propose alternatives that address the real causes of food insecurity, especially in the long term. To help make food production genuinely more sustainable and resilient, the Netherlands’ food security policy should focus on agro-ecological agricultural methods. Agro-ecology makes use of the rich knowledge and experience of local farmers, male and female, throughout the world, combined with the latest scientific insights. It is a way of producing food that does not lead to deforestation and pollution, that spares the climate, and which – if applied worldwide – would produce enough food to feed everyone.
Other important points in food security policy that the Netherlands supports are the fair distribution of, and worldwide access to, enough healthy food for all. Because this is often obstructed by international trade and investment agreements, it is also important to work on an international trade and investment policy – with the Netherlands at the forefront – that makes a positive contribution to food security and sustainability.
*ActionAid, Both ENDS, Dierencoalitie, ETC, Hivos, Ileia, Kerngroep Voedsel Anders, Milieudefensie, Wemos.
Read more about this subject
-
Instalink / 3 November 2024
-
News / 1 November 2024
Both ENDS at COP29: advocating for gender just climate finance
On November 11th, the 29th UN Climate Conference will start in Baku, Azerbaijan. Just like previous years, Both ENDS will be there to advocate for local access to climate finance, and to support our partner organisations in their advocacy work. How do we do that, and what are our hopes (and worries) about this 29th edition of the UNFCCC COP? We asked Marius Troost, who will be joining COP29 together with Daan Robben.
-
Instalink / 31 October 2024
-
Publication / 29 October 2024
-
Instalink / 29 October 2024
-
Instalink / 24 October 2024
-
Publication / 21 October 2024
-
News / 21 October 2024
Disappointment over failure to submit National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that the Dutch government has not submitted its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for the CBD COP16 in Cali. This disregard for international agreements undermines the concerted global effort to address the urgent biodiversity crisis.
-
Instalink / 18 October 2024
-
Instalink / 18 October 2024
-
Instalink / 17 October 2024
-
Instalink / 10 October 2024
-
News / 3 October 2024
CVM trial of Vale Executives over Brumadinho Dam Collapse brings new momentum
Fabio Schvartsman and Gerd Peter Poppinga attended a Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) trial session, last Tuesday, October 1st. Poppinga was convicted by one of the CMV directors, but the second CMV director requested more time to review the case files, postponing the judgment by 60 days. Victims’ families and supporters will have to keep waiting for justice regarding one of Brazil’s worst human and environmental disasters.
-
Instalink / 3 October 2024
-
Blog / 30 September 2024
Of EACOP and tales of a defender in development
The Joke Waller-Hunter (JWH) Initiative creates opportunities for young people in the environmental sector in developing countries to unfold their full potential. By providing small grants to individuals to expand their knowledge, experience and training, the Initiative aims to strengthen environmental Civil Society Organisations capacity and efficiency. Grantee Brighton Aryampa wrote a column for Monitor about his journey to becoming a Human Rights Defender, and his work battling the EACOP.
-
Publication / 24 September 2024
-
News / 24 September 2024
Massive Wildfires Ravage South America
“The fires have reached proportions we have never experienced before.”
Large swathes of South America are currently draped in smoke. From Buenos Aires, to São Paulo to Asunción people struggle to breathe due to unprecedented fires raging on the continent, fuelled by extreme drought, the expansion of the agriculture frontier and rising temperatures linked to climate change.
-
Blog / 29 August 2024
Local action for resilient wetlands and riparian lands of the Athi river basin in Kenya
and Kyra Pohlan
Communities throughout the Athi river basin rely on healthy and resilient semi-aquatic ecosystems, such as riparian and wetland areas, for their well-being and livelihoods. These habitats have become ever more important for local communities in adapting to the effects of climate change, in particular the more frequent and more extreme periods of drought and flooding. By conserving and re-establishing riparian lands and wetlands, groups from the Athi River Community Network do not only protect their immediate environment but also contribute to the well-being of downstream areas.
-
News / 16 August 2024
Statement on the denial of legal protection by the Philippines Court of Appeals towards environmental defenders Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano
Both ENDS expresses its profound concern over the recent decision by the Philippines Court of Appeals to deny legal protection to Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano against unlawful harassment and reprisals from state forces. Castro and Jhed are two young environmental human rights defenders who were violently abducted by Filipino armed forces in September 2023, for almost 17 days, in a case that made international headlines. The two women had been working as community organizers in Northern Manila Bay, where large-scale land reclamation's have wreaked havoc on communities and ecosystems.
-
Letter / 22 July 2024
Joint Call to Action: International Civil Society Demands Justice for Berta Cáceres' Murder Victims in Honduras
This is a joint call to action by international civil society organizations to call upon the Honduran authorities to ensure there is justice for the victims of the murder on Berta Caceres. Eight years and four months have passed since the crime against Berta and the Honduran justice system has not confirmed the sentences of those convicted and has not prosecuted the intellectual authors. We are extremely concerned that independent administration of justice and international agreements on human rights are not being upheld.