2012: Initiating advocacy work
Soon after its foundation in December 2011, EURAF initiated its advocacy work in view of the upcoming Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Indeed, by February 2012 EURAF had elaborated these Recommendations for changes to CAP reform proposals to increase support for agroforestry in Europe and a summary of general proposals by March 2013.
In April 2012 EURAF Executive Board members went to Brussels to present the European Agroforestry Federation and its policy proposals to relevant members of European institutions. The slideshow used during this visit is available online: Agroforestry, a chance for Europe, but you may also download it (pdf, 8 MB) or see other presentations from EURAF online in this link.
Contact with European institutions was maintained during that year, with a short paper for decision makers and this four-page document on Agroforestry in the next CAP produced in June 2012 for the European Parliament Intergroup meeting on Shaping the future of the Common Agricultural Policy.
In October 2012, EURAF organised the 1st European Agroforestry Conference in Brussels, which included an event at the European Parliament: Trees for a Sustainable European Agriculture. This event was attended by numerous Members of the European Parliament, personnel of the European Commission, farmers, researchers and other stakeholders. At the end of the Conference, EURAF produced the final statement: NOW is the time for agroforestry in Europe. This statement was translated into seven other European languages.
This final statement was kindly introduced by Nuno Melo (Portuguese MEP) in the "Parliamentary Questions System", and we obtained this feedback in early 2013.
