Article
This is a time of many crises, and the failures of the unsustainable capitalist consumer society dominated by the decisions benefitting mostly a handful of people/companies are visible each day.
During the pandemic and even now during the war in Ukraine – let alone the extreme weather conditions – agroecological peasant food systems were much more resilient than the conventional industrial dominant food system. Short food supply chains linking small-scale farmers with consumers started to thrive even more. However, they still lack political, legal, and economic support, and this needs to change.
There needs to be a safe place where like-minded people can express their concerns and ideas to create a socially and environmentally just food system. More people need to engage in being active citizens, to show that eating is a political act, and people “vote” several times a day – if they’re lucky enough – when they are eating.
The Hungarian Agroecology Network has multiple purposes:
- to disseminate knowledge about agroecology and food sovereignty,
- to connect people,
- to advocate for the scaling out and up of agroecology, and
- to conduct projects, studies, trainings, and publications with and for its members.
During COVID-19, many food producers and other actors were engaged through digital platforms, and especially the ones that could not participate in in-person meetings, due to their geographic location or private situation – or just because they could not leave the farm alone for a day.
Therefore, offering a possibility to still take part in these discussions while carrying out their everyday tasks is highly important. Furthermore, connecting the national and international actors on a community-owned social media platform further creates synergies, while empowering local actors strengthens the regional and global movement.
Updated November 2022
