European Symposium on Food Sovereignty

On 8th October 2009, the International Veterinary Information and Training Centre (CIFIV) of the G. Caporale Institute, based in Teramo, Italy, hosted the 2009 European Symposium of Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (Vets without Borders). The Symposium, dedicated to Food Sovereignty (the right of every community and population to define its own agricultural policies), highlighted numerous factors, such as the species of plants and animals cultivated and reared with a view to maintaining biodiversity, production systems, food quality and safety, access to resources, consumer information, and environmental and social aspects.

There is a growing worldwide consensus on the topic of Food Sovereignty, and membership of solidarity and activism networks dealing with the subject, by numerous international institutions, governments and organisations as well as individuals, is on the rise.

A wide variety of events were organised, especially around World Food Day, to mobilise the public and focus attention on a range of subjects associated with the situation of hungry and malnourished populations, loss of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity, the ethical and cultural aspects of foods and their markets, dietary quality, agrifood policies, and farmers' rights.