The European Coordination Via Campesina is a European grassroots organization which currently gathers 28 national and regional farmers, farm workers and rural organizations based in 18 European countries. Rooted on the right to Food Sovereignty, our main objective is the defence of farmers’ and field workers’ rights as well as the promotion of diverse and sustainable family and peasant farming. These principles in turn, demand food and agricultural policies based on legitimacy, fairness, solidarity and sustainability. These are necessary to ensure food security, food safety, public health, employment in rural areas and to tackle the issues of the global food crisis and climate change. We demand the development of a new and improved EU agricultural policy based on the above principles.

In Europe the lack of institutional support for sustainable family and peasant farming has led- and continues leading- to the disappearance of thousands of farms each day. As part of its efforts to improve the condition of farmers in Europe, ECVC is engaged in regional and international agricultural policy processes. ECVC participates and is recognized by the European institutions and international organizations as a stakeholder. It participates in the European Commission’s Civil Dialogue  Groups , is invited by the European Parliament to participate in public hearings, and is active in the Civil Society Mechanism in the Committee on World Food Security of the United Nations.

ECVC is the regional member of La Vía Campesina, the largest grassroots international peasant movement. Together we strive for societies where agriculture serves the needs of the communities rather than financial markets or corporations.