How are we going to feed nine billion people in our global village while farmers only have the capacity to produce enough food for six billion?

That question is key to this debate among the 400 delegates present here in Brussels. Among them, also representatives of farmers from Africa, South America, Asia and North America.

Together with officials from the European Union and the United Nations, the delegates seek to make a recommendation to the G20 farm ministers who will meet at the end of June in paris.

- Elisabeth Atangana, President, Sub-Regional Platform of Peasant Organisations of Central Africa (PROPAC), Cameroun

- Ron Bonnett, President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

If there’s one thing clear from this conference at the European Economic and Social Committee, it’s that there is not one single solution to this problem of food security.

- Staffan Nilsson, President, European Economic and Social Committee

- Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture

Agricultural innovation has great potential to boost food production,. But reducing price volatility and granting proper market access are seen as equally important. Global Trade policy and Regulation for commodity futures markets definitely are part of the debate.

The challenge has to addressed from different directions at the same time, delegates were told.

France wants to use its G20 presidency to table a full-fledged Food Security Action Plan by the end of the year.

- Jean-Marc Bournigal, Director of Cabinet, French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire,

- David Nabarro, United Nations Special Representative on Food Security and Nutrition

Europe is seen as a crucial partner in this debate, given the global influence of the Common Agricultural Policy in the European Union. In the upcoming talks about CAP reform, global development issues are to be considered.

- Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development
- Hafez Ghanem, Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

Participatory Democracy: Interview with Conny Reuter, President of the Social Platform and Secretary General of Solidar, at Tuesday’s EESC conference in Brussels.

‘What are the prospects for participatory democracy in Europe?’ Under this question the European Economic and Social Committee on Tuesday 22 March 2011 in Brussels convened an extraordinary meeting of Group III “Various Interests”, to discuss and analyze the needs for further policy actions under Article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty.

In its extraordinary meeting on 22 March 2011, the “Various Interests” group of the EESC debated past experiences and challenges ahead with organised civil society networks and organisations. The first ever compendium on participatory democracy was launched. Under the title ‘What are the prospects for Participatory Democracy in Europe?’, the Group III (‘various interests’) discussed the issue.