Europe's helping hand
Northern Europe is indeed a privileged region of the world, for the most part, when compared to underdeveloped countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, but also in east and southeast Europe. In a spirit of true stewardship, through its many projects the EU is making great efforts to alleviate poverty and encourage sustainable development where it is most needed. One of these EU projects is the 'European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development' (EFARD 2005 Zurich), which has supported food security, agriculture and sustainability in developing countries. The EFARD conferences are held every three years, extending a platform for exchange on these crucial matters for all stakeholders. They have been focusing on developing common research themes at an EU-wide level. EFARD 2005 Zurich built on these common themes, taking into consideration EU enlargement and extending its hand to east and southeast Europe. It worked with the Swiss Forum for International Agricultural Research (SFIAR), the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and many non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The 2005 conference encouraged joint research among NGOs, researchers and farmers' organisations. It probed different aspects of agricultural policy and promoted awareness among policymakers regarding global research in the field. An important topic under EFARD 2005 Zurich was 'Agricultural research for development (ARD): European responses to changing global needs'. In this respect, the conference outlined its strategy on how to address global realities on the ground in relation to food availability and other key issues. In total, the conference showcased 68 poster presentations and featured 54 oral presentations on a wide variety of topics under the EFARD theme. Close to 20 key speakers shared their insights with 360 participants from 64 countries. Considering these figures, it is safe to say that EFARD 2005 Zurich paved the way for collaboration on sustainable development on a global scale.
