Urgenci, as thematic member of the coordination of RIPESS Intercontinental Board of Directors, participated in the Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF) in Bordeaux at the end of October, as well as in the prior Board meeting and meeting with new partners WSM, INSP!R and WIEGO.
The main Urgenci contribution to GSEF was a Round Table organized with RIPESS Europe on Food Social Security and the right to food that we both put together and moderated. It was well-attended, with over 100 participants.
The first intervention was by Adriana Bezarra Cardosa, who is Brazilian and works with Transition Minett in Luxembourg, a member of RIPESS Europe. She clearly outlined the impact of citizens’ mobilisation on the various public policies since the 1990s in Brazil that had supported food sovereignty and the right to food, and how they had worked. This was important, as it clearly demonstrated how important favourable citizens’ influence on national policies that enable the access to healthy food can be in overcoming food insecurity, stunting, and in establishing healthy diets and supporting food democracy. It is indeed these initiatives that have inspired the European projects of Food Social Security.
Jean Rossiaud from APRES-Genève, also a member of RIPESS Europe presented the Geneva Social Security Food experiemental projets : “Caisse genevoise de l’Alimentation (CALIM)“, that has been implemented since 1st October 2025. He also explained the fact that Geneva has a two-tier economy: that of high salaried UN and international organisations, and trading companies, and a lesser-known one that includes many people who struggle to achieve food security. CALIM proposes and effectively decommodifies fresh organic food and makes it affordable for the participants.
The Mouvement pour une agriculture paysane citoyenne (MAPC) – founded by the Jardins de Cocagne, one of, if not the oldest European Community Supported Agriculture projects, founded in 1978 – is leading the CALIM project, which is supported by a broad coalition of organisations, and is funded by the City of Geneva. By using the local currency wallet, they founded a Food Social Security project that effectively decommodifies fresh organic food and makes it affordable for the participants.
This coalition succeeded in enshrining the Right to Food in the Geneva Constitution, following a referendum, a remarkable tool of direct democracy in Switzerland.
Françoise Follet-Sinoir, is now the retired producer from the AMAP (Association pour le Maintien de l’Agriculture Paysanne) in Villelaure-Vaucluse (Région PACA) near Cadenet in France. The farm is now run by her daughter. It has been a member of AMAP de Provence since 2003.This network is a member Urgenci and the MES (Mouvement pour l’économie sociale et solidaire). MES is also part of RIPESS Europe. She spoke about the local food social security project of Cadenet, and the importance of food social security in providing and guaranteeing market stability and income for peasant agriculture producers, something which is often overlooked. The Cadenet Food Social Security project is one of the oldest in France. The combination of Community Supported Agriculture and Food Social Security projects provides an overall level of food security, food sovereignty and social and solidarity economy for both producers and consumers. Françoise has also worked on the subject in the National CIVAM territorial commission.
Drazen Simlesa, a peasant seed saver and independent academic from Croatia is General Coordinator of RIPESS Europe. He informed the participants of the importance of the upcoming European campaign on Good Food for All, in which both Urgenci and RIPESS will be lobbying the European Commission on the need for sustainable local food systems and availability and affordability of healthy food. The Farm to Fork policy that we all worked hard on for many years now having been shelved, has created increased vulnerability across the entire European Union, with an estimated 25 per cent of the population of developed countries now suffering from food insecurity according to the FAO’s annual SOFI report.
Finally, David Glory a post-doctoral fellow of the Bordeaux University in anthropology and who has been carrying out a study on Food Social Security reminded the audience of the conditions required in FSS projects, of which there are now around 60 Funds, and 100 that involve food democracy without necessarily going as far as food social security funds (according to the national collective). The key to this new pillar in social protection is the fact that members pay voluntary contributions to the funds. These funds also receive monies from Local Authorities. The participation of Local Authorities is key, as there is a general devolution of national funding that is used. National framework legislation is also essential. Other conditionalities apply to where the monies received can be spent: in cooperative shops, organic food stalls, or in Community Supported Agriculture groups (AMAPs). There is generally no ceiling applied to income for participants.
In France, framework legislation on Social and Solidarity Economy was introduced in 2014. An attempt was made last February by the Ecologist Member of the French Parliament, Boris Tavernier, to introduce legislation on Food Social Security, but this was not successful. But hopefully FSS will eventually become recognized for the important tool it represents in ensuring the human right to healthy food for all.
