WERVEL, Brussels and Rio Pomba Campus from the Federal Institute of Southeast Minas Gerais

a long partnership in agroecological actions and knowledge buildup

Abstract

The partnership between WERVEL (Werkgroep voor een Rechtvaardige en Verantwoord Landbouw, Working Group for Fair and Responsible Agriculture) and Rio Pomba Campus from the Federal Institute of Southeast Minas Gerais (IFRP) began in 2008, when Luc Vankrunkelsven first visited the IFRP. At that moment two lectures were presented and the documentary "Cow 80 has a problem" was presented. After the lectures and the video documentary we had an extensive debate on issues related to the international food trade, the Kandir Law, the WTO, the abuse of pesticides, the patent of seeds and microorganisms, environmental contamination, health problems extensive monocultures, the destruction of Biomes, such as the Savanna and the Atlantic Forest, among many other subjects. A series of annual visits and book launches began and there were new documentaries and lectures, which have been annuals up to the present time. This partnership culminated in 2015 with the signing of a formal agreement between WERVEL and the IFRP, allowing students from the BSc in Agroecology of the IFRP to attend internship at WERVEL headquarters in Brussels. In this year, 2019 there were 4 students and the first to participate in the internship was in late 2016 and early 2017. The benefits of this partnership have been broad and both partners have benefited.