Dear Commissioner Hansen,

The Bahá’í International Community’s Brussels office offers its sincere congratulations on your appointment as European Union (EU) Commissioner for Agriculture and Food. We look forward to seeing your work unfold in the coming mandate and wish to take this opportunity to share with you some considerations which we believe are essential to just, sustainable and resilient food systems. 

The Bahá’í International Community is a global non-governmental organization with national affiliates in more than 180 countries, including all Member States of the EU. We also serve as an umbrella network for over 160 social and economic development organizations across more than 100 countries, working in diverse fields, including agriculture. Our Brussels office actively engages with EU institutions and has closely followed the discussions and outcomes of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the European Union, contributing to related policy discussions.

We appreciate the comments you shared during the European Parliament hearing on 4 November, from raising a new generation of young farmers to the need for an inclusive approach to agricultural policy. We welcome your focus on dialogue with farmers to address challenges posed by climate change, global competition, and economic inequities. In particular, your comments highlighting the need to “leave polarization behind” deeply resonate with us.

Given the centrality of agriculture to humanity’s future, the need to revise critical aspects of current food systems will only grow in the years ahead. Whether these aspects pertain to various stages of the food supply chain, the allocation of land, or mechanisms for controlling food prices, effective reforms must be framed by broader considerations.

While there are many issues that need to be highlighted, and to which you spoke with such clarity, we wish to single out a few. 

Food systems guided by the principle of the oneness of humanity

The overarching principle that should underpin any conversation on agriculture is the oneness of humanity. Agriculture and food systems have global ramifications and are interwoven with international trade, environmental policies, and economic dynamics. Decisions made within Europe regarding the agricultural sector have significant impacts globally, just as agricultural policies and practices implemented elsewhere have effects on European food systems.

Recognition of this interconnectedness does not diminish the critical importance of examining, for instance, the extent to which Europe should strive for self-sufficiency or prioritise locally grown products, nor does it lessen the necessity of rethinking international trade to minimise ecological impact. Rather, it requires that such decisions must be made with a deep understanding and appreciation of the broader global context. It is essential to recognise that, in the long term, the prosperity and sustainability of the agricultural sector worldwide are vital for the future of agriculture and farmers in Europe too.

The need to consider the agricultural well-being of the global community is not merely a strategic imperative, but above all a moral one. Indeed, this moral imperative is particularly pressing for Europe, given its pivotal role in the global economic and financial order.

Transcending the notion of conflicting interests 

The Bahá’í International Community believes that a food system grounded in the principle of the oneness of humanity fundamentally transcends the notion of conflicting interests among stakeholders. It is built on the intrinsic connections that bind the needs of one group—whether they be farmers, consumers, or food distributors—to those of another and to the imperative requirements of environmental sustainability. The foundation of a sustainable food system lies in the seamless integration of the essential requirements of all stakeholders involved. 

The outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the European Union very clearly highlighted the multitude of interests at play—often appearing to conflict— and the difficulty to reconcile them. The challenge ahead is to cultivate a conversation that overcomes the common tendency to view various stakeholders as adversaries with opposing interests. Equally, the conversation must not be satisfied with solutions found through mere compromise by negotiating the demands of different parties. And yet, it is to be expected that discussions conducted within the traditional framework of food production, consumption, and distribution, cannot but lead to a binary view of opposing interests. Therefore, envisioning a food system that harmoniously integrates the essential needs of all stakeholders is dependent on a fundamental reexamination of the values, assumptions and practices that underpin it.

Revisiting assumptions related to economic systems

One overarching feature of current economic systems is the assumption that competition and the relentless pursuit of growth are inherent to material well-being. This assumption shapes agricultural systems in ways which promote harmful incentives and leave farmers struggling with seemingly incompatible objectives, such as environmental protection and economic security.

Conversations about agriculture should therefore investigate alternative societal and economic models that align with all of humanity’s needs.

Justice as a guiding principle

Unless and until a framework of just relationships among nations can be established, the fabric of global society will continue to experience disruptions and crises with far-reaching ramifications for all countries involved. In the arena of food systems, one of the numerous implications of the principle of justice is that trade is carried out in a manner that is fair and beneficial to all, and importantly, does not result in any one country or region becoming overly dependent on another. Efforts must be made so that every country—not only those privileged in the existing economic order—can work towards food sovereignty, ensure its resilience to ecological, economic, or other pressures, and maintain the ability to make independent decisions.

Farmers at the heart of shaping agricultural policy and food systems

One of the predominant themes emerging from recent discussions is the pervasive sense of powerlessness felt by many farmers. This sentiment is especially acute among small-scale farmers, who often find themselves at the mercy of various economic, social, and environmental forces, and who face immense pressure from external factors, including the market and the supply chains.

In such complex and challenging circumstances, farmers struggle to maintain autonomy over their production processes and to make decisions that best suit their unique reality and the needs of the environment. This leads to an overarching question: how can the needs of farmers in Europe, and in other continents, engaged in all scales of production become central to agricultural deliberations and policy-making? 

A new generation of farmers

Addressing the challenge of an ageing farming population necessitates adjustments across many policy sectors. It especially requires ensuring that farming is an economically viable and desirable prospect. While there is much to be said, we wish to highlight the role of education in particular.

Central to raising a new generation of farmers is an educational system that emphasises the nobility of farming and encourages youth to apply their intellectual and scientific capabilities towards the development of new, sustainable and context-appropriate technologies. Importantly, education should link the choice to become a farmer with a higher purpose and a vision for social change. Young people are often motivated by the desire to make a positive impact on the world. By framing farming as a pathway to apply one’s intellect and creativity to, for example, reverse biodiversity loss, prevent environmental degradation or eliminate social inequities, the aspirations of youth can be aligned with the needs of our agricultural systems.

A global and cross-disciplinary conversation

The complex nature of agriculture's future, as highlighted by the various aspects mentioned above, underscores the necessity for continued and substantive dialogue among actors from various policy sectors. Such a dialogue should encompass participants from the grassroots level to policymakers, extending beyond occasional events and especially beyond European perspectives.

It is particularly crucial to explore creative avenues through which Europe can better understand the reality of the agricultural sector beyond its borders, in particular by engaging meaningfully with agricultural and other relevant stakeholders worldwide.

Such ongoing engagement will enable the integration of diverse perspectives, facilitate continuous reassessment of policies, and support the gradual refinement of a collective vision for the future of global agriculture.

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We fully recognize the immense task that lies ahead, and look forward to the progress that will surely be made in the coming mandate towards securing a sustainable future for agriculture in Europe, and beyond.

It would be a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with you, or members of your cabinet, at a time that is most convenient.

Yours Sincerely,

Rachel Bayani
Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the European Institutions

The 1995 World Summit for Social Development reflected a powerful sense of optimism that the international community could come together to address the deepest needs and aspirations of the peoples of the world—to advance “human prosperity in the fullest sense of the term,” as described in a statement released by the Bahá’í International Community on that occasion.

The Summit’s outcome document highlighted the critical importance of social integration, alongside poverty eradication and productive employment, in fostering social development. In doing so, it drew attention to a key reality of the contemporary world: that the roots of numerous global challenges lie in how human beings view, value, respond to, and relate to one another. The Bahá’í International Community therefore welcomes the priority theme of this year’s Commission for Social Development, including its focus on “strengthening solidarity, social inclusion and social cohesion.” 

Vital as it is, social inclusion has long been recognized as one of the less clearly defined elements of the social development agenda. An essential need before the international community, then, is to deepen understanding of the process by which the relationships underlying the social fabric can be strengthened—and how such strengthening can assist a community to measurably improve its material and economic circumstances. 

Deteriorating conditions across the world today are, in many ways, a testament to the fact that the international community has yet to fully implement the commitments articulated in 1995. As the Second World Summit for Social Development approaches, the international community would therefore do well to look to localities where communities are becoming more resilient, safer, more cohesive, and healthier, to draw lessons about how such conditions can be fostered. Some thoughts on such a process of social transformation are offered below, drawing from experiences of Bahá’í communities around the world. 

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Communities can and do, through their own efforts, grow more cohesive and inclusive. But the types of societies we seek do not come about merely as a natural consequence of expanded access to material resources. Were this the case, the world’s wealthiest nations would be models of equality, justice, sustainability, and social cohesion. Rather, such qualities must, themselves, be actively nurtured and prioritized. This has been consistently made evident in the grassroots experiences of the worldwide Bahá’í community. Experience also bears out the assertion of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, made some 30 years ago, that “our societies must respond more effectively to … material and spiritual needs.” 

Bahá’í communities around the world are striving to learn about how these two needs—one more concrete, the other less tangible—can be addressed in tandem and in support of one another. The experience of one grassroots Bahá’í-inspired development organization is illustrative in this regard. Devoted to the advancement of rural women, this organization initially provided a variety of services that might be described as relatively conventional in development circles: arts and handicraft training, instruction in environmental and agricultural skills, literacy and numeracy education, and technical training in solar-powered cooking, food dehydration, and water purification. 

The training equipped participants with skills that were undeniably helpful. When participants returned to their home villages, however, an unforeseen tendency emerged. When not understood within a wider context of contribution to the common good, the acquisition of such technical skills and resources often fomented competition—among participants of the program themselves, and between those participants and others in the village. Disagreements and hard feelings arose over who had access to which new technologies, whose handicrafts were more or less sophisticated, who was more or less confident in reading and arithmetic. 

Training offered through a skills-only approach proved prone to inadvertently fostering resentment, division, and assumptions of superiority, instead of solidarity, inclusion, and cohesion. Realizing this, organizers adjusted the program to augment technical and academic training with a robust exploration of spiritual and moral principles: for example, that truthfulness is a vital foundation for healthy social interaction; that collective prosperity can be advanced through justice and generosity, collaboration and mutual assistance; and that prejudice of any kind blights the progress of humankind. Experience has repeatedly shown that as such principles increasingly permeate interactions among individuals, communities not only become more integrated, they also enjoy greater and greater capacity to advance their own social and economic development aims. 

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Linkages between the moral principles mentioned above and the aims of social development become clearer as larger proportions of a population begin working to apply such ideals through practical acts of service to others and to society. Bahá’í efforts in this regard have focused on a decentralized, worldwide process of training, education, and empowerment that tends to the moral development of children and young adolescents, and allows increasing numbers of youth and adults to explore the application of ethical and spiritual principles to daily life and to the challenges facing society. 

This process has assisted hundreds of thousands of individuals to form and sustain a variety of community-building efforts in their local settings, welcoming the participation, at any given time, of some two million of their neighbors, friends, family members, and co-workers. The scale of this pattern of activity, as expressed at the local level, naturally varies from location to location. But a few areas have developed the capacity to sustain over 5,000 of these community-building activities in a relatively small geographic area, touching the lives of over 20,000 of their fellow community members. Places that can maintain such a pattern of activity offer a window into the many ways that solidarity, inclusion, and cohesion can find tangible expression within a given community.

Youth and older generations, for example, develop new and more collaborative patterns of interaction. Capacity for constructive dialogue grows and new spaces for purposeful consultation emerge. Lively conversations proliferate among parents regarding aspirations for their children. Expressions of the equality of women and men become more pronounced. A sense of duty toward the physical environment becomes prevalent. Even the numerous forms of prejudice that plague every society begin to give way to growing bonds of unity. 

These are not mere hopes or ideals, but concrete outcomes being documented in a growing number of neighborhoods and villages, in virtually every country of the world. Their emergence serves as an assurance that meaningful transformation is possible and can be consciously advanced. It also stands as a summons for the work of advancing solidarity, inclusion, and cohesion to be furthered in many more places. This includes through the efforts of those at the national and international levels, who can play important roles in removing obstacles and establishing policies and conditions conducive to social development of this kind. 

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As preparations for the Second World Summit for Social Development accelerate, it is increasingly recognized that human prosperity is determined as much by social, moral, and relational factors as by technological, material, and financial ones. Growing numbers look to their societies and, in addition to material hardships, they see standards of basic decency waning and capacity for good-faith dialogue ebbing. They see leaders and institutions of all kinds discredited by corruption and inadequacy. They see standards of right and wrong, truth and falsehood increasingly dismissed as irrelevant in favor of the pursuit of self-interest and the struggle for power. And, consequently, many are coming to feel that meaningful social development is ultimately impossible without the cultivation of trustworthiness and honesty, generosity and camaraderie, cooperation and a sense of responsibility for the collective well-being. 

Qualities such as these are building blocks of a stable and flourishing social order. They have proven vital to the task of creating vibrant communities that can more effectively deliver on the high promises of social development. How new patterns of interaction that reflect these qualities can be built—in the family, the neighborhood, the village, the school, the workplace, the municipality—must therefore become a key focus of development actors at all levels in the coming years. For when we see communities beginning to exhibit the patterns of collective life outlined above, we see communities on the path toward achieving the highest aims of the social development agenda.

1.  The Prosperity of Humankind, https://www.bahai.org/library/other-literature/official-statements-comme...

2. Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassem....

3. See For the Betterment of the World: The Worldwide Bahá’í Community’s Approach to Social and Economic Development, https://dl.bahai.org/bahai.org/betterment-world-standard-quality.pdf.