Dear friends, members, partners and supporters of the association FriedensBrot e.V. and the international network “Peace and Agriculture”,
with our partners from Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, we are united by the common history of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain in Europe.
“Peace and Agriculture” is therefore our topic. To this end, since 2014 we have held annual conferences and a festive ceremony in one of our partner countries with the baking of our common PeaceBread. The bread is baked from rye, which comes from the former death strip on the Berlin Wall and from historically significant memorial sites in all partner countries.
On the agenda of the events is the special role that agriculture plays for food security and thus for peace. We share our experiences, promote understanding and develop common ideas.
We say “Agriculture needs peace – peace requires memory – memory creates values”. This is more important than ever. Because since February 24, 2022 we have been at war in Europe. The world has changed! New walls that were believed to be overcome are opening up.
We condemn the war against Ukraine and express our deepest solidarity to the Ukrainian people! Ukrainians are defending not only their country, but also our democracy.
Wir machen weiter. Wir treffen uns in diesem Jahr in Slowenien. Viel gibt es zu besprechen: Wie wir unter Corona-Bedingungen gemeinsam unser Netzwerk in die Zukunft tragen. Vor allem aber, was Politik, Wirtschaft und Zivilgesellschaft zur Wiederherstellung einer stabilen Friedensordnung in Europa beitragen können.
We continue. We meet in Slovenia this year. There is a lot to talk about: How we can jointly carry our network into the future under Corona conditions. Above all, however, what politics, business and civil society can contribute to restoring a stable peace order in Europe.
We look forward to seeing you again, dear friends!
Anton Blöth
Chairman
FriedensBrot e.V.
Dr. Gibfried Schenk
Managing director
FriedensBrot e.V.