Press release
Berlin, October 2, 2024 -Ten years after its founding, the European PeaceBread is returning to its place of origin in Berlin. As part of a ceremony at the Catholic Academy and an ecumenical PeaceBread ceremony at the Chapel of Reconciliation on Bernauer Strasse, the patron of the international project, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, praised the initiative as a living symbol of solidarity, cohesion and peace in Europe.
The celebrations marked the climax of a three-day international conference that brought together around 100 representatives from politics and civil society from 14 Central and Southeastern European partner countries under the theme of “Peace and Agriculture”. Among the participants were the Agriculture ministers from Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Since 2014, the PeaceBread partner countries have been growing seeds from the rye field at the Berlin Wall Memorial, from which a common European PeaceBread is baked. This bread is a symbolic link for the ongoing dialogue on the connection between food security and peace, which is addressed at the annual conferences.
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has given the initiative’s motto – “No agriculture without peace, no peace without agriculture” – a brutal and bitter topicality, explained Anton Blöth, Chairman of PeaceBread e.V., during the event in Berlin. The effects of this conflict on global food security and cohesion in Europe have significantly shaped the network’s recent discussions and meetings.
It is particularly significant, continued Blöth, that Ukraine is now not only thematically integrated, but also as an active part of the network, and that rye from Ukraine has also become part of the common PeaceBread for the first time. This is not only a powerful symbol, but also underlines the development of the project as a bridge-builder between countries that have experienced the common fate of the division of Europe and share the joy of overcoming it, said Dr. Gibfried Schenk, initiator of the project and founding member of FriedensBrot e.V.
In addition to honoring the anniversary, the conference focused specifically on the future of the FriedensBread initiative. In a solemn declaration signed by civil society representatives of the partner countries, not only was an appeal made to European politics and society to work harder for a peaceful Europe, taking sustainable agriculture into account. The willingness to further strengthen cross-border dialogue and to continue to carry the European FriedensBread as a symbol of understanding from country to country was also emphasized.
A central focus of future activities is on the greater involvement of the young generation from agriculture and the rural regions of the partner countries. In cooperation with educational institutions, special formats, the so-called “Sourdough Camps”, are to be launched. These are intended to offer young people a space to exchange ideas on the topics of peace, agriculture and Europe and to work together on solutions. The first of these camps is planned for the next international conference in Hungary, which is why this year’s Peace Bread was handed over to the Hungarian representatives by Federal Minister Cem Özdemir as a symbolic baton.