Family Farming Knowledge Platform

Bäuerliche Erzeugergemeinschaft Schwäbisch Hall w.V. BESH

Type of Organization: Farmers' organization
Areas of work: Small family farmers
Region: Europe and Central Asia
Country: Germany
Description:
The Bäuerliche Erzeugergemeinschaft Schwäbisch Hall is an association of small-scale farmers in southern Germany. It was founded as grass root initiative from 8 Farmers in 1988. One of the aims has been the rescue and protection of the local autochthone swine breed called Swabian-Hall Landrace and built up market patterns. Throughout the years BESH became more and more important to act as an advocate for rural small-scale farmers in southern Germany and other parts of the world. The main aims are manifested in the associations’ statues: a) Promotion of organic and socially compatible production processes in the farming sector. b) Achievement of a fair price for preliminary ecological work that the members provide for their consumers. c) Organization of markets for environmentally- and socially-compatible products d) Promotion of a sound farming structure with better income opportunities for the members. e) Advertisement for farming matters and interests by providing information, maintaining contact and collaborating with consumer and environmental protection organizations. f) Promotion of integrated rural regional development in the Hohenlohe region. As a grass-root organization BESH develops regional producer groups, establishes solidary business in rural areas, applies the fair trade idea for farm products, empowers sustainable development in rural areas, establishes extension services, introduces organic certification, and supports animal welfare as well as environmental friendly agricultural production. The BESH and its Partner ECOLAND (www.ecoland.de )already maintain cooperation with indigenous farmer groups in Kerala/India, Vojvodina/Serbia, Carpats/Romania, Zanzibar/Tanzania, Indonesia and Namibia under the umbrella “SEEDS OF HOPE. In 2016 the BESH received the consultative status with the Economic and Social Committee of the UN. In March 2017 the BESH and its foundation “Haus der Bauern” (House of Farmers, www.hdb-stiftung.com ) organized an international congress “Global peasants rights” with more than 400 participants, mainly farmers from about 50 countries from the whole world in order to support the negotiations concerning the UN “Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas”.