Kuwait PM holds talks with European Council chief 3
KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah discussed Kuwait’s “distinguished relations” with the European Union in a phone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel yesterday. The two officials also reviewed aspects of the growing cooperation between the two sides under various fields and means of coordination and exchanged views on current regional and international developments. During the talks, the European Council chief expressed his appreciation for the active role of Kuwait in strengthening the bonds of cooperation with the European Union and its shared pursuit of global peace.
Meanwhile, His Highness the Prime Minister praised the two sides’ distinguished level of cooperation in the aim of achieving their interests, particularly regarding the coronavirus pandemic. He said he deeply appreciates the role played by the European Union in supporting just Arab causes and its keenness to promote stability in the Arab Gulf region.
The prime minister went on to express Kuwait’s solidarity alongside the European Union in facing the terrorist attacks that some European countries were victim to recently. He also stressed Kuwait’s firm opposition to all forms of extremism and terrorism and its support for various global efforts to eliminate this phenomenon that threatens the stability and capabilities of nations. – KUNA
Opening his speech at the Colloquium on Science Diplomacy on Monday, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, thanked the Lincean Academy in Rome for organizing the invitation.
Speaking on the theme “Fraternity, integral ecology and Covid-19: The contribution of diplomacy and science”, Archbishop Gallagher spoke of the “test” that Covid-19 has been to the whole of humanity.
Describing it as an “epochal crisis”, the coronavirus, he said, has “exposed the radical vulnerability of everyone and everything”, raising numerous doubts and concerns and causing our securities to “collapse”. Suddenly, he said, “we find ourselves weak and full of fear”.
“We live in an era full of contradictions” continued Archbishop Gallagher. “If, on the one hand, we are witnessing unprecedented progress in various scientific fields, on the other hand, the world is facing multiple humanitarian crises in different areas of the planet, each of which are strongly interrelated.”
He then went on to mention four crises that the coronavirus has brought to life. The first was the “health crisis” and the repercussions that it will have on all aspects of life: “economy, politics, nutrition and access to food.“
A food crisis, he continued, “is already underway.” Archbishop Gallagher explained that the pandemic will “further exacerbate” this crisis by compromising “production, distribution and access to food” both in the long and short terms – “especially for the most vulnerable”. The spectrum of famine, he continued, is “crossing our world once more.”
This final point, he continued, recalls us back to the environmental crisis. “Climate change represents a multitude of threats, with the potential to push part of the world’s population into extreme poverty in the coming years, nullifying the significant progress made in terms of development and that was achieved with great difficulty.”
Continuing, Archbishop Gallagher noted that “to all of this is added the economic and social crisis.”
The pandemic continues to have significant economic repercussions with substantial effects on the labor market. It revealed and amplified many of the vulnerabilities and injustices that were already present.
“The devastating consequences of inequality can no longer be ignored. For millions of workers, no income means no food, no security and no future. The poor, especially those working in the informal sectors, were the first to see their means of survival disappear,” he said.
“The health crisis, food crisis, environmental crisis and socio-economic crisis are all highly interrelated transversal crises, so much so that we can speak of a single and complex socio-health-environmentalcrisis.”
The possibility of starting over
Archbishop Gallagher noted that “the Covid-19 pandemic can, in fact, represent a real moment of conversion and give rise to the possibility of starting over, a second chance.”
This requires a clear vision of what kind of society and economy we want to build, said Archbishop Gallagher. This clear vision cannot fail to call for a careful evaluation and re-proposal of the concept of security. This, however, he continued, does not mean spending money to arm nations, as “weapons and armies will not guarantee greater security.”
“The international community is called upon to adopt forward-looking strategies to promote the goal of peace and stability and avoid shortsighted approaches to national and international security problems.”
Everything is connected
Making reference to Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si’, in which the Holy Father describes everything as being related and connected, Archbishop Gallagher said, “Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.”
Education, continued Archbishop Gallagher, is essential in order to “adopt an integral point of view that favours an intimate knowledge of nature and its processes”. He discussed the importance of “spaces for education and formation.”
“The transforming power of education in integral ecology requires the patience to generate long-term processes, aimed at shaping genuinely sustainable policies and economies which promote quality of life, in favor of all peoples and the planet, especially the disadvantaged and those in situations of greater risk,” he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed problems that already existed for years and that can no longer be avoided. “The world was relentlessly moving towards an economy that, thanks to technological progress, sought to reduce ‘human costs’; there were those who would have had us believe that freedom of the market was sufficient to keep everything secure.”
Contribution of diplomacy and science
Archbishop Gallagher continued explaining that “a new alliance between science and humanism is indispensable.”
He said the two must be integrated and not separated, and should not be opposed to one another. The health and the economic and social development of our community depend on them. Concerning the latter, we need “the development of a global community of fraternity based on the practice of social friendship on the part of peoples and nations calls for a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good. Sadly, politics today often takes forms that hinder progress towards a different world,” he said.
Archbishop Gallagher went on to note that “often, in our technologically advanced world, there is the temptation to seek solutions to problems through science and technology alone.”
“An approach disconnected from the human person cannot reach a solid, just and human solution. It risks being partial, relative and ideological. In recent years, technological development has made it possible to achieve incredible progress for our societies, however it has also led to the belief that technology itself can predict all human activity using only data and algorithms. Instead, in order to face the consequences of the pandemic, I would argue that we must engage in innovative scientific and institutional models based on the sharing of knowledge and cooperation between different disciplines.”
“Life is bigger than science”, he added.
Archbishop Gallagher concluded by quoting Pope Francis: “We never emerge from a crisis just as we were. We come out either better or worse. This is why, at this critical juncture, it is our duty to rethink the future of our common home and our common project. A complex task lies before us, one that requires a frank and coherent dialogue aimed at strengthening multilateralism and cooperation between states. The present crisis has further demonstrated the limits of our self-sufficiency as well as our common vulnerability. It has forced us to think clearly about how we want to emerge from this: either better or worse. The pandemic has shown us that we cannot live without one another, or worse still, pitted against one another. The United Nations was established to bring nations together, to be a bridge between peoples. Let us make good use of this institution in order to transform the challenge that lies before us into an opportunity to build together, once more, the future we all desire”.
Religion becomes redefined for religious organizations as they transition to digital platforms
Many UC Davis religious groups find that students are having trouble adapting to virtual format as participation, faith and morale have decreased
When COVID-19 escalated in March, governors began instating statewide measures focused on restricting public gatherings and exposure. Shutdowns closed a majority of the country, and with them, religious institutions were forced to close too. Nearing the end of the year, certain restrictions have been lifted to allow for religious gatherings to take place under strict safety guidelines.
The Newman Catholic Center, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) are among many religious organizations that were initially banned from having in-person meetings and now have been permitted to host events according to county guidelines. Consequently, they are implementing a hybrid model with most meetings occurring online. Representatives from these organizations described shifts in their procedures as they were forced to pivot online.
According to Vince Nims, the director of the Newman Catholic Center, the organization has adhered to state restrictions as well as the University Religious Council’s COVID-19 guidelines. Nims stated that though county guidelines initially restricted all masses to take place online, overtime there was a shift to outdoor and indoor masses.
“As a student org, the Newman Center is not doing any activities, but as an institution of the Catholic Church we’re still operating, having mass and prayer events,” Nims said.
To allow for greater accessibility of their events, the Newman’s masses and weekly Newman Nights were streamed online through Zoom, according to Nims.
Similarly, Cenna Abboushi, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and the external vice president of MSA, stated that the organization took similar precautions and shifted all meetings online. Currently, the MSA is completely digital and Abboushi stated that the organization has taken several steps to strengthen community bonds.
“We’ve been heavily relying on our Instagram,” Abboushi said. “Doing more interactive videos has been really important for us and advertising a lot on our Facebook and creating event pages.”
With no in-person meetings, the MSA has focused on strengthening their social media presence and producing an interactive online experience. Amidst the pandemic, the organization even created their own TikTok page which, Abboushi said, was used to invigorate involvement and excite the incoming freshman.
Alexander Watson, the treasurer of the JLSA and a second-year UC Davis law student, described similar efforts of redirecting all events to be online. Many were canceled, however, due to their inability to be successfully offered online.
Despite efforts to increase community interaction online, all three representatives mentioned that the digital atmosphere made it difficult to have a united community. Both Abboushi and Watson highlighted that, prior to the pandemic, offering food at meetings served an important purpose in attracting club members.
“Central to a lot of religions, and definitely Judaism, is food, […] but with our student funding we can’t use it on food whatsoever, even if it’s food being sent to people,” Watson said.
Ultimately, fewer incentives and a fully-online interface have led to a decline in participation and decreased morale among students from all three organizations. Moreover, all representatives emphasized that diminished spirits have led many students to face challenges in their faith.
“There have been dramatic changes,” Nims said. “We are really experiencing church in a long distance relationship. It’s harder to communicate. It’s harder to feel. It’s harder to experience. That’s the status. If you asked me, ‘Has there been a deflation of morale and enthusiasm?’ I would say absolutely, because it’s just not the same.”
With religion being heavily practiced online, the community aspect has been completely rewritten for the members of these organizations.
“Not being able to do things the way we usually do is […] spiritually fatiguing,” Nims said.
To counteract this depletion in participation and enthusiasm, the Newman Center will host a COVID-safe friendsgiving with individually-boxed KFC.
In response to similar issues, the MSA is looking to increase interaction with platforms like TikTok, include more speakers and collaborate with varying organizations and schools, Abboushi said.
For the JLSA, the community has turned to Zoom in order to follow the traditional community aspect, yet still follow COVID guidelines.
Though online efforts have made accessibility easier, the overarching issue remains that many students are unable to find sufficient motivation or connection to online religious platforms. All three representatives emphasized that the online system is inadequate at invigorating relationships as students experience disconnection. All anticipate, however, that online streaming will remain ingrained in the religious communities for years to come.
With online meetings becoming normalized, Abboushi said that “motivation is harder, but the access is easier.” Written by: Farrah Ballou — [email protected]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday urged the European Union (EU) to keep its promises to establish closer cooperation.
“We call on the European Union to keep the promises made to our country from full membership to migration, so we can build a closer, more efficient cooperation,” Erdogan told his ruling Justice and Development Party during a virtual meeting, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey applied for membership in the bloc in 1987 and four years ago signed a deal with the EU to manage the flow of migrants to Europe. But the application was suspended as both sides have accused the other of “not properly implementing the refugee agreement.”
Turkey currently hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees, making it the world’s top refugee-hosting country, according to Anadolu.
Erdogan also warned the bloc against becoming a “tool for enmities” in the escalating tensions over the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey’s deployment of a vessel to search for natural gas in Miditerranean waters claimed by Greece has set off a dispute between Ankara and the EU states which early this month extended sanctions against the Middle Eastern country for another year.
“We don’t see ourselves elsewhere but in Europe,” the Turkish leader stressed, adding that he was envisaging building his country’s “future together with Europe.”
He stressed he was hoping to “improve mutual cooperation with the United States.” “We believe that we have a lot of work to do at regional and global level with the US that respects Turkey’s sensitivity to its border security and defense needs,” Erdogan said.
The EU and US have blocked British and Canadian efforts to protect an endangered shark species, angering conservationists.
The shortfin mako shark is also known as “the cheetah of the ocean” because it is the fastest shark species, swimming at up to 43mph, but numbers have collapsed by 99.9 per cent since the 18th century due to overfishing, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The fast-swimming shark, which can jump over 6 metres from the surface of the water, is targeted by sport fishermen as well as for meat and fins. But it is also routinely caught accidentally as boats seek other species.
EU vessels are responsible for the majority of the recorded bycatch, in particular Spain and Portugal, followed by Morocco.
Conservationists were “shocked and distressed that the European Union and the United States – despite long promoting science-based shark conservation – were the main obstacles to the adoption of urgently needed protections for mako sharks at the annual meeting”, according to the Shark League – an umbrella organisation for shark protection.
Scientists at the Shark Trust and at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat), a fisheries management organisation, have warned that the Atlantic population of short-finned mako sharks could take 50 years to begin to recover, even if fishing ceased immediately.
The UK backed a proposed ban on trade of mako sharks, alongside Canada and Senegal, as Iccat scientists advised.
The vote was the UK’s first official Iccat vote as a country independent of the EU, and representatives said they were disappointed no agreement had been reached last year.
But the US and EU argued that the ban would not be enough to prevent bycatch, and voted against the proposal. The lack of consensus means no decision on the rules on mako sharks will be reached until next year.
Ali Hood, director of conservation for the Shark Trust, said: “North Atlantic mako depletion remains among the world’s most pressing shark conservation crises, yet the EU and US put short-term fishing interests above all else and ruined a golden opportunity for agreeing a clear and simple remedy.
“The repeated obstruction of vital, science-based protections allows top mako fishing countries – Spain, Morocco and Portugal – to continue to fish these endangered sharks, essentially without limit, and drive valuable populations toward collapse.”
Sonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International, said: “North Atlantic mako depletion is among the world’s most pressing shark conservation crises.
“A clear and simple remedy was within reach. Yet the EU and US put short-term fishing interests above all else and ruined a golden opportunity for real progress. It’s truly disheartening and awful.”
Zac Goldsmith, the international environment minister, told The Telegraph: “We are pushing for stricter protections for mako sharks, and I’m disappointed there isn’t a consensus on this issue. The UK has co-sponsored a proposal for a ban on landing these important endangered species at the current Iccat annual meeting.
“As a newly independent nation, now able to speak in these global forums in our own right, we will continue to make the case for greater protection of endangered species – on land and in the ocean.”
Iccat parties plan to hold a special intercessional meeting next year to continue mako talks, the Shark League said.
The Multipurpose Adolescent Centre is a new initiative by Caritas Bangladesh, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the US-based Catholic Relief Service (CRS) for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
It aims to help the psychological development of children, provide counselling and skill development to adolescents, care for expectant mothers, childcare and care for children with special needs, according to UCA News.
The project, launched after a workshop in Cox’s Bazar on November 15, will run until April 2021, covering children aged 12-18. If needs be, the initiative could be extended, officials said.
Staff from Caritas emergency response programme (ERP), representatives from JRS and CRS and officials from the state-run Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission participated in the evaluation of work in 2020 and formulated a strategic plan for 2021.
The work of the Multipurpose Adolescent Centre is not an easy one, given the problems of hygiene and social distancing in the extremely overcrowded conditions in the refugee camps.
Bangladesh on Monday registered 28 more deaths, taking the total to 6,419, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 2,419 new cases of the virus were confirmed on Monday, bringing the total to more than 449,000.
The Rohingya are a largely Muslim ethnic group that mostly lives in Western Myanmar’s Rakhine state bordering Bangladesh. Buddhist-majority Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though they have lived in the country for generations.
Denied citizenship under a nationality law passed by the government’s military regime in 1982, they are virtually stateless and are denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. The Rohingya were the targets of intercommunal violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people from their homes to displacement camps, where most remain.
More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since a brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s military in 2017, bringing the total number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to some 1.3 million. They are mostly sheltered in about 30 refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in southeast Bangladesh.
Caritas
Caritas has been active in the Rohingya refugee camps since 2017. With funding from Catholic agencies across the globe, Caritas has reached out to 146,819 refugees, as well as 8,641 host community members with aid including food, non-food items, water and sanitation in the past years.
Inmanuel Chayan Biswas, head of operations of Caritas ERP, said that JRS funding for the project was mainly for protection sectors, whereas CRS provides support for disaster risk reduction, shelter and protection. In addition, CRS also provides technical and advisory support.
He said JRS and CRS are funding and support for mental health and skill development. The two donor agencies are also providing technical support and advice to Caritas Bangladesh, Biswas told UCA News.
Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the president of Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of 165 national Catholic relief and development agencies, visited some of the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar in December 2018 and in July 2019.
JRS
JRS, which celebrated its 40th founding anniversary on November 14, started working among Rohingya refugees in April 2018.
Bangladeshi Jesuit priest, Father Jerry Gomes, JRS representative in the country, told UCA News that JRS funds 11 child-friendly spaces that already reached about 4,000 beneficiaries with basic education. In the past three years, JRS provided funds worth US$ 2.5 million.
He explained that JRS has been working in Bangladesh through Caritas, maintaining government rules and regulations. He pointed out that many governments have restrictions, especially in the education sector.
“If Bangladesh allows formal education for refugee children, we will be happy to help,” Father Gomes said. (Source: UCANews)
FILE PHOTO: Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa speaks to the media outside European Commission building after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels, Belgium, October 15, 2020. Olivier Hoslet/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
LISBON (Reuters) – Rebuilding European industry and making it less reliant on China and other nations should be a priority after the coronavirus pandemic but the EU should avoid protectionist policies, Portugal’s prime minister said on Monday.
The pandemic has exposed how dependent the European Union has become on China and other countries for essential goods and this makes supply chains more vulnerable to the risk of disruption, Antonio Costa said.
“Europe cannot be totally dependent on essential goods produced outside,” Costa said during an event to outline the main priorities of Portugal’s six-month EU presidency, which starts on Jan. 1. “This is something the COVID-19 crisis has clearly turned into a priority.”
But Costa also warned against a “protectionist vision of Europe or a rupture of global trade” and said it was not a question of creating a few big dominant firms but of devising a “more agile competition policy”.
Part of the strategy should be to develop networks of different firms working on a European scale, he said, adding that the EU could only benefit from decentralising innovation and production chains.
A new European Central Bank report on Monday showed that euro zone firms are increasingly vulnerable amid a pandemic-induced recession, though public support, including cheap ECB cash, have so far limited the damage.
Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; Editing by Catarina Demony and Gareth Jones
“Caritas is part of the Church’s mission, the mission of love. It is not right for Caritas to be taken as an NGO.” These were the words of Archbishop Jude Thadeaus Ruwai’chi of Dar es Salaam, during the opening of the recent General Meeting of Caritas Tanzania.
Archbishop Ruwai’chi, who is also the Chairman of Caritas Tanzania, stressed that ‘Caritas’, which means ‘love’, has its meaning in the main goal of the Church, which is “to provide services to the needy especially the poor and to provide answers to questions caused by various disasters.” Bearing this in mind, every member should contribute towards helping it fulfill its mission in the dioceses as well as at the national level.
The meeting, held at the Tanzania Episcopal Conference’s Kurasini Center in Dar es Salaam, saw directors of Caritas from the dioceses and from the national level in attendance.
Archbishop Ruwai’chi noted that transforming Caritas into a non-governmental organization “is to enter into an unsatisfactory world, which contradicts the vision and goals of the Church.”
He pointed out that some people look at Caritas as a disaster management tool for writing projects to raise donor money to help the poor. But, as a Church, it must “recognize the existence of opportunities and responsibilities” and build an understanding that every baptized person has a responsibility to help, including the poor.
Urging Caritas to strategize on how to respond to the questions of disaster and poverty in the community, he encouraged the meeting’s participants to “plan carefully with the scope that satisfies the presence of the Church through Caritas.” At the same time, the Archbishop called for Caritas “not to be a disaster survivor, but to find ways to cope with crisis even under the most extreme circumstances.”
“When Covid-19 emerged in our dioceses, what answers did we give? How much were we involved? How much were we responsible?” Archbishop Ruwai’chi asked the meeting’s delegates, stressing that since Caritas has a unique mission of love and compassion, it must “seek answers in time” when tragedies arise.
Caritas not part of NGO culture
Deputy Secretary-General of the Tanzanian Episcopal Conference, Fr. Daniel Dulle also underscored Caritas’ responsibility to put in place sustainable strategies to help the poor.
“Do not be part of the NGO culture which is to be happy about the poverty of other people,” he warned the delegates, adding that Caritas should “rather provide sustainable assistance that will free the poor from poverty.”
Fr. Dulle further stressed that Caritas should not do its job in a spirit of competition as NGOs do. Instead, the implementation of Caritas’ responsibilities must be in line with the “Church’s mission to “serve the person physically and spiritually” especially through peacebuilding and the provision of humanitarian assistance to victims of various disasters.
Closing the meeting, Archbishop Ruwai’chi called on Caritas Tanzania to plan and develop strategies that focus on productive performance.
We all know how the pandemic has disrupted the lives and businesses of millions of EU citizens and we cannot see with absolute clarity how and when we will be out of this crisis.
At the European Union level, the efforts to mitigate its devastating impact have been intensive, comprehensive and robust. A number of radical and creative decisions have been taken and as we saw just a few days ago, Malta has already received EUR 120 million as part of the EU Sure programme, intended to help subsidise the salaries of workers hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. And it will receive a similar amount shortly as well.
But this is just a foretaste of what was meant to come to Malta from the EU. As part of the Covid-19 Recovery Plan and the EU long-term-budget, an extra €2 billion were allocated to Malta for the next seven years. First Vice President Roberta Metsola and Quaestor David Casa, together with their EPP Group MEP colleagues, fought tooth and nail over the past months, for this generous level of funding. This is indeed good news for small businesses, citizens, students, farmers, researchers and many others.
The bad news is that a few days ago the Polish and the Hungarian governments have blocked these EU funds from being released to the people that need it most. Those who have found themselves gasping for air precariously, under the heavy yoke of the pandemic.
We, as EPP Group, made sure that the EU-seven-year-budget is based on an effective, expert-driven mechanism that ensures the respect for the rule of law is made a precondition for receiving EU payouts. What this means is that countries which do not respect this EU core principle of the rule of law, particularly in relation to the independence of justice and the freedom of the media, would not receive EU payouts. This policy mechanism, is a non-political process that applies equally to all countries. Yet, Hungary and Poland object to it and we cannot understand why.
This rule of law mechanism is not about one specific country or about East and West. It is neutral and it applies to all. If you respect the rule of law there is nothing to be scared about. Denying the whole European continent crisis funding, in the worst crisis since decades is incomprehensible.
And let us be clear. Independent judiciaries and free media are the corner stones of our democracies and our freedom. We will not compromise on that and European citizens are behind us.
According to the latest poll carried out for the European Parliament, a stunning 80 percent of Europeans believe that sticking to democratic principles must be a precondition for receiving EU money. We will not let these people down. We will not give in and we will not give up.
The EU is not a cash machine
Every member state which wants to receive EU money must stick to the basic principles of democracy and the rule of law. The EU is not a cash machine but a union of values. That is why we made sure that the EU’s long-term budget is based on an effective mechanism that ensures the respect for the rule of law as a precondition for receiving EU funds.
The new mechanism defines clear timelines for decisions and will allow for a more effective defence of the values that are laid down in our treaties. As such, it will complement the current lengthy mechanism (the so called Article 7 procedure), under which European leaders have refused to take any action in the past.
Under the agreed mechanism, EU funding will be stopped not only when the rule of law has already been breached, but also in cases where there is a serious risk of this still happening. For example, when the independence of national courts is undermined, there is a clear future risk that judges may take arbitrary decisions or disregard cases of corruption and fraud.
The EU cannot continue using double standards; demanding high democratic standards from candidates countries which seek to join the EU and at the same time letting EU governments slip back to authoritarian tendencies, without batting an eye lid.
This is not acceptable for us and we won’t cave in. Our people deserve better.
Manfred Weber is leader of the European People’s Party, Bernard Grech is leader of the Nationalist Party in Malta.
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As the early morning mist clears to reveal the turrets of San Quirico Castle in central Italy, the greenery surrounding local farmhouses comes alive with sound: Red-bellied woodpeckers chirp and bright-green tree frogs call to each other among the cypress and beech trees.
But walk a little further towards the fields of young hazelnut plantations and there is suddenly silence: the birds and insects have been driven away by the monoculture. Seemingly never-ending lines of saplings are now the defining feature of Alfina plateau which lies a few hundred meters above sea level. Until recently, much of this area was composed of wildflower fields and a patchwork of different crops.
“Six or seven years ago this place looked completely different,” Gabriele Antoniella said. He works as a researcher and activist with Comitato Quattro Strade, a conservation organization in Alfina. Antoniella estimates there are around 300 hectares (741 acres) of new plantations in the area, mostly owned by a few large investors.
The plateau sits in the northern section of Tuscia, a historical region in Viterbo province and the heart of Italy’s hazelnut production. Around 43% of the agricultural land in Viterbo is reserved for hazelnut orchards, the bulk of which goes to the confectionary industry for use in products such as nougat and chocolate.
Local environmentalists say once many of the saplings grow, beloved views will also be obscured
Monocultures are believed to be damaging the air, soil and water
The nuts have been grown for thousands of years in the southern part of Tuscia and have largely sustained its economy since production ramped up in the 1960s. But the intensification of monoculture practices and their expansion into new areas such as the Alfina plateau is an increasing concern for environmentalists.
Several diverse cropshave been replaced by hazelnut plantations, and hedgerows have been cleared to minimize the presence of insects. As the nuts are harvested once they fall, the ground beneath the trees is also usually kept completely free of vegetation.
“For us the hazelnut represents a great resource, but it’s cultivated in an unsustainable way,” said Famiano Cruciarelli, president of the Biodistretto della Via Amerina e delle Forre, an environmental organization in southern Tuscia. “Hazelnut monoculture has caused problems with water, soil, and air.”
The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides treatments, he says, is making the soil increasingly arid, which in turn has led to its erosion in some places. And during harvest season, clouds of dust are kicked up into the air by the heavy machinery. “That dust is full of chemicals, which are a big problem for people’s health,” he said.
One of the most glaring examples of environmental degradation can be seen in a nearby volcanic lake encircled by decades-old hazelnut plantations.
“Large quantities of fertilizers have been used in the intensive hazelnut cultivation, and they have ended up in Lake Vico,” explains Giuseppe Nascetti, a professor at the Tuscia University who has been studying the lake for over 25 years. This has caused the proliferation of so-called “red-algae,” which produce carcinogenic chemicals harmful to environmental and human health.
Famiano Crucianelli says monoculture has made the soil increasingly arid
High-levels of fertilizers have been found in Vico Lake, a body of water surrounded by decades-old hazelnut plantations
Expansion of the industry
While the transformation towards monoculture has been underway for decades, environmentalists say the growing demand for hazelnuts from big companies and investors has further fueled this shift.
Italian manufacturer Ferrero Group, which makes the chocolate and hazelnut spread Nutella, doesn’t own or run any farms in the region but is one of the biggest consumers of the nuts produced in Tuscia.
In 2018, the company launched its Progetto Nocciola Italia plan which aims — in cooperation with farming associations — to increase hazelnut plantations across Italy by 20,000 hectares by 2026. In Lazio — a region that includes Alfina plateau — the company is also working with local producers through a farming association in Lazio to develop 500 hectares for the crop over a five-year period. According to Ferrero’s figures, 17,708 hectares are currently devoted to hazelnut cultivation in Viterbo, and 80,000 across Italy.
A Ferrero spokesperson said it was a company objective to integrate hazelnut shrubs with existing crops — and that organic production is neither an obligation nor prohibited.
They add the company is also working in collaboration with researchers including those at Tuscia University to “gain a better understanding of its environmental impact” and “enhance sustainability in hazelnut cultivation.”
A large amount of the hazelnuts grown in the region end up in chocolate bars and spread
Sustainable, organic agriculture
Yet as local farmer Anselmo Filesi has discovered, choosing a sustainable path isn’t without its challenges.
In 2002, concerned about the environmental and health impacts of using pesticides, he converted his small 20-hectare hazelnut plantation in southern Tuscia to organic methods.
But it came at a cost. Filesi says he was no longer able to sell his products to the world’s biggest buyers: Most confectionary multinationals require hazelnuts with little damage from shield bugs — a common pest which can cause shriveled kernels and a slightly bitter taste.
“This is very difficult to achieve with organic methods,” Filesi said. “If the hazelnuts are not perfect the market will not accept them.”
Filesi shells, toasts and packages his own produce before selling it directly to local shops and supermarkets. But he says it’s harder for bigger farmers — which usually sell pre-processed nuts in bulk – to make the switch as they fear losing their biggest buyers.
The rush to invest in hazelnut plantations in the area is also increasing land prices, says Filesi, making it harder for small farmers like him to buy or rent land.
“Converting all hazelnut plantations to organic ones could be one way forward, but there is no incentive to do so,” said Professor Nascetti, citing a lack of commitment from big companies to pay good prices for organic produce. “Until sustainability is put before profit … it’s unlikely this will happen.”
“People do not imagine that behind a jar of hazelnut [spread] there is an environmental and social economic catastrophe,” Antoniella said. By staging protests against intensive agriculture, encouraging smallholder farmers to turn to organic farming and not to sell their land, activists hope to foster a new relationship between locals and the land.
“We are not against hazelnuts, but against these agro-industrial methods that don’t respect our land,” Antoniella said. “We want to show that things can be done differently, that agriculture can be based on respect for the environment.”
He glances at the endless lines of saplings and explains that once the trees grow, the striking view of San Quirico castle perched on a hill in the background will be obscured. “The landscape will change forever.”
Europe’s crops of the future?
Wine from the north
As northern regions warm, winegrowers have moved into places like Denmark and the UK, among them Ryedale Vineyards in England. The EU-funded VISCA app, now being tested in Spain, Italy and Portugal, aims to help vineyards that are starting to feel the effects of a warming climate. Adaption strategies include precise irrigation, drought-resistant grapes and pruning techniques that influence growth.
Europe’s crops of the future?
Sorghum revival
Sorghum, a hot weather grain, has been cultivated in Europe since just after World War II, primarily as animal fodder. But with increasing droughts it has started to see a resurgence in countries like France, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria. A staple in Africa, sorghum uses 30% less water than corn and can produce grains even in high temperatures. The EU has been promoting the plant since 2017.
Europe’s crops of the future?
Adapting olives
Europe’s olive oil industry, led by Spain, Italy and Greece, produces about three-quarters of global supply. But drought, erratic weather like hail, as well as warm-weather pests and diseases have become detrimental. 2018 was a particularly bad year: Italy’s production dropped 57%. Improved irrigation techniques, selective pruning and a gradual northward shift could help olive groves adapt.
Europe’s crops of the future?
Trying out pistachios
Some farmers in Spain and Italy have begun cultivating pistachios, drought-resistant nut trees which are suited to arid areas with lots of sun. Today, most of the world’s pistachios are grown in Iran and California, but other parts of southern Europe share the same ideal conditions: cold winters, very hot summers and late frosts.
Europe’s crops of the future?
Putting papaya first
Other alternatives for farmers in southern Europe are tropical fruits, including mango, avocado, lychee and papaya. Recent years have seen an exponential growth of such crops in southern Italy. They’ve begun to edge out citrus fruits, which are no longer the moneymakers they once were. Milder winters have been beneficial, but water shortages in the summer months remain a challenge.
