By Sarah Pilz
In less than a month, and after two years of absence, Dataharvest — the European Investigative Journalism Conference will return to Mechelen – and to its roots.
What started with the Farmsubsidy project, a cross-border investigation into the EU’s agricultural funds, is now heading to the next stage with the food and water network! Together we want to update the farmsubsidy.org database and find stories that put food and water issues on the European agenda — with this year’s food and water track providing the inspiration.
In seven sessions, investigative journalists, lobby watchers and data experts will talk about their research and findings in the field. We will get into the lobbying strategies of the meat and agribusiness industries and how to track them, speak about the effects of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), worth 387 billion Euro, provide data on water quality in Europe and much more.
There are various investigations into issues around food and water, but they often remain under the radar or in their national realms, even though they affect citizens across Europe. In the face of the climate crisis and the need for all people to have access to clean water and uncontaminated food, it’s time to change this.
For that, we end the food and water track with an open roundtable to brainstorm and connect for European cross-border collaborations. Join us with your ideas, datasets or questions!
Cannot wait until Dataharvest to get inspired? Have a look at what a cross-border investigation by Lighthouse Reports revealed about the corporate influence on the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy — comically presented in the Schuman Show: