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generating added value from diverSityI strongly believe that this diversity is a benefit that public policies must acknowl- edge and take into account. This is what we aimed for during the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): One of the reform’s underlying principles is that in a European Union with 28 member states, diversity is a reality that we should make the most of. A union of 28 member states cannot have a one-size- fits-all approach; the challenge is to use the CAP tools to fulfill the agricultural potential of each area or region, and to turn diversity into an asset, so that every different type of agriculture is recognized in itself and for itself.In addition to diversity, another feature of European agriculture is that it centers around the family. Family farming shapes our agriculture from an economic as well as a social perspective. The structure of European agriculture has been guid- ed by the concept of family farming for centuries, and still is today. In Europe, a55© Paolo andrEa monTanaro