This issue of Farming Matters explores innovative ways to demonstrate that agroecology provides critical solutions to the challenges of our time. Agroecology is gaining recognition for its potential to address climate change, biodiversity loss and malnutrition, and many successful examples exist. However, to garner the necessary support in policy and practice,...

El Departamento de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentación (DARP) de la Generalidad de Cataluña efectuó el pasado 5 de agosto, los pagos correspondientes a la campaña 2015 de la ayuda a la ganadería ecológica para un total de 455 expedientes y un importe de € 2.974.529,48. Se atender todas las solicitudes de...

In Italy, an innovative partnership between organic farmers, local governments, catering and hospitality industries have led to the creation of Bio-districts – territorial networks that promote short supply chains, preserve local traditions and resources, and support rural development. We talked to Salvatore Baslie, one of the initiators of the Bio-district...

Eco Ruralis association, together with national and international partners, organized the event “The Right to Food Sovereignty – Public Peasants Consultation”, on 24th of April, in Bucharest, Romania. Through this event, a national process was launched, with the purpose of creating a national peasant strategy for the future of agriculture...

The Asia region’s agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries produce food through an intricate and complex relationship. Better understanding these associations can help scientists and food producers improve food security and nutrition in a region that is expected to lead global population growth in coming decades.

Essa primeira edição reúne uma amostra representativa das Boas Práticas que os serviços de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural desenvolvem em todo o país para a diversidade da agricultura familiar orientadas pela Política Nacional de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (Pnater), instituída pela lei número 12.188 de 11 de janeiro...

Investing in sustainable agrifood value chains in countries surrounding the Mediterranean could be the key to solving a range of socio-economic and environmental problems. At a high-level forum this week in the Albanian capital of Tirana, representatives of Albania and Turkey joined colleagues from Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco,...

‘Connecting Smallholders to Markets’ is the title of policy recommendations negotiated on 8- 9 June 2016 in the Committee on World Food Security, the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform deliberating on issues of food security and nutrition. Work on this extremely important topic has been underway since 2014. It...

Las Kuatras Marias farm is located in San Narcisso village, near Victoria City in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines, where rice monoculture is the main source of income for family farmers in the area. Applying an extensive knowledge of indigenous and organic practices, the farm is strategically structured in distinct components that...

The Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs called for a stronger role of financial instruments in 2014-2020. The European Council subsequently gave a mandate to the European Commission that the programming of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) should be used to significantly increase the overall EU support...

Según la Fao las mujeres rurales son responsables por más de la mitad de la producción de alimentos a nivel mundial, pero en América Latina y el Caribe continúan viviendo en una situación de desigualdad social, económica y política, que se expresa en temas como el acceso al crédito y...

An Open Letter by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food highlighting concern over the Regional Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Plant Varieties by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)The letter highlights concern that the Arusha Protocol is inappropriate for the ARIPO region and the non-transparent...

Based on experience and lessons learned in 2014-15, Africa’s Regional Initiative 2 (RI2) (originally entitled “Integrated Management of Agricultural Landscapes in Africa”) has been revamped for implementation in 2016-17 to sharpen its focus and to make it more programmatic. It takes a food systems approach with two integrated components, namely...

A one-day ENRD seminar to look at the practical opportunities for promoting the Green Economy through the Rural Development Programmes. The event is designed for all those involved in the implementation of the Rural Development Programmes from EU, national, regional and local levels. The aim is to share experiences, provide...

The idea behind the approach of AgriSpin project is that all partners have their own experiences, ideas and approaches which are worth sharing with others. Nobody pretends to know best. A golden standard or silver bullet for stimulating innovations does not exist. Every partner is working in a context that...

On 6 December 2016 the second edition of Organic Innovation Days took place at the Representation of Emilia Romagna Region in Brussels. The event generated a great interest among the researchers, European regions, farmer organisations, companies and policy makers. The day started with a policy panel where Simona Caselli, Minister of...

On 6 December 2016 the second edition of Organic Innovation Days took place at the Representation of Emilia Romagna Region in Brussels. The event generated a great interest among the researchers, European regions, farmer organisations, companies and policy makers. The day started with a policy panel where Simona Caselli, Minister of...

A Unique Sense of Place - the Tarnava Mare area of South-eastern Transylvania is one of the forgotten jewels in Romania's crown. It is one of the Europe's most important natural and cultural landscapes, including some of the finest pristine wildflower rich grasslands – the result of centuries of good...

Only a small number of governments have established meaningful and effective farmer-centred measures for the implementation of access and benefit sharing of genetic resources. One reason is the highly complex nature of the international regulatory system. This special issue of Farming Matters magazine presents practical ways in which access and...

Improved standards for food safety and animal health should make Georgia’s agriculture sector more competitive. That is exactly the objective of a new US$5 million project launched recently by FAO and Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture. The four-year project – financed by the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Austria Development Agency –...