This paper sets out to clarify the factors in soil erosion and soil conservation. The Czech Republic struggles with soil conservation. Shifts in the rural economy, the loss of good-quality agricultural soil to urbanisation, and sub-optimal land management leading to erosion are at issue. Here, we apply quantitative and qualitative...

EU Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Development Phil Hogan stated that his top priority in the ongoing EU budget negotiation is "protecting the small and medium sized farmer who remains the backbone of Europe's food production and rural communities".

Farm holidays, or agritourism for short, have been experiencing a significant increase in overnight stays for years. At the same time, it is more and more developing into a high-quality holiday offer. The striving for ever more demanding customers is to be seen quite sceptically. All too touristic structures endanger...

France has promised to phase out glyphosate at a quicker rate than the EU. However, successive “Ecophyto plans” have not produced any results and meanwhile, the use of phytosanitary products continues to grow.

News and meeting about he Common Agricultural Policy post 2020.

The EU AgriResearch Conference is dedicated to scientists, farmers, rural communities, industry, advisors, policy-makers, citizens and NGO representatives who wish to learn about EU agriculture and rural R&I activities and achievements and to have their say on how to shape the future of agriculture R&I after 2020. The conference will...

The recently published study on Young People and Family Farming stresses the need to prioritize youth in the political agenda by strengthening a comprehensive approach at the institutional level tailored to the needs and demands of rural youth. This study has been carried out by the IYFF+ 10 World Coordination...

It is time to better preserve and valorise mountain cultural heritage and to turn it into a driving force for future development, to revitalise mountain areas and strengthen their attractiveness. From 25 to 27 September 2018, nearly 200 mountain stakeholders from all over Europe gathered in Vatra Dornei, Romania, to participate...

This edition of the EU Rural Review focuses on the resource efficiency challenge and examines what the concept of ‘doing more with less’ means for rural development in this regard. The Earth’s natural resources are fundamental to health, well-being and quality of life on the planet. As the global population approaches...

Twenty years of organising by women in Europe’s fisheries have led to important gains, challenges and opportunities. In Europe, fisheries are considered a male activity, as men represent the main labour force on fishing vessels. This stereotype has dominated European society for many decades, despite the fact that several social scientists...

Following the publication last November of the European Commission's Communication on the Future of Food & Farming, the latest EU-wide Eurobarometer survey of public opinion about the common agricultural policy show that just over 60% of respondents believe that the common agricultural policy (CAP) benefits all citizens and not just...

The Portuguese National Rural Network has launched a website dedicated to innovation for agriculture. It highlights innovation in Portugal and, more widely, in Europe that can contribute to more sustainability and productivity in agriculture, forestry and rural areas. The website also includes information on Operational Groups and other innovative projects that...

SIMRA’s fourth brochure collecting examples of social innovation in marginalised rural areas has just been published. This collection of brochures aims at concretely illustrating social innovation through the presentation of local on-going initiatives throughout Europe and the Mediterranean basin, taking turns addressing different marginalized rural areas. This brochure addresses mountain...

  2018 is the year for change and action! As part of the European days of Action, Urgenci joins forces with organizations across Europe to call out to decision makers to support a sustainable transformation of our food systems. During the month of October awareness rising events will take place across...

Dairy farming is currently facing a number of challenges. On the one hand, the products have to meet high environmental standards and animal welfare requirements, on the other hand the market demands cheap products. Kirsten Wosnitza, who runs a farm of 120 dairy cows in Schleswig-Holstein with her husband Gerd...

The 11th OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Rural Development Conference was held in Edinburgh on 9-12 April 2018. Prior to the main conference, a series of interactive sessions, led by the European Network for Rural Development, showcased projects and approaches already launched by rural communities to face 21st...

The EU plans to spend on rural development policy nearly 100 billion euro for the period 2014-2020 through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). An objective of the EU strategic framework for 2014-2020 was to focus more on results. However, efforts to achieve this faced the perennial problem...

The EAFRD holds a budget of €96.4 billion and is available for co-financing rural development projects in the 27 EU Member States. Governed by Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, the EAFRD is focused on three main types of rural development activities. These are: • Improving the competitiveness of agriculture and forestry;...

European tastes are changing and so must farms, therefore we need to support a transition away from industrial animal farming

In the context of the recent recolonization of many European areas by large carnivores, the European Parliament has commissioned a study presenting the state of play in EU Member States. The study gathers the most recent data available on large carnivores’ populations in the EU’s Member States, evaluates the impact...