Smart Villages is a relatively new concept within the realm of EU policy making. The emerging concept of Smart Villages refers to rural areas and communities which build on their existing strengths and assets as well as on developing new opportunities. In Smart Villages traditional and new networks and services...

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) recently published a FAQ on the compensatory allowance for areas facing natural constraints. Compensatory allowance for areas facing natural constraints (ANC) is a payment scheme of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which aims to prevent land abandonment. The compensatory allowance for permanent natural handicaps...

The general objective of this event is to enable policy makers, research and technology organisations, the agriculture sector, and investors to share knowledge, expertise and needs to develop Digital Innovation Hubs for agriculture.

Faced with a financial hole of €853 million for organic and mountain areas farming, France’s Agriculture Minister Stéphane Travert decided to review the allocation of funds under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2018-2020. According to the EU Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM EU), consumers have more than...

The newsletter of July and August 2017 includes: Portugal at the core of LIFE’s Atlantic strategy LIFE member from Ireland “Heritage Bill” could pass first phase for official approval Other news from around the EU News from our members Press review

This study explains how threats to soils and soil services are linked to agricultural soil management, how threats can be mitigated, and which barriers complicate this. It highlights trade-offs and synergies that exist between different interests affected by soil management, such as climate change mitigation, water and air quality, biodiversity,...

The AIS 2017 is a joint initiative of a Portuguese consortium, the Portuguese Government, the EIP-AGRI network and the European Network for Rural Development. It will gather around 500 farmers, rural businesses, startups, Rural Development Programmes managing authorities, national rural networks, Horizon 2020 multi-actor projects, LEADER Local Action Groups, advisors...

The second multiannual fisheries plan under the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) would manage the fisheries of demersal species living near the bottom of the sea and accounting for 70% of catches in the North Sea (zones IIa, IIIa and IV). The management approach covers different species and is tailored...

Check Organic is a cloud-based solution which has been designed to enhance the visibility and traceability of organic products. It brings together certification, information and supply chain data. On an online platform, users can visualise their supply chains, track products and be notified when problems may arise. This solution was...

International Congres on Prospect on prescribed Fires

Biodiversity and the natural environment used to be seen as something to be tamed and controlled with little place in modern farming and production systems. However, there are many entrepreneurs now that are using biodiversity and natural areas to create a connection between consumers and the products they buy.

Farmers in France are seeking growth through direct sales, short supply chains and local agriculture, targeting a burgeoning market in local produce. In 2014, a study on French citizens and local consumption found that 75% of people wanted to buy more products from their local area. Short supply chains are reassuring...

Climate change can still be rather abstract for many amongst us. We hear about melting poles, a global increase in hurricane intensity or rising temperatures. For many Europeans this phenomenon does not seem to affect their daily lives. But this is not grasping the full picture. The food you consume...

The Common Agricultural Policy, particularly in its second pillar, contains measures and resources to improve gender equality and women’s access to work and economic activity. The gender equality gap is wider in rural areas than in cities. More and more women are finding empowerment through agriculture. In turn, they guarantee the survival of...

In essence, ‘doing more with less’ is about reducing the pressure on existing resources and avoiding economic and environmental costs associated with excessive resource use. Avoiding over-exploitation can ensure that resources are still available to future generations. At the same time, promoting more efficient resource use can ensure that sustainable...

Trade in agriculture must now also play a central role in implementing many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations in autumn 2015. The SDGs will have a direct and profound effect on trade in agriculture. Agriculture, in turn, will have a key role in...

Teagasc (Ireland) has developed an online benchmarking tool to help Irish farmers identify the areas which need improvement on their farm. Dairy, cattle, sheep, tillage and pig enterprises can use the “eProfit Monitor” to analyse key financial and physical data from their farm and compare this to results from other...

The rural productive and land management sectors generate significant amounts of organic waste in forms such as wood residues (such as bark, hedge trimmings or leaves), manure, food processing waste and agricultural residues (such as straw). These ‘waste’ products have a significant amount of energetic value. New technologies and greater...

The European Parliamentary Research Service has published, in March 2017, a research briefing analyzing the mains drivers of rural poverty and social exclusion in the EU and the European policies and instruments to fight it. The report presents statistics on rural poverty compared to urban poverty. Overall, in the European Union,...

Healthy food and nutrition is a very immediate and personal part of our lives, and it is our agricultural sector that lays the foundation for this. Our agricultural, horticultural, viticultural and forestry sectors are also instrumental in shaping our homeland and landscapes. Food, agriculture and homeland: since time immemorial, these...