High Nature Value (HNV) farming is a relatively new concept that has been developed since the early 1990s as a policy tool to describe those farming systems in Europe which are of greatest biodiversity value. Instead of focusing only upon the maintenance of rare or endangered species and habitats on...

The Green Gate Organic Farm is the farm operation part of the National Environment Centre (NEC), a vocational education facility part of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute in New South Wales, Australia. The farm was set up in the mid 1990’s. In the process of planning a number of uncertainties were...

Bees and other pollinators are very important for human survival. One third of food produced in the world depends on pollination and bees play the most important role among the pollinators. By pollination, bees contribute to successful agricultural production, to providing food security, and they also assure the nutritional security...

Red H Farm is located in Sebastopol, California on the western coast of the United States of America. Red H Farm is owned and operated by Caitlin Hachmyer, a 32-year old woman. The 0.6 hectare farm exists between two parcels of land. The first, core parcel is 0.3 hectares of...

Although relatively new, Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is attracting increasing interest and attention in various parts of the world including in Central Asia. FAO and other partners have a number of on-going and forthcoming projects which deal with different aspects of the CSA approach. Given the importance of conceiving and...

Organic farms have a higher diversity of plants, insects and animals. Wildlife can find shelter more easily in the clusters of wild plants usually growing on organically managed land. Abundance of native plants comes with benefits for local animals, that are perfectly adapted to live alongside them and this in...

In the Netherlands, a peer review method for farmers arose as an alternative to the biodynamic certification system. By collectively observing and discussing sitespecific challenges, these biodynamic farmers experience first-hand the power of collaboration and drive commitment to sustainability beyond the standards of biodynamic certification.e

The 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) will convene in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 7 to 11 March 2016, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-Based Industry, Malaysia. The conference will focus on the opportunities and challenges in the region and priority areas of...

The co-creation of knowledge about agricultural biodiversity is an essential part of peasant strategies for survival and autonomy. Facing the threats of the industrial model of production and consumption, peasants and social movements are defending agroecology and their dynamic management of agricultural biodiversity. Together with others, they are building collective...

After centuries of deforestation and degradation, during the last 200 years Europe's forests have been recovering to cover some 40 per cent of the EU today. They are currently getting growing attention as a provider of wood for the bioeconomy and for energy generation. But they offer many more services...

CEBU, Philippines - Small food producers in the Philippines will soon take advantage of the over 600 million consumers in the ASEAN region, as the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is currently crafting a program in coordination with key agencies to allow producers...

The Colorado River irrigates 15 percent of the nation’s crops, making Western agriculture an issue that is crucial to the lives and dinner plates of all Americans. Conservation Generation is a new short film by the National Young Farmers Coalition that offers a look into the lives of four young...

Almost a decade after the first Congress, IFOAM EU is celebrating its 10th European Organic Congress in the Netherlands this April 2016. The theme of this year’s Congress is transforming food and farming through organics. We want to look at how organic and agro-ecological approaches can really lead future agri-food...

As protein-rich quinoa becomes a trendy food choice worldwide, one pioneering farmer in remote Kyrgyzstan is reaping the benefits. Azamat Kaseev in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul province harvested his quinoa crop earlier this month. Equipment, training, field testing and more were provided under an FAO project designed to test the feasibility of quinoa...

L’agriculture et le secteur rural jouent un rôle primordial dans le processus de développement des pays à base agricole. Cette fonction ne peut être assurée qu’à l’aide de politiques publiques qui tiennent compte de la diversité et de la complexité des milieux ruraux. Le préalable est donc d’avoir des connaissances...

During the Soviet era, pesticides were habitually overused or misused in efforts to boost food production. Today, large quantities of obsolete and banned pesticides pose a significant threat to people’s health and the environment. Georgia said goodbye to the last of its stocks of old pesticides last month, as a convoy...

On the coffee flavor is actually very Universal Indonesia, he can translate a matter of taste in every country and eventually everyone recognizes that Indonesian coffee is the best.

Current situation in European agriculture has to meet new challenges due to volatile agricultural markets and uncertain political situation in neighbouring countries. Past events have shown various bottlenecks in contemporary food production and trade. In order to provide for global food security, it is necessary to intensify agriculture, boost production,...

For the past half century agricultural innovation has denied a voice to the many groups who work outside the profession of science – farmers, food providers, women and the urban poor. The value of their expertise gained through practical experience must be recognised in the production and validation of knowledge....

Just days before the progressive National Assembly of Venezuela was dissolved, deputies passed a law which lays the foundation for a truly democratic food system. The country has not only banned genetically modified seeds, but set up democratic structures to ensure that seeds cannot be privatized and indigenous knowledge cannot...