The Centrales Villageoises (“Village Centers”, in English) are local companies aiming at developing renewable and sustainable energies in rural and mountain territories in France by involving citizens, local communities and businesses.

In the Aveyron river basin (France), the low-lying, fertile lands are usually used for monocultures, and the higher, less fertile areas for livestock. Recently, a research project has led to the construction of a scenario in which crop farmers would introduce alfalfa into their rotations, in response to more frequently...

Urgenci, the international network of Local Solidarity Partnerships for Agroecology between producers and consumers (LSPA) and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). As part of the 3-year mutual commitment, the Mediterranean network, including members...

Between November 22 - 25, 2017 Lebanon hosted the 2nd Learning Journey on LSPA: Local Solidarity Partnerships for Agro-ecology between producers and consumers. Around 20 facilitators from 11 Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria) participated and shared their experiences through meetings and site...

"Go for it. Choose the rural alternative. Reclaim the fields!" All around Europe, young urban people with no agricultural background decide to start a farm, often using principles of agroecology and community supported agriculture. Despite the many difficulties these new farmers face, their practices are innovative, viable and sustainable. Representing...

Generational renewal on farms addresses both farm succession and set up. This trend has been researched through a LEADER-funded project with the title “Creation of farming activity by entrepreneurs outside the family framework: specific needs, levers of action, complementarity between the different support tools” implemented in France by the Jeunes...

In the period to 2020, the new CAP will invest about EUR 63 billion1 in France's farming sector and rural areas. Key political priorities have been defined at European level such as: jobs and growth, sustainability, modernisation, innovation and quality. At the same time, France has flexibility to adapt both...

This short video explains the basis of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). It was designed as a trailer and short version of the documentary: A guide to Participatory Guarantee Systems for Organic Agricultureavailable to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbwiC...The video was produced by IFOAM – Organics International with the financial support of the Technical...

  Farmers in Koutiala, a district in Southern Mali grow cereals to feed their families and keep cows for milk and as a form of savings. There, all the arable land is currently under cultivation. During the four months of the rainy season, farmers prioritise the cultivation of cereals over fodder...

EURAF and INRA, the French National Institute of Agronomical Research are very pleased to welcome you in Montpellier for the Third European Agroforestry Conference. Montpellier is the core center in France for Agroforestry Research and demonstration. Both temperate zone and tropical zone agroforestry are targeted by Montpellier researchers. Montpellier is also...

A hazelnut farm in France’s Aquitaine region sought to upgrade and extend its visitor centre to improve access to children and disabled people as well as to provide more facilities. The plan also responded to a rise in overall visitors. The hazelnut farm used EAFRD funding to create an interactive...

Agropolis International associe des institutions de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur de Montpellier et de la région, en partenariat avec les collectivités territoriales, des acteurs du développement économique et de la société civile, et en liaison avec des institutions internationales. Agropolis International est un campus dédié aux sciences « vertes »....

A collection of short examples of initiatives/projects related to new entrants into farming (mostly small scale)

In the Mediterranean, the diversity of production systems and value chains is seen as an asset for sustainability. More than anywhere else, the Mediterranean zone boasts a wide range of sheep and goat farming situations, products and natural resources. This diversity of production systems has provided many different products, shaped...

Scientific assessment and observations from small-scale fisheries highlight the poor state of sea bass stocks, and raise major concerns about the survival of the resources and of the fishers who depend on them.

Nearly 61% of EU young farmers consider the availability of land for purchase and 57% the availability of land for rent as the most difficult challenges they face, often due to issues such as land ownership laws, inheritance rules and land prices, according to a new external report published by...

Genetic diversity in food and agriculture is vital for ensuring high quality food production and for making animal breeds, forests and plants more diverse and better adapted to cope with changing environments, the impacts of climate change (such as drought), and new pests and diseases. To reverse the loss of...

Le levier du développement de l’exploitation : favoriser les plus aptes à maintenir la continuité de l’unité économique qui fera vivre une famille (loi fermage (1946); attribution préférentielle (1938); salaire différé pour l’aide familial (1939)).

Ministers of Agriculture from OECD countries and partner economies around the world will meet at OECD headquarters in Paris on 7-8 April 2016, to discuss Better Policies to Achieve a Productive, Sustainable and Resilient Global Food System. Ministers will explore the new policies needed to achieve this widely shared interest,...

Le projet agro-écologique porte une ambition claire : dépasser les oppositions autour de la question du modèle de croissance de notre agriculture et inscrire l’évolution de notre agriculture et des filières agricoles et agroalimentaires dans un cadre tourné vers l’avenir et adapté aux nombreux défis que nous devons relever. Cette approche...