On April 6th, 2017, Euromontana’s team and members of the South-West Europe Circular Economy Group visited Alzen, a village in the Pyrenées Ariégeoises, in the south-west of France. Alzen has managed to become an attractive destination for new inhabitants, including young people. Indeed, in 40 years, Alzen quadrupled its population....

On February 24, 2017, Elisabetta Parravicini, Vice-President of Euromontana and President of member organization ERSAF (Ente Regionale per i Servizi all’Agricoltura e alle Foreste), presented Euromontana’s work and future objectives at a meeting on Italian mountains as driving forces for development. Elisabetta Parravicini began by recounting the history and outlining...

Around the year 2010, the research field of “transition studies” was gaining increasing attention and was developing into a true research community with the advent of the “Sustainability Transitions Research Network” (STRN), the organisation of annual international sustainability transition (IST) conferences, and the launch of a scientific journal, named “Environmental...

The Committee of the Regions hosted a conference and a public hearing on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on March 8th, 2017. Agriculture represents 14 million farms and 46 million jobs in the European Union and the CAP is one of the oldest EU policies. Vice-President Timmermans...

The 44 million workers in the EU’s food chain are vital to ensuring European citizens have access to sufficient quantities of high-quality food. From farmers to retailers, the sector is constantly evolving to keep up with the major challenges of the future.

Six months after the Cork 2.0 event and the publication of the Declaration “A better life in rural areas”, Copa and Cogeca (farmers and agri-cooperatives), CEJA (young farmers) and CEPF (forest owners) organised a joint event in Brussels, on March 22nd, 2017. The event, entitled “Cork 2.0 Declaration – Acting...

Large-scale urban agriculture is on the rise globally, with more and more farms appearing in our cities. A far cry from allotments and community gardens, urban farms occupy much bigger spaces; they can employ people, regenerate huge neighbourhoods and give residents access to fresh produce on their doorsteps.

The second newsletter of the SIMRA project has been published! It provides information on SIMRA’s progress after one year of working on the project; on SIMRA’s first stakeholder workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia, in October 2016; and on SIMRA’s first results such as a social innovation definition, the launch of innovative...

A number of organisations made submissions to the CAP consultation, which closed last week. Here we outline three differing ones  – one from public health, one from farming  and one, which we devote more space to, from a platform bringing a number of organisations together in Germany.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) organised a conference on the theme “New economy models and social innovation: an opportunity for a better Europe” on the 23rd of February 2017, in Brussels. As a partner of the SIMRA project (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas), Euromontana attended the conference...

Within the framework of the Slow Fish initiatives, on the 21st of May the Low Impact Fishers of Europe held a workshop addressed to the stakeholders of the sector to discuss together the policy needed in the EU for small scale fishers and to better inform the future work to be...

FAO has issued a set of calls for expression of interest for internship positions, specifically encouraging applicants from the Global South and Indigenous Peoples.

One of the main objectives of SIMRA is creating collaborative and learning opportunities where local stakeholders (communities, researchers, businesses) could work together towards the realization of social innovation initiatives, which could leave a lasting legacy in the area where they are promoted. These initiatives in SIMRA are named Innovation Actions...

Avec 7 emplois induits par exploitation, l'agriculture est un secteur économique majeur en France. Elle contribue à l'économie nationale, mais aussi au maintien d'un tissu économique local sur l'ensemble des territoires. Pourtant, trop souvent, les actions politiques dans le domaine agricole ont manqué d'un cap clairement défini et clairement affiché....

The Roundtable will focus on new features and innovations included in the new World Programme for Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020). Additionally, the meeting aims to disseminate among the selected member countries of FAO the new WCA 2020 which will cover the period 2016-2025. The Roundtable is part of...

Human migration has occurred throughout history and everywhere on the planet. The old continent has constantly witnessed major migratory flows. However, the current plethora of people, routes, motives and countries of origin, poses new challenges and a need to seek strategies to address these displacements.

Five panelists explored the current state of land concentration in Europe, identifying the serious barriers to access to land which are preventing young and small farmers from accessing land, or retaining access to their land. There was consensus amongst most panelists on the importance of preserving small-scale farming in Europe...

With food demand and water scarcity on the uptick, it's time to stop treating wastewater like garbage and instead manage it as a resource that can be used to grow crops and help address water scarcity in agriculture. Properly managed, wastewater can be used safely to support crop production — directly...

The aim of this study was to gather information on current animal welfare practices in European aquaculture as regards the transport and slaughter of farmed fish, and to analyse the extent that fish welfare issues remain unresolved. The costs of adhering to good welfare practices, the economic situation, effects on...

Overview of FAO’s work in Europe and Central Asia – especially the Western Balkans, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Produced by Visiontime International LLC for the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.