Most of southern and western Europe is affected by substantial anomalies of soil moisture and river flow due to an exceptionally dry and warm winter. The snow water equivalent in the Alps is far below the historical average, and is even lower than that for the 2021-2022 winter. This will...

Water policy and management needs to take into account and integrate different water uses and the protection of water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Better policy is based on best scientific and technical knowledge. The availability of scientific knowledge is key to integrate environmental, agricultural and other sectoral policy objectives, as...

It aims to revise and strengthen the European Union’s (EU) rules on organic production and the labelling of organic products in relation to: the control system; the trade regime; production rules. In this way, it aims to: create a level playing field for operators; harmonise and simplify rules; improve consumer confidence in organic products and in the EU’s organic logo. It repeals and...

The Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development undertakes activities aimed at the development of entrepreneurship (e.g. improving qualifications and access to the labour market, financial support) under the Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020 (RDP 2014-2020).

The theme of RIA 2022 was ‘The Future is Youth’, inspired jointly by 2022 being the European Year of Youth, the long-term vision for rural areas, and the Rural Pact, developed by the European Commission. RIA 2022 sought to promote the importance of European youth to build a better future...

Agroecological transitions aim at developing sustainable farming and food systems, adapted to local contexts. Such transitions require the engagement of local actors and the consideration of their knowledge and reasoning as a whole, which encompasses different natures of knowledge (empirical, scientific, local, generic), related to different dimensions (economic, environmental, technical,...

Does Eastern Europe have a specific dynamic regarding the development of LSPA (Local Solidarity Partnerships for Agroecology)? Together, let’s find different methods and models to build a more sustainable food system. The module is designed for consumers and producers interested in finding out more information about CSA in Hungary and Romania. It may also...

Foreign tuna fishing companies, mostly from Asia, have been exploiting Madagascar’s waters since the 1950s. The bloc that is now the European Union joined the hunt in 1986 and didn’t stop for decades, renewing its deal with Madagascar every few years. Yet when the last Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA), as...

This report presents an overview of how data collected under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and in particular due to the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) (Sagris et al., 2013). This system can contribute to a better detection of LD drivers. LD is an umbrella term considering soil threats...

Agricultural & Rural Convention ARC2020 Newsletter Summer 2023. This summer, find the time to visit a farm, to chat with farmers, to break bread together. And if you are a farmer reading this, and you can find the time  - reach out to people driven by environmental campaigning passion. Bring them to...

The transhumance is a privileged moment between shepherd and animal, an experience like no other. Both parties know what is expected of them, coming together as a team, walking towards a common goal in symbiosis. Photo © Claire Jeannerat    

Transformation to sustainable agriculture in the Netherlands is increasingly called for. Agroecology is acknowledged as a sustainable – potentially transformative – alternative for conventional methods of agriculture. However, few farmers adopt agroecological practices. Recent literature suggests failure to achieve sustained and transformational change may be due to neglectance of personal,...

Livestock is the subject of widespread allegations regarding its responsibility for global warming. And yet authorisations for factory farms continue to be granted and there is still major confusion about the different types of livestock farming. This confusion, added to the call for people to eat "less but better meat",...

Organic tree fruit quality and yield are often reduced (10 - >80%) because of insect and pest damage. No effective control measures exist for many of these pests. This increases economic risk and can reduce growers’ motivation to develop organic production. At the same time, there is a large potential...

Agroecology holds that agricultures that are part of sustainable food systems are closely interwoven with local contexts and communities. These agricultures are embedded into farmers’ local and practice knowledge which is articulated in constructive ways with scientific knowledge. They combine producers’ concerns with concerns of consumers and environmental protection and...

This general fiche summarises all the environmental and climate impacts of organic farming systems and specifically on organic livestock systems, found in a review of 30 synthesis research papers [1]. These papers were selected from an initial number of 220 obtained through a systematic literature search strategy, according to the inclusion criteria reported...

EU CAP Network Newsletter March 2023! Optimising the flow of information about agriculture and rural policy within the EU is what the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Network is all about.  The Network is a forum through which National CAP Networks, organisations, administrations, researchers, entrepreneurs and practitioners can share knowledge and information...

In the new EU CAP Network, innovation, knowledge exchange and EIP-AGRI play a crucial role in sharing good practices and connecting people across EU agriculture, forestry and rural areas. The new edition of the Agrinnovation magazine offers inspiring stories, interviews, Operational Group updates and other news from across Europe.

SafeHabitusOpen link in new window is a Horizon Europe multi-actor project that aims to strengthen farm health and safety knowledge innovation systems (FHS KIS) and support the EU transition to social sustainability in farming. The project is developing a ‘Knowledge Hub’ offering a wealth of materials for everyone involved in farm...

Agricoltura Capodarco, a social cooperative located in the outskirts of Rome, employs people with disabilities and socially excluded people. 'Connecting people' is their main philosophy. The multifunctional cooperative runs two organic farms, two restaurants, produces wine and other products, has educational programmes and much more. The agricultural cooperative was founded in...