Since the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) also the number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) has risen strongly, from less than 50 in 1995 to more than 350 in 2022. Increasingly overlapping RTAs imply challenges and can raise trade costs associated with the management of multiple trade rules...

The gouverments in Sweden and Norway have nominated the "Summer farming at fäbod andseter – knowledge, traditions and practices related to grazing of outlying lands and artisan food production” to the UNESCO Representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity There are now only 750 active summer- mountain frams in...

Low-carbon and resilient agrifood systems are vital to ensure the food security of a growing human population and global economic development. These systems are the processes and actors that convert natural resources and the environment into benefits and costs for humans through agricultural production and agro-industries (Campanhola and Pandey, 2019). This...

German Naturparks and French Parcs Naturels Régionaux (PNR) are project breeding grounds where eco-friendly agriculture, outdoor tourism, and recreational activities can coexist, as we explored in part 1. In this second part, we will discuss the more successful trajectory of certain French PNRs, which, along with some German nature parks,...

Regional Overview present the regional food security and nutrition situation, including trends of undernourishment, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, together with other indicators that could help the understanding of the causes of hunger and malnutrition. This edition offers a regional overview of the socioeconomic state of the region;...

This technical report presents the key policy measures for the transition towards sustainable food systems in 17 developing countries. For each country, the analysis is based on the integrative review of the National Pathways (elaborated in the frame of the United Nations Food Systems Summit - UNFSS) and the Food...

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and tomato (S. lycopersicum L.) are the most economically important vegetable crops in Egypt and worldwide. The winter crop in Egypt is particularly prone to late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans. A total of 152 P. infestans isolates were isolated from the 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018 winter crops with 82 isolates...

Access to clean and safe water is a prerequisite to meeting basic human rights. Water is essential for all productive activities in Egypt in the agricultural sector and related sectors, including industry, trade and energy generation. Agriculture is a key sector in the Egyptian economy, contributing 11.3 percent to the...

Nanotechnology research and its application in agriculture has become a major focus in recent years. Nanoformulations offer the possibility to develop more efficient and less damaging agrochemicals in the environment. Smart delivery systems for nanosensors, molecules that can help to detect biotic or abiotic stresses before they can affect production,...

The overall aim of OK-Net EcoFeed is to help farmers, breeders and the organic feed processing industry in achieving the goal of 100% use of organic and regional feed for monogastrics, in particular pigs, broilers, laying hens and parents of broilers and laying hens. In the last two decades, the market...

This report presents an overview of the European Union’s (EU) international cooperation in the areas of food security, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture during the 2014-2020 Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). It provides an illustrative insight into over 3,000 EU actions across the globe.

A major meeting this week brought together farmers, bankers, governments and development partners from across Africa and beyond to discuss ways to ensure smallholder farmers, the backbone of the region’s food system, have access to the finance they need to improve and scale up sustainable forest and farm management practices. The...

Tropical agricultural landscapes often consist of a mosaic of different land uses, yet little is known about the spectrum of ecosystem service bundles and materials they provide to rural households. We interviewed 320 households on the different benefits received from prevalent land-use types in north-eastern Madagascar (old-growth forests, forest fragments,...

Potatoes are cultivated in over 150 countries and consumed all over the world, including here in Europe and Central Asia where it is both an important crop and a staple in regional diets. It is food, fodder, and a source of income for farmers. Potatoes are low in fat and high...

With the support of the OK-Net EcoFeed project this field lab has been investigating ways of reducing pig and poultry farmer's reliance on imported protein for animal feed. Beans are commonly grown in rotation as a fertility-building cash crop, but they contain antinutritional factors, which limit their inclusion in monogastric...

The present study reports the population structure, genetic admixture and phylogeography of cattle breeds of Sri Lanka viz. Batu Harak, Thawalam and White cattle. Moderately high level of genetic diversity was observed in all the three Sri Lankan zebu cattle breeds. Estimates of inbreeding for Thawalam and White cattle breeds...

My wife and I have always dreamt about going back to the rural areas to start farming. Mainly to start growing our own food, spending days tending a flock of chickens, and maybe growing a big garden for our family and perhaps allow our children to enjoy what nature is...

The interlinked crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss threaten Europe’s agriculture and long-term food security. No pollinators means no life on the planet. Losing insect pollinators would destabilise the functioning of ecosystems. Since the start of the ECI in 2019, the Commission has taken ambitious actions under the...

This interview is part of a series conducted in the lead-up to the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems programme to be held from 24-27 April in Hanoi, Vietnam.  When asked about the current moment for food systems, Lim Li Ching brings the conversation back to 2009, when...

With a clear decrease in the agricultural households’ incomes, the increase of food and production factors prices, and the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, smallholders’ farmers are facing food insecurity challenge, especially in arid regions. The objective of this paper is to examine the resilience of households to food insecurity...