The Rural Pact conference brought together EU, national, and regional policy makers along with local authorities, social and economic stakeholders in a participatory event that reflected the rural vision’s ambition and bottom-up character. This on-site event engaged participants in designing the governance of the Rural Pact and gathered commitments for the achievement of the long-term vision for...

The publication takes readers on a journey to 15 organic plant and animal breeding initiatives in Europe. Every initiative is presented by a person involved in the initiative. For each initiative, the aims and challenges are described. The selected examples give a good insight into the great diversity of initiatives...

Episode 14 episode of Food for Europe is dedicated to the new EU Organic Awards which will acknowledge different actors of the organic value chain- launch date for applications March 25 – and many of the issues surrounding organic production and consumption. Key speaker is Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, who...

In the ALL-Ready project, we are interested in connecting with groups and organisations  involved  in  the  agroecology transition, and whose activities correspond to the ‘living lab’ or ‘research infrastructure’ model. However, we acknowledge that not everyone involved  in  these  activities  will recognize such labels or be aware of own capacities...

The Mediterranean Sea is being invaded by hundreds of fish, jellyfish, prawns and other marine species from outside the region. More than 1 000 non-indigenous species have been identified in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Over half have established permanent populations and are spreading, causing concern about the threat they...

Why does organic farming need organic seed? Discover this and more in LIVESEED's animated video "Organic plant breeding and its contribution to food production". This animation was produced within the LIVESEED project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No....

This document is Deliverable D4.1 in the Work package (WP) 4 “Implementation and Sustainability of the Network” of the ALL-Ready project. WP 4 aims to provide an implementation plan that ensures the added value and sustainability of the European Network of Living Labs and Research Infrastructures capturing and promoting long-term...

Gastrointestinal Nematode (GIN) parasitism is the main health challenge small ruminants face with detrimental consequences on their health, welfare, and economic returns. Gastrointestinal parasite control is usually achieved with the use of anthelmintic drugs. Use of anthelmintics is strictly regulated in the organic sector. However, due to the global spread...

A transformation of our agriculture and food systems is urgently needed to combat climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. For that reason, the European Commission has initiated several policies to make the EU food systems sustainable and climate-neutral by 2050. High targets have...

The PPILOW project aims to co-construct through a multi-actor approach solutions to improve the welfare of poultry and pigs reared in organic and low-input outdoor production systems. The project will target nonconventional and outdoor rearing systems with reduced (notably drug) inputs and organic systems (as defined by EU, so considering defined...

What is agroecology? The AEEU understanding: As a science, it gives priority to action research, holistic and participatory approaches, and trans disciplinarity that is inclusive of different knowledge systems. As a practice, it is based on sustainable use of local renewable resources, local farmers’ knowledge and priorities, wise use of biodiversity to provide...

Sustainable, ecological approaches to European farming, the heart of the European Green Deal, are needed to safeguard food supplies for EU citizens and protect the long-term livelihoods of rural communities. The emergence of more support for organic systems as a form of agro-ecological production can help address these policy challenges...

The ongoing RELACS research into alternative gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) control strategies including the use of heather as a bioactive forage and the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans, as a biocontrol agent was discussed in focus groups in four European countries. Farmers interested in trialling either alternative volunteered to participate in the...

ALL-Ready is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded by the European Commission with the aim of preparing a framework for a future European Network of living labs and research infrastructures that will enable the transition towards agroecology throughout Europe. Based on the premise that agroecology can strengthen the sustainability...

The past months were exciting for the ALL-Ready project and we have been working hard to prepare the future network of Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures. We are pleased to give you some insights on the project’s activities in this second edition of the ALL-Ready newsletter. Our recent activities...

The European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) and National Rural Networks (NRNs) are part of the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy since the 2007-2013 programming period. The ENRD brings together stakeholders from across the EU and facilitates the exchange between national networks, organisations, and administrations with an interest...

All 27-EU Member States had to submit their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) national Strategic Plans (SP) by 1 January 2022 to the European Commission (EC). As of 3 March, one country has still not submitted its two CAP Strategic Plans (Belgium for Wallonia and Flanders). With this evaluation of the...

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports sustainable land use including the establishment and maintenance of agroforestry systems. The new CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs) for 2023-2027 provide Member States with options and opportunities to support agroforestry systems where trees are grown on agricultural land to help boost farm incomes while...

This study provides an overview of the effect of the decline in the number of farms across the EU on the European farming model (EFM), which is built around the notion of multifunctionality and provision of public goods by agriculture. It concludes that in order to foster sustainability and resilience,...

On 4 May 2017, the European Committee of the Regions’ Commission (CoR) for Natural Resources (NAT) and the Rurality-Environment-Development (RED) international association held a conference in Brussels entitled “RURAL post-2020: more ambitious, more transversal! A Rural Agenda to re-enchant the European project”. One of the aims of the conference was...