The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) in close cooperation with the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG) to implement the project "Streamlining of agriculture and rural development of SEE countries for EU accession" to facilitate the establishment of such network and mechanisms. The purpose of the...

The International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) has uncovered well-grounded resolve to place family farmers as protagonists in addressing a number of challenges we face, from eradicating hunger and poverty to conserving natural resources. Nothing comes closer to the sustainable food production paradigm than family farming. The diverse set of...

L’agriculture est-elle toujours une affaire de famille ? Cet ouvrage analyse les transformations du caractère familial de l’agriculture en France, mises en perspective avec quelques éclairages de situations dans les pays du Sud. La première partie de l’ouvrage rend compte des recompositions de l’exploitation agricole et de ses enjeux, exploitation qui...

The Soil Association was formed in 1946 to create a better world – one where we farm responsibly, eat healthily and live in balance with the environment. We support farmers and growers to research and tackle the most serious food and farming challenges, through projects such as Innovative Farmers. And we...

As part of our larger strategy to adapt smallholders in drylands to climate change, ICARDA’s science has sharpened its focus on producing more with less in irrigated and agropastoral systems, and sustainably intensifying cereal-based rain-fed production systems through research platforms in Egypt, Ethiopia and Morocco.

This report, and the events recorded in it, focus upon seven countries which are at various stages of active or potential candidature to join the European Union. Six of the countries are in the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and...

In constrained environments such as mountainous and Mediterranean areas the sustainable use of forage resources by domestic herbivores has to combine production, conservation of high environmental value areas and product quality. The sustainability of animal production systems relies on their ability to reconcile economic performance based on the added value...

Small ruminants are important for income generation and security, food supply and for development in rural Mediterranean areas especially in mountainous and marginal regions. Nevertheless, the adoption of cost-effective technologies and management practices for improving flock productivity and farmers' incomes is limited. This is largely due to socio-economic factors, such...

The countries of the Southeastern European (SEE) region pronounced their intention to move towards integration with the European Union (EU) in order to create a stable, united, and more prosperous region. The EU integration process should foster political stability and socio-economic and sustainable development in the region. The SEE candidate...

This Report on the typology of the agricultural holdings in France is based on data from the agricultural census 2000. It uses three main criteria: labor type, commercialization and management type. A specific variable related to the direct marketing is used and put into debates. The identification of the diversification...

The EBRD and FAO are working together to introduce geographical indication status for a range of food products in Serbia, beginning with the local sour cherry. This project is also supported by Luxembourg.

Ecological compensation areas are implemented on Swiss farms with the aim of encouraging biodiversity, but recent studies have found that the existing system of incentives for specific conservation measures is insufficient to halt biodiversity loss in the Swiss agricultural landscape. A project with the title “Score with biodiversity - farmers...

The five independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan cover a vast territory in Central Asia, almost 4 million hectares, which is just a little smaller than the whole of Western Europe. Very different ecoregions are represented in this territory: grassland plains (steppes), riparian forests (tugai), boreal forests...

Governments and international agencies frequently boast that small farmers control the largest share of the world's agricultural land. Inaugurating 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming, José Graziano da Silva, Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), sang the praises of family farmers but didn't...

On March 28, 2014 the Farmers’ Congress was held with the participation of Georgian farmers to voice out the problems and constraints in the field of agriculture. The Congress also addressed two global campaigns supporting the agricultural development: Oxfam campaign - “Food and Climate Changes 2014-2015” and UN/World Farmers Forum...

Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) have established in parallel to conventional food chains, playing a key role in the emerging food networks that are continuously arising as an alternative to the globalized agri-food model. The diversities and particularities of the experiences existing all over the world (box schemes, farmers’ markets,...

Agro-food chain is the only chain in the economy that can bring together and integrate numerous of economic activities, can connect hundreds of local enterprises with thousands consumers and producers, offering a unique opportunity to rural development, which consequently can reinvigorate the region’s economy and the whole national economy. Rural...

This report presents the possibilities of ‘FIGS’, a new technique for searching agricultural genebanks, that helps crop breeders and their managers achieve faster and better targeted pinpointing of improved crops for the future. This approach helps genebank managers, crop breeders, development agencies and donors to improve the effectiveness of crop...

Globally ICARDA has the mandate to develop sustainable systems to protect and better use rangelands in the dry lands in cooperation with national research organizations. About 25% of terrestrial surface is used for extensive pastoralism often increasing the risk of desertification, which is fueled by climate change. Unfortunately, by now...

Cette année, le rapport de situation s’intéresse aux exploitations paysannes familiales, lesquelles constituent encore et toujours la forme d’exploitation habituelle même si elles sont confrontées à divers problèmes. C’est pourquoi l’ONU a déclaré 2014 «Année internationale de l’agriculture familiale». Les petites et moyennes exploitations familiales produisent 70% de toutes les...