The theme of the development of organic farming in the EU and in Poland was taken up in the study, pointing out that organic production is an element of the EU agricultural product quality schemes. In this sense, organic production pursues the same objectives under the Common Agricultural Policy which...

Smart villages are the new concept of villages around Europe where the traditional services are improved by using new technologies. Mr Mario Milouchev, Director of DG AGRI for Rural Development Programmes1 and Pre-accession assistance, explains how digital solutions help those villages improve the economic performance of their areas but also...

Four decades of communism and an overnight transition from socialism to the free market caused dramatic shifts in food consumer – producer relationships across Eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, a history of cooperatives and local food production contrasts with today’s situation, in which the country is almost entirely dependent...

While that number may seem small compared to the business generated by trade in the automotive or energy industries, the agri-food sector is of particular importance to the EU economy and, more importantly, the economy of millions of families. EU exports of agricultural and food products to third countries – not...

All the information from the EIP-AGRI Focus Group on Ecological Focus Areas at a glance

Organic and eco-sustainable farming is particularly suited to farms situated within parks, because it does not harm local ecosystems as it does not use pesticides and promotes biodiversity, improving biological links and creating ideal habitats for animal life. It also promotes grants that reward farmers for acting as “guardians/stewards of...

Roadside and farmland hedgerows in Normandy (France) were disappearing. Local inhabitants wanted to preserve this traditional landscape feature. So they decided to generate an economic value for the hedgerows and set up a short wood supply chain. Involving all local groups in this was essential.

The main objective of the Guidelines is to provide a non-binding complement to other guidelines and offer advice to RDP evaluation stakeholders on how to carry out the evaluation activities for answering the common evaluation questions related to innovation. Since the RDP’s effects on innovation in rural areas can be...

The development of short food supply chains where intermediaries between farmers and consumers are removed should result in fairer remunerations for farmers and higher quality local food products, supporters say. In 2015, 15% of farmers sold half of their products through these short food supply chains, according to a study carried...

Most European consumers are familiar with migratory species like salmon and sturgeon, and with farmed trout and carp. The long-term viability of these and other inland fish species is the focus of an FAO regional commission whose meeting opens here today. The European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission, established in...

The EU's farm sector and rural areas are major players in terms of the Union's well-being and its future. EU agriculture is one of the world's leading producers of food, and guarantees food security for over 500 million European citizens. The EU's farmers are also the first stewards of the...

Over the past few years, price volatility has become a central concern for European farmers and consumers due to changes in demand, supply and structural characteristics of the market. This has resulted in an increase in costs and debt by farmers, with 2.4 millions EU farms disappeared between 2005 and...

From the Med to the Atlantic, passing by the Black, Baltic and North Sea... one voice: Low Impact Fishers of Europe.

The European Rural Development Network (ERDN) integrates various European research institutions, which are involved in analysing the transformation process of rural areas particularly in Central-Eastern Europe. The main objectives are to advance international knowledge transfer and scientific cooperation in rural development and agriculture, as well as to share and promote...

The Bluefin tuna industry received a windfall in Marrakech, with proposed TAC increases over the period 2018 to 2020, culminating in the highest TAC ever set. What about SSFs?

These guidelines have been prepared as practical action points to strengthen small-scale fishing organisations and help them make their voices heard in the decision-making process. Based on interviews with fishers and fishing organisations from the Atlantic (France, Spain and Portugal), the guidelines are made up of practical action sheets, each...

140 tons of ghost nets retrieved by 533 Polish small-scale fishers…and counting!  

In this Rural Connection number we have information’s about a LAG mission to China and the ensuing cooperation that will follow, about a LAG initiative tackling mental health issues in rural areas, about the major Agri Innovation Summit held in Lisbon, the PEGASUS research project, the first European Rural Youth...

This issue of the FARNET Magazine not only highlights the ability of FLAGs to adapt to a wide variety of territories but also to reach those parts of society that others cannot reach while tackling head on some of the important challenges faced by EU fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Indeed,...

Transmission of farms within the family - this is the main theme of the European project Farm Success, in which the Association of Private Agriculture in the Czech Republic is also involved . As part of our case studies, we have farms stories  from several European countries and we think it...