This report is the result of the Focus Group (FG) on Organic Farming, Optimising Arable Yields which was launched under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) 'Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability'. The Focus Group brought together 20 experts with different backgrounds and experiences (scientists, farmers, advisers…) to make recommendations on transferable innovative...

2 October 2017. Meeting in Hamburg Germany, around 30 small-scale, low impact fishers from Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Germany, and Netherlands, shared experiences and lessons learned from their engagement with the Advisory Councils (ACs). They were joined by technical experts and academics from the Baltic region, and supported by LIFE staff. Under discussion were...

As part of its Work Programme for 2017, the European Commission committed to take forward work and consult widely on simplification and modernisation of the CAP to maximise its contribution to the Commission's ten priorities and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This will focus on specific policy priorities for...

Why are small-scale fisheries excluded from European Blue Growth whilst aquaculture is included? It is time to recognize the potential of fisheries to provide sustainable jobs and food supplies.

The fourth Farm-Success transnational meeting was held in Naklo, Slovenia on the 9-10th March 2017. The first day of the meeting commenced with an overview of the project work completed recently, followed by a presentation of the case studies. The remainder of the morning session was spent discussing the project...

To underline the need for radical, systemic changes, we have chosen the term “AgroEcological Transitions” for the title of this volume. It stresses that a transition towards sustainable agriculture requires more than improving agribusiness as usual. To us, agroecology refers to broad and varied processes of experimentation and innovation that...

Achieving healthy diets, adequate nutrition, good health and wellbeing for all in a sustainable manner while managing responsibly natural resources are at the core of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Economic growth and rising incomes have nearly eliminated hunger and undernutrition in Europe and Central Asia. However, malnutrition...

The EU needs to think beyond subsidies for farmers if it wants to address some of its biggest problems.

Small-scale fisheries make an important contribution to nutrition, food security, sustainable livelihoods and poverty alleviation of coastal areas. This paper deals with the integration of small-scale fisheries in coastal communities, their contribution to sustainable development, and some methodological approaches that can be used to carry out this kind of analysis....

This edition of the ENRD’s EU Rural Review focuses on re-imagining the opportunities for rural business development and change. Without seeking to ignore the many challenges facing Europe’s rural areas, we explore some of the latest thinking and practice in how rural entrepreneurship can be supported to take advantage of...

Parasites in goats are common. They can have varying effects on the animals, but sometimes can be a serious problem. An organic farmer in Italy has found a natural way of reducing the effect of these – bringing in black laying hens to live alongside the goats. These hens help...

While much of the production of food in Europe depends on migrant workers, most people are not aware of the terrible working and living conditions that most of them have to endure. At the same time, the plight of small scale producers who must deal with the low prices imposed...

SOLMACC, an EU- LIFE funded project coordinated by IFOAM EU is about testing and sharing strategies for organic and low-input farming to mitigate and adapt to climate change. It wants to demonstrate that agriculture can be climate-friendly, but you need to apply a combination of optimised organic farming practices to...

The aim of this study is to promote cooperation and actions for the benefit of coastal communities on the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean region by adopting an approach that integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions. These areas are traditionally based on Fisheries, especially small-scale fisheries (SSFs), which...

The report provides an outline of what was learnt during the workshop and some thoughts about how this important dialogue may be continued and enriched. It also serves as a call to action to the key stakeholders, in the light of the upcoming transformation of the sector. Continuing the dialogue...

A learning pack for teachers and young Europeans aged 11-15, about food and the importance of farming in our life. The teacher's pack contains a DVD, a usb key, worksheets and a map. There are also 20 worksheets for students – colourful, entertaining exercise books with project ideas. This set...

The monthly newsletter of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe

Livestock production contributes significantly to ammonia and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The EIP-AGRI Focus Group on reducing livestock emissions looked for cost effective measures to reduce both methane (CH4 ) and ammonia (NH3 ). The 20 experts in the group described the current and new mitigation measures, explored their cost-effectiveness,...

This factsheet on ‘Smart agri-food supply chains’ is one of the outputs of the ENRD’s Thematic Working Group on ‘Smart and Competitive Rural Areas’ in 2016. ‘Smart’ has been taken to mean all those supply chains that strengthen the position of farmers and rural businesses by helping them to create...

The EIP-AGRI Focus Group on ‘Integrated Pest Management – Focus on Brassica species’ brought together 20 experts with different backgrounds (scientists, farmers and advisers), to propose innovative solutions on this topic. They concentrated on winter oilseed rape (OSR) and the three most important Brassica vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli and white cabbage....