Data from October 2016. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Family farms dominate the structure of EU agriculture in terms of their numbers, their contribution to agricultural employment and, to a lesser degree, the area of land that they cultivate. There were 10.8 million farms in the...

All around the world there are millions of farmers who continue to farm and refuse to turn their land and resources into just another money making industry. They continue to fight for their autonomy and their fundamental right to grow clean and nutritious food for their local communities. Gerald Miles is...

A new fish hatchery and aqua feed production unit were inaugurated last week in the Issyk-Kul province of Kyrgyzstan – the first instance of support for aquaculture infrastructure since dissolution of the Soviet Union.  Financed by the Government of Finland, the facilities were built under an FAO project entitled, “Towards Sustainable...

The four-member family Petrovic from Prnjavor near the town of Sabac, has been growing raspberies for years, agriculture being the only source of income for the family. Jovan, his wife Gordana and two sons Milan and Ivan, college students, cultivate maize, soybean, wheat and clover on 3,3 hectares of their...

Based on the success of the 1st edition, the Alpine Convention is organizing the Reading Mountains festival The “Reading Mountains” festival is an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Alps – its many languages, different, yet similar cultural heritage and its arts in all shapes and forms. For this...

From London to sheep farming on Eigg

The existence of many farms in Germany is dependent on the level of economic pressure and competition brought by larger scale holdings. More and more small farmers are being driven into ruin and the environment is paying a hefty price

The report show that strengths and chances derive from modern meat processing and marketing, high performance infrastructure and logistics. On agricultural level the strong and dense organizational structure is highly influential. The good capacity-building system provides high productivity. Also increasing number of fattening units thus, increasing pork production.  

The main objective is that the videos give consumers an insight into how the milk they drink is produced. It shows what life and work on farms in the region is really like, increasing the connection between producer and consumer. Christine Licher from the association speaking to The Local said...

Cow’s milk accounts for almost 3 % of global greenhouse gas emissions, but skimming the waste from dairy production in Europe could make the business much more sustainable. Each year, around 140 million tonnes of raw milk is produced across Europe which requires an average energy input of 18 400 GWh....

The CIHEAM intends, by launching this Mediterranean initiative for PhD students and young researchers, to set the bases of a permanent forum for communication, dialogue and publication for different partners in the field of research and rural development in the Mediterranean countries.

A presentation regarding market tools in sheep sector, in European Union.

The second transnational project meeting for the Farm-Success Project took place in Jaén, Spain on the 21-22nd April 2016. Representatives from each of the Project’s eight partners attended the transnational meeting; the second meeting of many transnational meetings held throughout the duration of the Project. This second meeting, provided a...

This report has been prepared by DG Agriculture and Rural Development with the support of Eurostat, as well as FIBL Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH for data on Germany and the Ministerium für ein Lebenswertes Österreich for data on Austria. The organic sector in the EU has been...

This video is a documentary featuring a European farmer who converted his farming system from conventional farming to organic farming to show the pros and cons of the process from a personal perspective. The farmer describes the different stages which the older system underwent and mentions which channels of distribution...

This annual report provides an overview of EU dairy farms based on the latest available data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) for 2013. It provides trends in milk margin per tonne and in income per work unit from 2004 to 2013, and estimates of gross milk margins for...

With greater market orientation of EU policies and increasing trade liberalisation in recent years, the EU agriculture sector is no longer shielded from global developments in the food supply chain. The participation of the European agri-food sector in global markets has created important trading opportunities, but also exposed it to greater market instability and increased price volatility.

The newsletter of August and September 2016 includes: LIFE presents its contribution to the “Extraordinary Plan for the Management of the Mediterranean Spanish coast” for 2017-2019 to the Spanish Ministry The Low Impact Fishers of Baltic Countries present their Action Plan to the EU Commission Other news from around the EU News from our...

ince the launch of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2015, the EU’s farmers have suffered a string of crises. The CAP’s greening measures have helped farmers maintain their revenue, but the questions of job creation and access to land have proved harder to answer. EurActiv France reports. Europe’s farmers...

Though many people shy away from the word and distance themselves from its negative connotations, there is a contemporary push to reclaim ‘peasant’ as something to be proud of, to be respected. In Transylvania, Eco Ruralis is part of this effort but the true driving force, though not necessarily in...