More than 50 percent of the world's population currently lives in urban areas and this is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050, particularly in developing countries. Increasing effects of climate change, including storms, floods and other extreme weather events, pose an added threat to how people in cities, especially...

Food Commerce has turned into one of the most controversial economic battlefields in humankind history, whilst the society of today is characterized by a single existential criterion, manifested from top to bottom: efficiency. Due to the distinctive features and functions of agriculture, the economic theory has a subtle approach of the efficiency concept in agriculture, compared...

Established in 1926, International Green Week is taking place for the 81st time in 2016. The IGW is a one-of-a-kind international exhibition for the food, agricultural and horticultural industries. At the same time, the IGW is the point of origin for the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) with...

Overview of the main resolutions of the Council APF CR held in Ostrava on 9-10th March. The council APF CR concluded that any of the proposed points/amendments from the previous Council held in November 2015 were not fulfilled by the Minister/ry of agriculture. Therefore APF CR insists on the previous...

Social enterprise is a dynamic and inspiring way of doing business. Social enterprises are innovative, independent businesses that exist to deliver a specific social and/or environmental mission; they form a diverse community and their approach, which seeks more-than-profit, is adopted by a huge range of organisations of every size, operating...

An overhaul of food systems – production, distribution and consumption – to make them more sustainable, will be needed to meet the food needs of a growing and ever more urban world population. That will mean attacking food waste, which is especially high in urban areas.

As the Coordinator of the H2020 project “Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas” (SIMRA), I am very pleased to share the news that the 1st Workshop of the H2020  SIMRA Social Innovation Think Tank (SITT) that took place on October 26th – 28th 2016 in Bratislava and was endorsed by...

A first required step to improving the integration of refugees and migrants s to increase understanding between host communities and new arrivals. Such approaches aim to ‘change the narrative’ around migration, increasing the likelihood of more positive outcomes for all.

Matching the logistics of a farmers' cooperative with consumers' needs can be a real challenge. The Jarina farmers’ cooperative has found and tested several solutions over the past 12 years.  It first started as an initiative to improve quality of life in the municipality of Litija, by promoting local agribusiness...

This is the reference document of the Workshop on the "Effects of the structural changes on EU farming: How to better support the European model of agriculture of the 21st century with the CAP" of 14th March 2016, organised by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) and the...

One year ago from these same pages, EU Commissioner Phil Hogan said that “more than ever, innovation is key for the agricultural sector” considering the global challenges ahead. This is still true today, and the European Commission has invested even more in research and innovation. Great importance is given to...

From 3 to 5 October 2016, around 260 mountain actors (researchers, farmers, environmentalists, elected representatives from local and regional authorities, representatives of chambers of commerce and development agencies) met in Bragança, Portugal during the X European Mountain Convention organized by Euromontana. This X European Mountain Convention presented a state-of-the-art of the...

Hay is at the base of almost all traditional meat & dairy farm products – even to the farmyard chickens eating grasshoppers brought into the yard with the new hay crop.   Hay – especially cut with a scythe, has shaped Romania’s rural cultural landscape and resulted in enormous biodiversity of...

Opportunities to become economically self-sufficient are crucial to successful integration into society in the medium to long term, as well as to personal dignity. Skills development, work placements and business-development support can all be valuable depending on each individual’s profile. Access to work for new arrivals is key for their...

When farmers’ position in the food supply chain is relatively weak, they can benefit from organising themselves better so as to improve revenue opportunities. One route to doing so lies in local markets and short-supply chains. Risk management tools are needed to help farmers cope better with the uncertainty created...

HNV farmlands in Romania are an estimated 30% of the total utilisable agricultural area: 5 million ha, associated with smaller holding sizes in hilly areas within the Carpathian arc. Traditional farming practices are responsible for maintaining many of Romania’s (and Europe's) HNV farmlands, which deliver a host of public benefits (goods...

In the period to 2020, the new CAP will invest EUR 10.7 billion in Ireland's farming sector and rural areas, with additional co-financing from the Irish authorities. Key political priorities have been defined at European level such as: jobs and growth, sustainability, modernisation, innovation and quality. At the same time,...

The agri-food sector, as an integral part of the bio-economy, serves a multitude of functions, sometimes with conflicting implications. In order to maintain a competitive sector that also values environmental services and rural development, the continuous development and application of new technologies but also new organizational forms will be crucial....

What is it really like to farm sheep in a far-flung corner of the English moors? This film is about Matthew Trevelyan, a young upland farmer on the North York Moors. Matthew Trevelyan took over the running of Hill Top Farm, near Spaunton, from his father several years ago and...

In the Mediterranean regions, the pressure on natural resources, particularly land, is a key element defining the processes of economic and social development. In fact, the land tenure shapes the development of agricultural production chains, natural resources management, large projects and major infrastructure development, as well as the success of rural...