In Romania, the transition to a market economy meant a change in the relationship between the users of land resources (who became land owners) and the resource (the agricultural land, the operation of which was divided among the new owners). In the last quarter of a century, the rural areas...

More than 90 per cent of Italian farms have a usable agricultural area of less than 9 ha, even if over time there has been a growth of the average agricultural area per farm as a consequence of rural out-migration. This paper compares, using a nonparametric model, the technical efficiency...

Under the scope of the a4a Initiative, the JRC is promoting cooperative activities between fisheries scientists with the aim to test, disseminate and promote a4a methods. These Small Research Projects (SRP) focus on comparing the results of assessments from other models to assessments obtained from the a4a statistical catch-at-age model,...

The world’s growing population has resulted in rising demand for agricultural products. But, at the same time supply capabilities are shrinking due to reduced land availability and climate change. Analysts claim that an “agri-tech revolution” is needed and precision farming is emerging as an innovation driven solution. Precision farming is...

These guidelines were created within the frame of a project called ‘Building Regional Produce Supply Chains: Logistics for Short Circuit Agriculture’. The document provides training material for use by anyone providing training in AFDS (Alternative Food Distribution Systems) or anyone eager to learn about organising logistics for local food systems....

Key elements of FAO’s work in Europe and Central Asia – combating land and soil degradation, addressing the needs of family farms, boosting nutrition through agriculture, and studying rural people’s access to social protection schemes – were affirmed by the Organization’s members this week. The 39th session of the European...

In an effort to help EU farming adjust to future nutritional needs, the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2014-2020 aims at bridging the existing gap between research and farming practice.

Rural development in the European Union is part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and it is a vitally important policy area: over 56 % of the population in European Union (EU) Member States lives in rural areas, which cover 91 % of the territory. The EU has 500 million...

The new Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020 prioritises innovation in order to help the sector adapt to the new competitive environment, and promote “greener” policies. In a recent interview with EurActiv, Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, talked about an “Agri-tech revolution” and the use of advanced ICT...

An international film festival in the Slovak Republic bucks that stereotype, bringing agricultural production into cinemas and making it understandable and entertaining for everyone. Now in its 31st year, Agrofilm provides an opportunity to see feature films, documentaries and short videos on agriculture, rural development and nutrition topics. Audiences gain insights...

Global population is expected to rise from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050, according to UN projections, meaning food production will have to double to meet nutritional needs. In an effort to rise to this challenge, the new CAP for the period 2014-2020 is focused on innovation as...

Local development in EU coastal and fisheries areas is entering a new and exciting period. The implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) present new challenges and new opportunities for coastal and fisheries communities. Greater coordination between the European Structural and...

The new CAP includes a “crisis reserve”, which can be drawn on in case of need. Worth roughly a noncumulative €400 million a year, the reserve is financed by the cut of Direct Payments exceeding the €2,000 per year threshold. For this very reason though, the institutions are unwilling to...

Les travaux sur l’Agriculture familiale sont nombreux. Un certain nombre d’entre eux se sont intéressés aux pays méditerranéens. Dès 1984 en effet le Réseau Agricultures Familiales Comparées (Rafac) était créé à Montpellier, à l’Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen, du Centre International des Hautes Etudes Méditerranéennes1.Les publications du Rafac sur l’agriculture familiale furent...

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...

The annual published Beef and Sheep reports contain the main findings of the sector, emphasising the comparative analysis of the competitiveness of the production of beef and sheep, among the participating countries. The 2015 report provides an update of global world maps and charts, a continuation of the country page information...

Farmers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are constantly innovating, adapting their farming techniques to cope with unfavourable weather or environmental conditions. But their efforts are far from systematic, and there is little government support for what they do. A discussion at the 39th session of the European Commission on Agriculture,...

Short Food Supply Chains (SFCs) have potential to improve farm incomes, promote sustainable farming systems and contribute to local economic development. There are many different forms of SFC in Europe, but they share a common characteristic of reduced numbers of intermediaries between the farmer or food producer, and the consumer....

By prioritising human and non-human life over economic profit, and cooperation over competition, citizens of the city of Cordoba have been able to transform their food system into a thriving network of local food producers and consumers. Women have been at the forefront of this movement.

For several years, insuring harvests against the climate hazards that regularly destroy farmers’ crops in developing countries has for several years been a major tool in the fight against poverty, mainly in Africa and Asia, where between 400 and 500 million farmers survive on very low incomes. This system, which...