In the past decade, the demand for organic food has grown exponentially in the EU. The EU has set rigorous criteria for European farmers who want to have their products certified with the EU organic logo, but what rules apply to products imported from non-EU countries? In the fourth episode of...

Euromontana has worked on the Smart Villages concept since 2017 as member of the European Network for Rural Development’s Thematic Group on the topic. Through the Horizon 2020 project SIMRA (Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas), Euromontana also contributed to broaden the definition of the concept, by advocating that the Smart Villages approach...

The aim of this In-Depth Analysis prepared by the Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies is to explore the possible implications of the Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) for agriculture and the CAP and, as a result, on the legislative works of the AGRI Committee over the 2020 -...

Introduced more than 10 years ago, the EU organic logo embodies rigorous organic food production rules. The logo guarantees that at least 95% of a food product’s ingredients are organic. It also confirms that products respect the environment, soil fertility, biodiversity, animal welfare and do not contain chemicals or GMOs. More...

It’s not just Brexit. The future of European food systems is being shaped by many different – sometimes contradictory – drivers. The large-scale agro-food processing and retailing industries are increasingly churning out processed foods and degrading the environment. At the same time, more people are concerned about the climate impacts of...

This study provides a preliminary quantitative and qualitative analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on European agriculture and the agri-food supply chain in light of the responses deployed by the European Union and its Member States to mitigate its effects.

We’re back on the Montado do Freixo do Meio in Portugal, where exciting plans are afoot to have the community farm recognised as a Private Protected Area. Farmer and owner Alfredo Cunhal Sendim, a member of the Freixo do Meio Users Cooperative, explains their vision of a strong and organised...

Increasing demand for organic food products across Europe has made it clear that the European Union must help more farmers transition to organic farming and strengthen trust in the EU organics system among consumers. New legislation on organics is set to come into force early next year. What kind of...

European consumption of organic products has exploded over the last years. Currently, the European Union is ranked second in global organic consumption after the US. By 2030, it aims to convert 25% of farmland to organic. Right now, it is only around 8 %. Is the EU on the right...

The European organic movement’s vision for food and farming is of a fair, environmentally conscious, healthy, and caring system widely adopted in Europe by 2030. To make it happen, we need to take stock of what organic has become, to lead change and stimulate interactions with other like-minded organisations and...

On May 23, a broad alliance of Danish trade unions, educational- and advisory institutions, and business organizations representing thousands of farmers, restaurants, and food companies launched a joint proposal for the upcoming Danish Climate Plan. The national climate goal in Denmark is one of the world’s most ambitious: a reduction in climate...

The ENRD Contact Point organised a workshop to explore LEADER's positive, long-term impacts in rural areas and discuss how its added-value can be maximised in the future through better partnerships, local development strategies, and local projects and initiatives under the CAP Strategic Plans.  The event took place online as a webinar.  The event...

The SALSA project has closed a long-standing gap in research by looking into the status of small farms in different regions of both Europe and Africa. Its findings should help these farms live up to their true potential. Thirty reference regions, 25 of them in Europe and five in Africa. That’s...

'Organic in Europe - Prospects and developments for organic in national CAP Strategic Plans' highlights how much of the national CAP budgets will need to be dedicated to organic farming in all Member States to reach the EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies’ average target of 25% organic land...

Welcome to the Burren in the West of Ireland, where Shane Casey’s family have been farming Blackhead mountain for some two hundred years. Here, the unique limestone landscape requires a unique way of farming. Traditions are passed down through many generations of Burren farmers to maintain the critical symbiotic relationship between...

With the development of food tech, more and more services in short food circuits are provided via computerized tools: production monitoring, plot management, product catalog management, online sales via e-commerce tools, invoicing, accounting, etc. Today, these tools operate globally in a logic of silos and despite the existence of some Application...

FAO helped revitalize the urban-rural connection in Tajikistan, with a view to develop more efficient food systems that benefits residents of both areas. Considering that well-functioning urban-rural linkages are the key to advance the economy, nutrition, and sustainable development, the project improved interconnections between cities and rural areas through promoting sustainable...

In Romania, there is an emerging market of dairy products delivered through short food supply chains. Although this distribution system has existed since the communist period, and even though more than three decades have passed since then, the market fails to be mature, subject to taxation, or achieve a high...

Romanian beekeeping faces a lot of challenges nowadays due to the problems related to climate change, the use of pesticides in agriculture, but also to the pandemic crisis. In this context, organic beekeeping represents an important alternative to traditional apicultural practices. The purpose of the study was to present the...

On 12th October 2021, Euromontana organised its annual conference on “Being young in a mountain area in 2021”. The event was the opportunity to highlight the needs and desires of young people for the future of the mountains. The conference gave the floor to different mountain organisations that have recently...