Livestock farming is facing major challenges at a global level due to increasing uncertainty in markets, policies, socio-cultural trends and the environment. One of the main focus in research and policy design is to reconcile the sometimes conflicting objectives of delivering both animal products and environmental services. Therefore, focus has...

Regional competitiveness, understood as the ability of regions to promote, attract and sustain the economic activity, so that their population can reach and maintain a high living standard, is the object of the present analytical approach. The results of the study reveled that the economy of the predominantly rural regions...

The European Commission has today formally extended for a further year the safety net measures for the European fruit and vegetables sector, which were due to expire at the end of this month, as announced by EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan at the Council meeting of EU agriculture ministers in...

Soil organic matter content is key for a healthy and high-quality soil. This brochure highlights methods to improve soil organic matter content which can help ensure adequate soil functionality and soil fertility. It also offers a number of solutions for common soil challenges, which are especially critical in Mediterranean regions....

he volume contains the papers accepted and published in the proceedings of the 7th International symposium entitled: “Agrarian Economy and Rural Development - Realities and Perspectives for Romania”, organized by the Institute of Research for Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Bucharest in cooperation with, The Institute for Agrarian Economy Romanian...

Rositsa Djambazova works for a business incubator which provides support to new entrants into farming in Bulgaria - “We put a lot of effort into bringing together people with complementary needs, solutions or resources, which is one of the main successful aspects of the incubator.” Rositsa is a member of the...

Globalisation, climate change, population growth and urbanisation are all having an impact on the world’s agriculture. Through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which accounts for the biggest share of the EU budget, the EU is driving developments in this strategic sector. Latest figures show that farming employs over 20 million...

This animated clip introduces European agriculture to 11-15 years old students. It is part of our teacher's resource pack - a collection of ready-to-use teaching and learning resources which aim to raise awareness among young Europeans of the importance of food and farming in Europe.

Model Sheep Fold is a good example of how traditional farming methods are supported by technical exper-tise to ensure that the traditional way of life in Romanian villages may be maintained. Solar panels supply the shepherds with electricity for light and for charging their cell phones. This enables the shepards...

Stretched between three branches of the Carpathian Mountains lies the Transylvanian Plateau, an expanse of valleys, forests and ravines where Ferma Ecologica Topa sits. The farm is run by Dan Cismas and his wife Tincuta, both of whom grew up in the village of Topa in Mures County. Dan Cismas has been farming for 30...

European citizens may choose the food they put into their shopping baskets, but they have not chosen the food systems that serve up that food. There is  currently no EU ‘food policy’. Instead, the food we eat and the food system we enjoy are shaped by a variety of distinct...

Nestled at the foot of the Vladeasa Mountains lies Sancraiu, a commune composed of five villages in Transylvania. One of the villages is Alunisu that provides an exquisite example of Romania’s subsistent peasantry. Here, Lars Veraart and Robyn Bors-Veraart set up their farm called Provision, the Transylvania School of Self Sufficient Living, which not only...

In the “Land Rights Campaign” Eco Ruralis researches the important aspect of generational renewal in peasant farming and its complex relation with land tenure and stewardship. First of all, we aim to disseminate the information to our members, Romanian peasants, and deepen their understanding and capacity to react to the imminent threat in the near future: the loss...

El mundo está alimentado por la agricultura familiar. Sin embargo, las pequeñas parcelas de cultivo y las explotaciones familiares han estado denostadas durante todos estos años, en los que el irremediable proceso de desagrarización ha ido aparejado de un insistente eslogan del capitalismo: lo pequeño no es competitivo. Es ya...

How do small-scale farming communities deal with the challenges of migration and land abandonment stemming from falling local income? This project shows the value of linking small-scale producers for their mutual benefit. Advantages are obtained on behalf of all small-scale farmers by procuring one food-safety authorization for multiple producers, by...

With the help of the young farmer grant, the producer has installed a processing unit for the production of ice cream, enabling him to sell ice cream at local events. He has also made two rooms available for guests and runs a bike rental service.

Cuando las Cortes Generales aprobaron la Ley 45/2007, para el Desarrollo Sostenible del Medio Rural, el objetivo fundamental era llenar un vacío legislativo y político que supliera la ausencia de una legislación y de una política rural propias, que se había cubierto parcialmente con reglamentos y políticas derivadas de la...

Brian O’Riordan, LIFE’s Deputy Director, explains to the readers of Inshore Ireland the consequences of the “tradition of exemptions” and the future steps needed for a correct management of the small-scale fleet in the long term.  

A collection of short examples of initiatives/projects related to new entrants into farming (mostly small scale)

The international community is beginning to recognize the integral role of urban agriculture in improving the economy, environment, and health of cities. The Resource Center on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF) Foundation expects that by 2020, 85 percent of the poor in Latin America, and about 40 to 45...