Latest from the ARC network Archives - Page 2 of 18 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Rural Europe Takes Action | Much More Than Our Daily Bread

June 1, 2022 ARC

To celebrate the forthcoming launch of the new ARC2020 and Forum Synergies book “Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual” we’re sharing extracts of the policy actions it calls for and the stories that underscore the importance of such action. Today we have the story of the Free Bakers Association (Die Freien Bäcker), an independent professional organisation of artisan bakers and confectioners founded in Hanover, Germany in 2011. […]

Rural Europe Takes Action | For Resilience and Peace – Political Action Now!

May 31, 2022 ARC

“Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual” is a new book to be launched by ARC2020 and Forum Synergies on June 7. With our heads in the clouds of possibility, and our feet firmly on the ground, we draw from inspiring tales of action, from 25 European countries, a series of recommendations for policymakers. Here is a teaser for the book – its conclusion – a call to take political action now! […]

Rural Europe Takes Action – Book Launch and Draft EU-Regulation

May 30, 2022 Hannes Lorenzen

On June 7 ARC2020 and Forum Synergies launch a new book titled “Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual” which reveals the power of European civil society and the collective intelligence and imagination of numerous rural experts, policy makers and practitioners. The book includes an ‘Unwritten Regulation on an Integrated European Rural, Agricultural and Food Policy’ as an alternative to continue or replace the CAP by 2028. Hannes Lorenzen explains why it’s high time for a new integrated policy framework for rural territories and their people. […]

Time To Rethink ‘Plant-Based’ – Part 2

March 2, 2022 Stuart Meikle

The mere fact that a product is ‘plant-based’ is no guarantee of sustainability. Whether our food comes from plants or animals, in terms of sustainability our choices would be better informed by nutrient cycles. Much of our agriculture depends on monoculture crops which are unable to feed themselves as, in the absence of plant biodiversity, they are starved of nature’s bounty of nutrients. Second in a two-part series by Stuart Meikle. […]

‘Slow, Tricky and a Pain’ – Importing Seeds after Brexit

February 23, 2022 Marianne Landzettel

The rows of colourful seed packets on display in large garden centres in the UK may look as well stocked and tempting as ever, and big seed companies too, continue to offer a wide choice of conventional, mostly hybrid varieties. But gardeners and growers looking for open pollinated and organic seed are having a harder time. By Marianne Landzettel. […]

France | Change Is In Our Hands – Part 2

February 4, 2022 Valérie Geslin

Far from the stereotype of the solitary farmer, Marion and Benjamin make a conscious effort to get farming out of its bubble. It’s the only way they’ll shift mentalities, they believe. The two farmers, who are associates in a cooperative mixed farm in Brittany, also open up on the thorny issues of unpaid activism, taking holidays as a farmer, and feeding the community versus feeding the world. Part 2 of an interview with Valérie Geslin. […]

Time To Rethink ‘Plant-Based’ – Part 1

February 1, 2022 Stuart Meikle

‘Plant-based’ is the new ‘sustainable’. Marketed as the remedy to many of our crises, on closer inspection the label means little. And worse, rather than helping us to respect planetary boundaries, it embeds a belief that we can continue to consume because plants are a forever-giving source of food, fibre and fuel. In the first of a two-part series, Stuart Meikle debunks the reductionist virtues of ‘plant-based’ products. […]

Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 | New Dawn For Solidarity

January 17, 2022 Ursula Billington

After three action-packed days, the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2022 ended on a positive note, forging hope from solidarity. With powerful takeaways on diversity and knowledge sharing, there was much to be optimistic about thanks to contributions from a multifarious community of kindred spirits and a vibrant youth element. Ursula Billington reports. […]

Undeniable Success of the ECI “Save bees and farmers”

December 21, 2021 ARC

The success of the European Citizens’ Initiative “Save bees and farmers” in 2021 was a historic result in the journey to reduce synthetic pesticides, restore biodiversity on farmland and support farmers to transition to agroecology. If the initiative is accepted by the Commission, the Commission will have to analyse and respond to the citizens’ requests. This article originally appeared in Justice Pesticides’ December newsletter. […]

Position Paper on Soil Carbon Sequestration and its Possible Remuneration through CO2 Certificates

December 14, 2021 ARC

More than 30 organisations and individuals active in the fields of nature conservation, environmental protection, agriculture and science have collectively spoken out against the use of CO2 emissions certificates as a tool for preserving and building humus in soil. In a position paper on soil carbon sequestration, the broad alliance rejects the compensation of greenhouse gas emissions through CO2 emissions certificates. […]

UK | Supply Chains No Longer Fit For Purpose

November 27, 2021 Vicki Hird

Farmers in England and Wales want to move away from centralised supply chains where they say they have little influence over prices, not enough connection to consumers, and are not rewarded for delivering positive climate and nature outcomes. This is according to the findings of Sustain in its report ‘Beyond the Farmgate’ which lays out the results of a new survey of 500 English and Welsh farmers. […]

COP26 | Corporations Team Up With CSOs To Push Big Data Solutions For Sustainable Food & Farming Systems

November 11, 2021 Ursula Billington

Food and farming is notable by its almost total absence from climate change discussions at COP26. Yet farmers can and want to be part of the solution. Could big data be the key to unlocking a transition to sustainble farming and food systems? An unlikely alliance of multinational corporations and civil society organisations makes the case for a Global Farm Metric. Ursula Billington reports. […]

Food Sovereignty, Climate Action and Local Resilience

November 10, 2021 ARC

Here we republish the introduction to ‘Food Sovereignty, Climate Action and Local Resilience’, a pamphlet produced by the Green European Foundation with the support of Green Foundation Ireland and Cultivate. […]

Farming Bounded By Our Biological Boundaries – Part 4

October 25, 2021 Stuart Meikle

Feeding the soil and avoiding fossil fuels is the Holy Grail of sustainable farming. Techno-solutions aside, this will entail working with nature by mimicking nature – and harnessing the capabilities of ruminants. In the final installment of this series, Stuart Meikle outlines solutions for fossil fuel-free farming. […]

Farming Bounded By Our Biological Boundaries – Part 3

October 18, 2021 Stuart Meikle

It’s tempting to blame burping cows for methane emissions. But while nature cannot distinguish between naturally occurring methane and methane derived from fossil fuels and anthropological activity, humans can – and should. Methane has a role to play in sustainable farming. We cannot let the debate around methane emissions cloud the broader benefits of farming with ruminants, argues Stuart Meikle in part three of this series. […]