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Letter From The Farm | Learning from a Campesino Family in Cuba

July 8, 2022 Matteo Metta

In Cuba, food security is still a challenge after years of wars to fight against colonialism, imperialism and climate change. Yet, the island is far beyond the European Green Deal objectives, having largely achieved most of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity targets that the EU aspires to attain by 2030. One Cuban farm is going even further. Welcome to La Finca del Medio, a 13.42-hectare family farm located in central Cuba, which is championing food sovereignty in the agroecological way. Matteo Metta writes from the farm. […]

Leaked Letters Reveal Environment & Climate Commissions’ Severe Criticism of CAP Plans

July 7, 2022 ARC

In two letters obtained by ARC2020, the Environment and Climate wings of the European Commission (DG ENV and DG CLIMA) point to an almost complete lack of effort by the national capitals to integrate any improvements suggested in the Commission’s observation letters. […]

Ireland, Food Security & Feed(ing the World) – part 1

July 5, 2022 Stuart Meikle

In these challenging times ‘food security’ has returned to the agenda in what was assumed to be the well-fed countries of the World. That includes in Ireland, even though it is ranked first in the Economist’s Global Food Security Index. To inform this debate ARC2020 will present an article series – an extended op-ed – from Stuart Meikle. […]

Nitrogen – Just Fix it! CAP’s Nature & Rotation Rules Under Threat

July 4, 2022 ARC

Crop rotations and space for nature are again under threat, as pressure mounts on basic conditionality in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Under the pretext of the impact of the War in Ukraine, it has emerged that the European Commission and 16 member states are prepared to allow such exemptions from the basic environmental standards to be continued for beyond the initial 12 months proposed. […]

Food Security versus Sustainability in Europe during the war in Ukraine

June 30, 2022 Natalia Mamonova

The war in Ukraine has intensified the debates about the future of agriculture in the EU. As the majority of member states scale back their ambitions for environment-friendly reforms to increase food production, Natalia Mamonova discusses whether sustainability will be sacrificed. […]

Commission Adopts Regulation to Half Pesticide Use by 2030 – But More Work Needed

June 24, 2022 Ashley Parsons

After months of delays, the European Commission has adopted the Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products. The regulation proposes legally binding targets and annual reporting by Member States to reach a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030. There are however, some serious issues yet to be resolved. Unpacked by Ashley Parsons. […]

Where’s the Impact? The Commission’s Rural Pact Conference

June 21, 2022 Alison Brogan

A year after the European Commission adopted a Communication on “A long-term Vision for the EU’s rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040”, it hosted a Rural Pact Conference in Brussels on June 15 and 16. Some 450 stakeholders participated. ARC2020 comments on its impact. […]

Op-Ed | Europe Eats the World

June 18, 2022 Jabier Ruiz

“Europe feeds the world” is a line often heard in EU policy debates and the media. A line often used to sideline calls to lower the impacts of European agriculture and to place “providing food” as the highest political priority. But is this line really true? In this op-ed lead author, Jabier Ruiz, of the WWF European Policy Office, summarises the main pieces of evidence gathered, which show that, far from feeding the world, Europe consumes more than its fair share. […]

Denmark | Re-Scaling the Rural

June 16, 2022 Louise Kelleher

ARC2020’s Louise Kelleher and Matteo Metta were among the speakers at “AlterRurality 6: Re-Scaling the Rural”, a conference held last month in a small Danish coastal village. The interdisciplinary conference aimed to initiate a critical investigation of past, current, and what may become future concepts and interpretations of rural life. Report. […]

The Good Food Good Farming Pesticide Check-up

June 14, 2022 ARC

As decision-makers consider the future of pesticide regulation in the EU, Good Food Good Farming is running a citizen science project inviting citizens to do a “Pesticide Check-up” by getting their hair tested for pesticides. The project is open to participation until June 30. […]

Reversing Rule and Exception – Transformative New Integrated Policy for Rural Agri & Food presented in European Parliament

June 10, 2022 Ashley Parsons

A book filled with “extraordinary examples of ongoing transformations of our rural world” was launched in the European Parliament this week. Key political stakeholders – including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Isabel Estrada Carvalhais, and Dacian Ciolos – agreed on the need to start to build a process to explore and develop ideas contained therein- including a radical new Regulation. So what are these ideas? […]

Rural Europe Takes Action | Creative Municipalities

June 3, 2022 ARC

“Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual”, the new book by ARC2020 and Forum Synergies, launches on Tuesday 7 June. As we count down to the launch, today we share another extract from the book: the story of a creative municipality that is bringing people into agri-food policymaking. From the story of Plessé and other stories, our book draws action points for policymakers on supporting local and circular economies. Below we summarise those action points, and then dive into a conversation with Aurélie Mézière, Mayor of Plessé. […]

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! […]

CAP Strategic Plans and Food Security: Fallow Lands, Feeds, and Transitioning the Livestock Industry

May 30, 2022 Mathieu Willard

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has sparked a debate on food security in Europe. Here, we set things straight on the derogation to allow production on fallow land, analyse the state of grain production and use as feed in Europe and reflect on what it entails for the future of the livestock sector. […]