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Patriotism, Food Sovereignty & Contemporary Ukraine

February 25, 2018 Natalia Mamonova

Over the last few years, Ukraine went through dramatic political, socio-economic and cultural changes. Dr. Natalia Mamonova investigates how the rising Ukrainian national identity and patriotic sentiments during the geopolitical conflict with Russia changed the ways in which Ukrainian smallholders see their household farming. The revealed transformation may lead to an emergence of a food sovereignty movement in Ukraine. […]

Pressure mounts for opening of Organic Farming Scheme in Ireland

February 22, 2018 ARC

Our own Oliver Moore has been busy in Ireland talking and writing about about the (lack of an) Organic Farming Scheme in recent weeks. He was on the TV: with demand for #organics growing, why is demand way outstripping supply in Ireland and is it time to reopen our organic scheme #ettg @ellamcsweeney pic.twitter.com/uhFnAwo409 — Paula Williams (@paulawilliamss) February 22, 2018 You can watch the full show here (national restrictions may apply) And you can listen to him on the radio too on the Saturday morning show Countrywide. Last week he told us about the confusion the Irish Department of Agriculture has with regard to opening or not opening the Organic Farming Scheme. Schrödinger’s Cat and the State of the Irish Organic Farming Scheme While this week he covered the recent Biofach 2018 event – the world’s largest organic trade show for the Irish Farming Examiner. Below is what he wrote about what the Irish organic certification bodies – IOFGA and the Organic Trust – have to say about the lack of an Organic Farming […]

Heard (of) Farmerama? Amplifying the voice of the smaller farmer

February 21, 2018 ARC

A positive globe trot to the places where smaller farmers of an ecological mind are tending to their land. Farmerama takes you there. Have a listen. […]

Feeding Ourselves 2018 | rural revilitisation through a cooperative approach to farming and food

February 20, 2018 Oliver Moore

An exciting happening in rural Ireland, which ARC2020 is very happy to be involved with, is on 26th and 27th May. This event focuses on – and celebrates – the may ways people can come together to make rural spaces better through food and farming. […]

Agroecology | A Tale of Two Continents

January 15, 2018 Carmen Schwartz

Agroecology is commonly understood as a science, a movement, and a practice, jointly transforming agroecosystems to less fossil fuel dependent, more autonomous and more resilient farming systems. Agroecologic practices and research have evolved and are being applied around the globe. What unites these movements, what separates them? How is it different in Europe compared to Latin America? Is there a universal approach to agroecology? […]

Meet Olga Alcaraz | Gender Equality in Mexican Agroecology

January 10, 2018 Karen Hansen-Kuhn

Agroecology is about more than just affordable, ecological techniques – meet Olga Alcaraz, one of the women leading the movement forward. […]

Martin Häusling’s 10 Point Plan to Overhaul the CAP

December 14, 2017 ARC

Continuing in our series of CAP commentary from as wide a range of sources as possible, below we present the CAP position statement of MEP Martin Häusling. In it, he points to the folly of following an export and growth model for agri-food. Moreover, this model as it stands delivers little by way of environmental goods, or for animal welfare or the rural economy. He also emphasises the specific benefits of organic farming, while giving us ten points for major CAP reform. […]

Drones & CAP Compliance – savvy surveying or surveillance state?

December 10, 2017 Helene Schulze

Somewhere between convenience, efficiency, cost saving and a comprehensive EU surveillance mega state, the use of drones and other in-the-sky technologies for ensuring CAP compliance represents, as it were, a Brave New World. Helene Schultz unpacks the details. […]

Ireland’s “Livestock-Industrial-Complex”

December 6, 2017 Frank Armstrong

This long read by Frank Armstrong gives a background into what he calls the livestock industrial complex. Part history, part contemporary agri-food overview, part health and environmental case and part personal note, this article is speaks of power and how it operates in different spheres. These include politics, media and nutritional advice, all through the prism of livestock farming in Ireland. […]

Texting Cows, AGTech & the Future of Farming in Germany

November 26, 2017 ARC

Automation and digitisation are rising in farming and the broader agri-food sector. Germany – industrial powerhouse of Europe – seems an obvious place to embrace AGTech. From precision farming and data ownership to embodied energy and cost, what are the opportunities, the impacts and the implications? And how are agroecologists responding? […]

Why Did MEPs Reject 3 GM Crops Last Month?

November 21, 2017 ARC

One of a series of significant votes in the European Parliament on 24th October last involved the rejection of the authorisation of GM crops. So what reason did the MEPs give for reject these crops? […]

Contributors wanted

October 31, 2017 ARC

Become a Contributor for ARC2020 Interested in European food, farming and rural policy matters? Do you have great writing skills and an ability to deliver content accurately and on time? Then you could be just what we’re looking for! ARC2020 is seeking people to write on these topics for us. We are in particular seeking contributors who are well versed in CAP, and/or agroecology, academics and practitioners, and people who can help bring the national debate in their country to a European audience. And, we pay! (Note that we don’t offer payment for academic articles, op-eds, or for report promotion. We pay journalists as well as farmers who write for us primarily) For more, contact Louise Kelleher at: louise.kelleher[@]arc2020.eu Submission Guidelines Pitch Pitch us the topic/questions/ideas you plan to explore (email, max. 2 paragraphs) Write in English (unless otherwise agreed) Once we have accepted the pitch, you and the editor will agree on a deadline and payment for the article. Article format Length Articles should be between 800 and 1,200 words, unless otherwise agreed. Structure […]

“Toward pesticidovigilance” Slams Lack of Global Pesticide Regulation

September 22, 2017 Oliver Moore

“(T)he effects of dosing whole landscapes with chemicals have been largely ignored by regulatory systems. This can and should be changed.” Top pesticide advisors criticise weakness of global pesticide regulation […]

Long Read | How to Feed the World Without Killing the Planet?

August 2, 2017 ARC

The issue of “land sparing vs land sharing”: Kremen poses the familiar refrain – should we be as productive (in terms of yield) as possible, thus leaving more land for nature, or should we try to get farming and nature to work better together? […]

July CAP briefing | Council, Stakeholders & Co-Financing

July 19, 2017 ARC

Progress towards a CAP Communication is ongoing, with two events recently. These have updated Minister and other stakeholders of the progress towards a making changes in the Common Agricultural Policy – CAP. They have also providing an opportunity to test the popularity of ideas and make the case for sector positions. Here’s our July CAP roundup. […]