Latest from the ARC network

More Legumes Please!

A newly published paper seeks to reposition legumes as protagonists in policy debates and encourage us to identify policies that would better support the transformation of European food- and feed-systems to a new norm, with greatly increased production and consumption of homegrown legumes and homegrown legume-based products. A savoury account of legume policy by lead author Bálint Balázs. […]

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Rural Resilience

Rural resilience starts on the ground, with people. People who are finding new ways to live and grow in harmony with their community and with nature. By amplifying the voices behind what’s working on the ground, and co-constructing policy proposals, we want to spotlight how rural communities can not just survive, but thrive. Consulter la page française  2020-2022: On the ground in France From 2020-2022, with the “Nos Campagnes en Résilience” project coordinated by ARC2020, we connected with people all over France who are engaged in experiments in socio-ecological transition. The seeds of resilience are often sown on farms that are exploring new forms of cooperation with their local communities. We support these experiments by creating a space for farmers to connect with their European colleagues, and to tell their stories. We enable rural communities across Europe to learn about the French art de vivre, and the richness and diversity of rural life. 2023-2024: Connecting the ground to Europe Now renamed the “Rural Resilience” project, in this second phase the project zooms out from France to […]

Main stories

A Soil Scientist’s Perspective – Carbon Farming, CO2 Certification & Carbon Sequestration in Soil

Carbon farming is a new buzz word, hotly debated in the EU Commission, in European Ministries and Chambers of Agriculture, and the subject of numerous projects and movements. It is in fact proposed as an ecoscheme by the Commission.  So far, however, there is no binding definition of “carbon farming” and there seem to be many different understandings of the term. What most approaches have in common is the objective of storing carbon in the soil in some way. Soil Scientist Dr. Andrea Beste unpacks some important points for this contested approach to soil and land management. […]

Qui sommes-nous?

Une ancienne et jeune association, à la fois, ARC2020 a vu le jour il y a une douzaine d’années, lors qu’un ensemble d’organisations se sont réunies lorsque le commissaire Dacian CIOLOS était commissaire à l’Agriculture et au Développement rural. Cela semblait être une bonne occasion de développer une vision commune pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et les questions rurales. Ces organisations provenaient de nombreux domaines : agriculture, consommateurs, développement rural, santé, bien-être des animaux, etc.  Notre travail consistait alors à rendre la Politique Agricole Commune (PAC) plus adaptée à ses objectifs – plus adaptée aux besoins réels des Hommes et de la nature – et ce travail se poursuit encore aujourd’hui à bien des égards. By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube Mercredi 19 septembre 2012, après plusieurs semaines de voyage, les 4 marches venues de différents horizons d’Europe, convergent enfin à Bruxelles !!! En ce grand jour, les citoyens viennent réclamer une nouvelle Politique Agricole Commune plus verte et plus juste devant la Commission Européenne. La création […]

Main stories

Roots of Resilience: How CAP, Farm to Fork, and Land Policies can Support an Agroecological Transition in Europe

 It is time to rediscover the roots of our resilience by grounding land policy in collective action and democratic forms of land politics. That’s according to a new report led by Transnational Institute. This position is based on an understanding of land not as a commodity but as a common resource, a living territory and a natural landscape. […]

Main stories

UK | Waking Up To The Power Of Mushrooms

Interest is mushrooming in the power of fungi to feed and heal people and the planet. On one urban farm in Bristol, England, mushrooms upcycled from wood chip are building topsoil as well as feeding the local eaters. Meanwhile another nearby mushroom growing initiative is giving wealthy landowners an incentive to preserve their woodland. Ursula Billington reports. […]

Events

Join Green Farming Now – All Day Web Event 17th February

With CAP activities hotting up – in trilogue and at member state level – our friends in Good Food Good Farming have, with Birdlife Europe, organised an agri-food policy event for 17th February. The need for transformation, the science and evidence behind why and how CAP isn’t working, along with some practical suggestions for how to communicate and mobilise around CAP issues form the core elements of this exciting all-day event.  […]

Latest from Brussels

Download New Report on CAP – Trilogues & Strategic Plans

“Integration between the CAP reform and the European Green Deal is poor or unrealised.” That’s according to a new policy analysis, written by ARC2020’s analyst Matteo Metta and Agricultural Economist Dr. Sebastian Lakner. Commissioned by MEP Martin Hausling (Greens/EFA) this timely report pours cold water over many of the claims for improved environmental performance in the emerging CAP, which is currently in trilogues. A number of CAP solutions are proposed. […]

Latest from key partners

Agroecology Can Shape and Transform EU Food Systems – Joint Policy Paper

Agroecology can be integrated into EU policy making – and it needs to be. To back this claim up, 25+ organisations have come together – including ARC2020 – with a concise new publication to show how this can be done. Using the FAO ‘10 Elements of Agroecology’ and ‘13 Agroecological Principles’ as a framework, the paper introduces how to to develop the appropriate instruments and targets for EU policies. […]

Latest from Brussels

CAP, Trilogues and National Strategic Plans – New Report Launches

What are the options for co-legislators and the Commission in the ongoing trilogue negotiations? How far are they from the European Green Deal? And what can member states do in their CAP Strategic Plans to align with Green Deal objectives? A new report sheds some light on these crucial questions. Report by ARC Policy Analyst Matteo Metta and Sebastian Lakner, commissioned by MEP Martin Hausling, it launches tomorrow. […]

Main stories

Planning for Food Commons in a Post-COVID World

How can we learn from Covid-19 to make our food systems work better? Broadly, there are two strands, argue Stephen Leitheiser and Lummina Horlings. One, an eco-modernist tech utopianism, which sees an increased use of digital and technological tools which will increase the power of corporations. The other is a food commons approach. This values-based approach needs to be nourished by more holistic, decentralised policy making for a truly resilient response to current and future crises. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Germany | Traditional Wine-Making Feeling The Heat of Climate Change

Although known for its beer, Germany has a long history of viticulture dating back to the Roman era. Wine markets have always been shaped by changing climate conditions such as the little ice age. The new climate reality is forcing many wine regions in Germany and across Europe to make large-scale adaptations to keep the winemaking tradition alive. Kyle Morrison reports. […]