Insect pollinators continue to decline across Europe despite the Common Agricultural Policy’s increased focus on environmental protection. In response, a group of experts are calling for the improved quality of wildlife habitats through more targeted management and a robust monitoring framework, and a diversity of habitats to meet the resource requirements of our pollinating insects. […]
Platforming the dynamic ways rural Europe has responded the key challenges of this time, the new book by Forum Synergies is a call to get stuck in. Read the final chapter on how Sicilian youth have organised access to land for young people, how to confront political uncertainty, why to pay attention to seeds and the value of an experimental spirit. […]
Researchers studied 37 different measures to help Scottish Agriculture reduce its carbon footprint. Here’s what they found. […]
The UK may have left the EU, but we will still maintain a focus on what’s happening there in food, farming and rural areas. In the spirit of cooperation, there will still be much to learn from each other. To this end, here’s a report from Wales on an event that’s emerged from the Oxford Real Farming Conference. […]
In this second of a two part series with Alan Matthews, we discuss his home country of Ireland and CAP. Oliver Moore speaks with Matthews on Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions; its increasing herd size, in particular in dairy; the success of the European Innovation Partnerships; the role of coops; issues facing the beef sector; diversification and more. […]
In a glaring failure for checks and balances, a leaked European Commission audit concludes that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš continues to profit from his business empire. The billionaire premier is in conflict of interest under both Czech and EU law, say the EC auditors. The EU seems set on making an example of the Czech PM. Will this mean a clampdown on corruption in Central Europe? […]
Agriculture has changed significantly in the past century. Bigger machines, bigger farms and bigger budgets allow fewer farmers to produce more food. Changes in science and policy have also resulted in an industry in which power over what we grow and eat is increasingly held by very few. How have gardeners and seed savers responded? […]
As the European Commission today announces what its green deal will be like, how will agriculture, food and rural Europe play its part? Will this green deal be white wash, or will it have substance? And will a just transition help Europe’s workers farmers and all citizens make the change? […]
A new report using economic research from 46 farms aims to improve understanding of the underlying economics of upland farming, and how this can be improved to both benefit the environment and increase the financial resilience of these businesses. […]
A recent study from Cranfield University, published in Nature Communications, claims that Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions would increase in England and Wales, were these two countries to convert to 100% organic. This is because without dietary change, imports into England and Wales would increase. But is this the whole story? […]
There is something of an incongruity between organic and no till approaches to cereal and vegetable production. Both approaches emphasise building soil organic matter. However weed control is difficult in organic, without at least some minor soil disturbance. At a recent Agroecology Europe Forum in Greece, there were some promising signs of progress. […]
What is grass fed beef all about? How does it compare to certified organic beef? And what’s emerging to give the consumer the best of both worlds? Peter Dunne unpacks the issues. […]
Poland’s choice for Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski’s had a tough hearing on 1st October – so tough, he’s had to answer written questions and may have to appear again on Monday. Then he may be subject to a secret ballot of the 48 MEPs who make up the Agri Committee. So who is Janusz Wojciechowski, what might he focus on, and what is the Polish impression of the MEP from the Euroskeptic ECR group? With new correspondent Igor Olech. […]
Is livestock a liability in the climate game? Not if it’s done right, says the IPCC. In its Special Report on Climate Change and Land Use that came out over the summer, the IPCC weighs up the solutions agriculture can offer to the challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation, desertification, land degradation and food security. Sustainable livestock is just one of the responses examined in this sweeping analysis of the possible scenarios. […]
Rural places are peopled places – and people have and need cultural life. Culture can include heritage and the arts, the activities we enjoy, the food we eat, and the language we speak. Since these things matter in all our lives, they matter for all the places where we live, too. But talk about rural renaissance can often miss making cultural connections. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention