The post 2020 reform promised to deliver a fairer CAP: better targeting and distribution of resources. At the core of a fairer CAP, the Commission introduced mandatory capping – upper limits to payments – and degressivity – progressive reduction of payments above a certain level – to address a skewed distribution of around 80% of direct payments to only 20% of European farms. […]
Populism has become a powerful political force in Europe. The current wave of populist movements has seeped through the European countryside from France to Sweden to Poland. Yet despite the emergence of resistance and alternatives to populism, the political debate continues to overlook rural Europe. In the first of a two-part series Natalia Mamonova shares her insights into why populism is having a moment in rural areas. […]
In this opinion piece from Justyna Zwolińska, who hails from Janusz Wojciechowski’s home country of Poland, we hear some reasons for optimism about the recently appointed Commissioner: both his previous track record and his initial musings give cause for hope, Zwolińska contends. […]
There are farmers interested in the environment, and environmentalists interested in farming…and now, there are environmentalists who have started to farm in a way that speaks to their values. Meet France’s Peasants of Nature. […]
Jordan Treakle tells us about the 2nd UN FAO Agroecology Symposium, held in Rome April 3rd-5th. What vision for agroecology was presented? And how does this relate to policy matters, and realities on the ground? […]
What should CAP focus on – and how radical a change is needed in how the EU’s farming and food policy works? The platform Pour une autre PAC (For Another Common Agricultural Policy) is a French inter-association body created for a common reflection and action in view of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. […]
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? […]
Hello and welcome to our November newsletter!Can rural areas step up to help with Europe’s refugee crisis? What is the rural response to climate change? And what are the core issues of inequality between rural and urban regions in the EU? These and other topics questions are being assessed this coming week in Austria at the second European Rural Parliament. (Live video links also at post)We’ve been busy covering GMO’s in recent weeks: EU Member States and regions have either opted in or out of the option of growing, and that has divided the UK. Romanian farmers however, seem unified in their rejection of the technology. In what has been one of our most popular stories ever – one with some real detective work conducted by Ramona from Eco Ruralis – we reveal how much a failed crop GM Maize is in what was once the darling nation-state of the biotech sector. (This story has been shared from our site over 11,000 times on facebook, a stat which excludes other shares from elsewhere). Some more […]
NewsFlash August-September 2015 […]
Despite restrictions, civil society is helping people use traditional seeds. Eco Ruralis report from Romania. […]
Guest post by Luke-Dale Harris : in Romania the main stronghold of sustainable agriculture is ironically held up by the least sustainable of sources. […]
ARC2020 working with small farmers to organise a 10 day EU-wide Speakers’ tour on land-grabbing […]
TTIP talks: despite the PR, still under a cloak of secrecy CEO 05.05.2015 It’s not just glyphosate and neonicotinoids! Why we need a pesticide-free future Ecologist 30.04.2015 Organic milk and prenatal iodine Guardian 30.04.2015 US to open TTIP reading rooms across EU Euractiv 29.04.2015 What will EU parliamentarians vote on TTIP? Euractiv 17.04.2015 Government’s approach further undermines the proposed Expert Advisory Council An Taisce 01.04.2015 Farming will not be held back by green targets says Coveney Independent 01.04.2015 Pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables associated with low sperm count Washington Post 30.03.2015 Agroecology reclaims territories for local peoples and food sovereignty More and Better 18.03.2015 Commitments to rural development spending 76% below forecast in 2014 capreform.eu 23.01.2015 ‘We are fed up!’: Thousands march against TTIP & GMOs in Berlin RT 17.01.2015 Großdemonstration für eine tiergerechte und klimaschonende Landwirtschaft in Berlin ARD 17.01.2015 Agrarwende: 50000 Demonstranten gegen Massentierhaltung und Gentechnik Spiegel Online 17.01.2015 Tausende demonstrieren für artgerechte Tierhaltung und fairen Handel Zeit Online 17.01.2015 Drawing upon citizens’ voices: Deep democracy in action IATP 14.01.2015 Europeans’ shopping habits reveal […]
Sometimes things are simple and sometimes they are complicated. In the Irish midlands, from 21-24th March, people representing dozens of organisations involved in agri-food, came together to work together on how we feed ourselves. here’s sever things I learned at this year’s event. […]
On Wednesday February 1, Tomaso Ferrando stood side-by-side with the farmers who had taken over Place Luxembourg and the streets adjacent to the European Parliament in Brussels. On my way, long lines of tractors with Belgian, French and Dutch plates could be seen almost a kilometre away from the square. As he drew closer to the scene, the sound of their horns and the smell of burned tires saturated my ears and nose. Here he outlines his thoughts on the farmers’ protests and what they mean. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention